Molecular Devices introduces its next generation QPix microbial colony pickers
Molecular Devices has launched the QPix 400 series, its latest microbial colony pickers which it claims provides 98 per cent efficiency in colony picking.
The QPix 400 series, which includes the QPix 450 and QPix 460, with a third system, the QPix 400, to follow later this year, features the option to simultaneously detect colonies and quantify fluorescent markers.
Applications include areas such as protein expression, biofuel research, enzyme evolution, DNA sequencing and library generation and management.
The QPix 460 is the most advanced system of the QPix 400 range, offering automation of the entire workflow from sampling and spreading onto bioassay plates, through to imaging, analysis and picking, transferring selected colonies to up to 140 destination plates in two stacker lanes.
QPix 450 is automated from imaging to picking, transferring to up to 210 destination plates in three stacker lanes.
Dr Mark Truesdale, marketing manager at Molecular Devices, said: ‘The number of projects and applications that involve colony picking has expanded rapidly since the launch of the QPix systems by Genetix.
‘The original systems gained their market leading reputation following selection by sequencing centers involved in the Human Genome Project.
‘These new systems have been developed from the original QPix robotics, but with significant enhancements in performance and features, particularly in software and imaging, to support a wider variety of applications.’
