Laboratory scale protein purification factory launched at Pittcon 2004 delivers totally automated, high throughput, multi-step purification of His- and GST-tagged proteins
The Aktaxpress, launched by Amersham Biosciences at Pittcon 2004, is said to be the first fully integrated protein purification system to deliver totally automated, high throughput, multi-step purification of His- and GST-tagged proteins.
Aktaxpress is an invaluable tool for researchers working in structural genomics where the determination of a protein's three-dimensional structure requires large quantities of extremely pure protein. Aktaxpress provides up to 50mg of proteins of the highest possible purity, maximising the chances of successful crystallisation.
Furthermore, the high throughput provided by the system enables a large number of target proteins to be purified in a short time.
Aktaxpress combines hardware, software and media in a truly automated way.
No complex programming is required; the specifically designed Unicorn software wizard selects the optimum purification protocol, and automatically transfers the largest peak from every purification step to the next column.
This multi-step process provides protein of >95% purity.
Aktaxpress accepts multiple samples to provide high throughput: researchers can purify eight proteins in one day using a four-step protocol, or 16 samples overnight using a two-step protocol.
A standard system can be extended from four modules to twelve, so increasing throughput even further.
The built-in knowledge of the Aktaxpress system means that high-purity proteins can be produced with great reproducibility, even by researchers inexperienced in protein purification.
The entire process can run unattended, leaving operators' time free for other tasks.
"The launch of Aktaxpress means that purifying tagged proteins will no longer be a bottle-neck in a researcher's workflow," says Allan Simpson, vice president, research and analysis marketing, at Amersham Biosciences.
"The built-in knowledge of this fully integrated system means that our customers can obtain the high-purity proteins they need quickly, and easily.
"In fact, Aktaxpress is really a laboratory scale protein purification factory."
