Collaboration brings fully automated assay system to laboratories without specialist IT support
Tecan US and IDBS have announced the integration of the Tecan Genesis Assay workstation and IDBS's ActivityBase data management software.
The combined offering is the only one of its kind, providing scientists with a ready-to-use automation and data management package to support a wide range of assays.
The system is pre-configured, enabling users to automate low-, medium- and high throughput assays, and to assimilate data from these assays within a fully integrated framework, without requiring specialist IT support.
"This collaboration moves beyond the current best practice of ad hoc custom integration of automation systems and data management software," commented Neil Kipling, chairman and CEO of IDBS.
"Instead, we have pooled our expertise and experience with Tecan and developed a single integrated solution out-of-the-box, which our consultants then configure to specific assays.
What this affordable system means for customers in practice is faster deployment, more efficient management, lower total cost of ownership - and ultimately, better compounds to market faster." The Tecan Genesis automates a wide variety of laboratory functions to speed up drug discovery research, such as various primary and secondary screening assays, as well as ADME and toxicity assays. IDBS's ActivityBase software complements this by providing an integrated environment that captures and manages biological data and facilitates decision-making.
ActivityBase and the Genesis operate in concert to provide a streamlined laboratory workflow, for example, encompassing plate creation, screening, data capture and cherry picking in one step, freeing users to concentrate on scientific challenges and value-adding analyses. "As screening has matured, it has become increasingly de-centralised and more, smaller assay systems are in use.
As a result, the need to capture and manage high quality data in a consistent and secure way is ever more apparent.
However, this can be a real challenge for scientists if they don't have IT support," said Carl Severinghaus, president of Tecan US." We are delighted to work alongside IDBS in order to support pharmaceutical and biotechnology scientists by providing a robust, tailored automation and data management environment for which customer-side IT support is not required." The new offering from IDBS and Tecan US comprises the Tecan Genesis Assay workstation running Tecan's Facts, Gemini or Selactive software, as well as Tecan readers running the Xfluor software. From the IDBS software suite, ActivityBase running on Oracle is included, plus Sargen and Sarview for data querying and reporting.
The package also includes PCs, requirements gathering by IDBS and Tecan consultants, protocol configuration, training and technical support.
