Amersham Biosciences Launches New Fully Automated High Throughput Multi-Step Protein Purification System
The ÄKTAxpress™, launched today by Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham (LSE:, NYSE:, OSE: AHM), at Pittcon 2004, Chicago, Il, is the first fully integrated protein purification system to deliver totally automated, high throughput, multi-step purification of His- and GST-tagged proteins.
ÄKTAxpress 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. ÄKTAxpress 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.
ÄKTAxpress 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. ÄKTAxpress 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 ÄKTAxpress 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 ÄKTAxpress 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, ÄKTAxpress is really a laboratory scale protein purification factory.”
Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham (LSE: NYSE: OSE: AHM), is a world leader in developing and providing integrated systems and solutions for disease research, drug development and manufacture. Our systems are used to uncover the function of genes and proteins, for the discovery and development of drugs and for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. The customers for Amersham Biosciences’ products and technology are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research and academic institutions, principally in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia.
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