QIAGEN to Provide siRNA Libraries in Labcyte Acoustically Compatible Microplates
HILDEN, Germany & SUNNYVALE, Calif.–()–Labcyte Inc., the developer of acoustic liquid handling, and QIAGEN, the leading global provider of sample and assay technologies, announced today that QIAGEN FlexiPlate siRNA reagent libraries are now available in Labcyte Echo® qualified microplates. These microplates enable researchers to use the Echo® liquid handler to miniaturize the transfer of small interfering RNA reagents.
The Echo liquid handler uses acoustic energy to move fluids without physical contact or the possibility of cross-contamination. There are no pipette tips, pin tools or nozzles involved, which provides unsurpassed precision and accuracy while reducing volume. The advantages afforded by the Echo liquid handler have been published in many peer-reviewed journals and include applications in drug discovery, cell-based analyses, sample management, and assay miniaturization.
“Our Echo platforms have revolutionized liquid handling,” said Mark Fischer-Colbrie, CEO and president of Labcyte. “Researchers can now transfer significantly smaller volumes while maintaining excellence in precision and accuracy. The reduction in assay volumes and elimination of disposable tips dramatically reduces cost. Data show that siRNA screening at reduced volume is superior or equal to results obtained with traditional liquid handlers.”
“As the first provider to offer flexible and targeted siRNA sets worldwide, QIAGEN is pleased that we have the opportunity to combine our FlexiPlate siRNA concept with Labcyte Echo qualified plates, which minimizes volumes and reduces the risk of contamination during reagent transfer,” says Jörg Dennig, Global Product Manager RNAi at QIAGEN. “Our siRNAs are provided in highly flexible formats and scales with an unlimited possibility to arrange targeted siRNA libraries according to the researchers’ needs, and with easy access via our GeneGlobe website.”
“Providing siRNA libraries in acoustically compatible microplates makes it much easier to consider high-throughput, miniaturized siRNA screening,” said Dr. Anthony Davies of the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Dublin University, Ireland.
“Echo liquid handlers have already had a significant impact on drug discovery efforts in the pharmaceutical industry. Our technology is now poised to bring similar advances across a wide range of genomic and cell-based applications,” said Fischer-Colbrie. “We are pleased to work with QIAGEN in this effort.”
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global provider of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are used to make these isolated biomolecules visible. QIAGEN has developed and markets more than 500 sample and assay products as well as automated solutions for such consumables. QIAGEN provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied testing customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food testing and pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN’s assay technologies include one of the broadest panels of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide. This panel includes the first FDA-approved test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer. QIAGEN employs over 3,800 people in more than 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com/.
About Labcyte
Labcyte, a global life science instrumentation company, is revolutionizing liquid handling. Echo liquid handling systems use sound to precisely transfer liquids. The environmentally-friendly Echo platform generates better results with significantly lower costs when compared to traditional liquid handling systems that have high running costs, are prone to transfer errors, risk sample contamination and waste large amounts of plastic lab consumables. Labcyte instruments are used worldwide by all of the top ten pharmaceutical companies, as well as by small to mid-size pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, contract research organizations and academic institutions. Our customers work across a wide spectrum of biology including drug discovery, genomics, proteomics, diagnostics, imaging mass spectrometry and live cell transfer. Labcyte, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, has global sales and support. Labcyte has 45 U.S., 10 European, 5 Japanese and 1 Chinese patents with additional U.S. and international filings. For more information, visit www.labcyte.com.
