By Lindsay Hock
Monday, December 21, 2009
In life science applications, sample preparation is crucial to any research project. With that knowledge, Symyx (Sunnyvale, Calif.) created a benchtop platform system that excels in doing complex sample preparation for a variety of life science analytics. Called the Core Module, the robotic system allows users to prepare, process, and analyze small quantities of samples “in an array of formats,” says Eric Carlson, vice president of Life Science Technologies.
Physically, the about a meter wide and three-quarters of a meter deep and has two X,Y,Z arms. The arms dispense powders, viscous liquids, slurries, organic and aqueous solutions at temperature; and the system can perform a variety of heating, mixing, filtration, capping/uncapping, and centrifuging applications. It also allows the user to measure images of samples, track the mass of a sample using an analytical balance, and measure conductivity, pH, and viscosity. “We were able to package up a bunch of sample prep tools and sample processing tools into one single platform, speaking to miniaturization,” states Carlson.
Along with all these functions, the system “can connect up with other third-party analytical instrumentation,” says Carlson. This allows for the user to use Symyx’s station to do the preparation and sample preparation of other samples appropriate for a variety of third-party analytics.
The real focus behind creating the Core Module, according to Carlson, was to enhance productivity. No matter if you are a formulation scientist, pre-clinical development scientists, or a laboratory scientist, Symyx’s system enables the user to “be able to do development on a smaller scale,” states Carlson. The system allows for the use of less material, which means that scientists can be more efficient about what they do, and can move a product into development much easier and more efficiently than before. And, the most important thing Carlson stressed is that the product frees up the scientist’s time. In traditional, manual sample preparation, a task can be time-consuming. By taking this to a smaller scale, “Symyx is more consistent about the approach that allows, over time, an impact of being somewhere between 10 and 100 times better in terms of productivity and enhancement of scientists time,” says Carlson.
And, although the robotic platform itself is rather impressive with all its functions, Carlson claims that one of the main features of the Core Module is its Laboratory Execution and Analysis Software (LEA software). “We think about more than just the automation aspect of the instrument,” says Carlson. “We also think about how we are going to design the experiments and about capturing any relevant data. Ultimately it is the combination of data relative to the experimental design that answers the question that the scientist wants answered.” The software was created so that any user would be able to design an array of experiments in an easy way that would allow users to track the ratio of samples, to track the processing of the sample, and to integrate results with the analysis. With limited training, users can capture multiple types of data and the report will follow.
With the Core Module, Symyx has been able to help life science laboratories improve productivity and efficiency, as well as move development faster to the market.