Tecan, a Swiss supplier of laboratory equipment, is adding the Fluent Laboratory Automation Solution to its portfolio that will offer greater throughput and flexibility for compound management workflows.
Building on the Fluent Cell-based Assay Workstation launched last summer, this second system introduces a number of new hardware and software options that simplify and improve the productivity of compound management and assay plate generation activities.
The company says the compound management workstation is suitable for drug discovery laboratories and centralised compound library facilities, offering a host of features to streamline day-to-day activities such as daughter plate generation, plate reformatting and hit picking.
Liquid handling versatility has been increased with the introduction of washable fixed tips for the instrument’s Flexible Channel Arm.
Complementing the existing disposable tip options to provide cost-effective reagent and compound distribution – as well as cap piercing capabilities – the new fixed tips are also available in a low volume option, offering reliable pipetting below 0.5µl to help minimise compound consumption and enable effective serial dilutions.
Labware logistics have also been enhanced with the addition of a tube handling option for the Robotic Gripper Arm (RGA) and a stacker for SLAS-format labware, which is suited to high capacity tip storage for increased walkaway times.
These new hardware options are fully supported by the platform’s FluentControl software, which includes new applications and pre-programmed ‘Smart Commands’ to streamline activities such as plate replication, plate reformatting and hit picking. To simplify integration with upstream and downstream processes, the software will also support both worklisting and 2D barcode scanning, ensuring that the Laboratory Automation Solution fits seamlessly into even the most demanding of workflows.
