Synthetic Biology Application Showcased as a Driver for the 21st Century

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has announced new technologies that are designed to automate and standardize workflows, helping to boost productivity and efficiency for laboratories working in a range of research environments. The new solutions were on display at the 2017 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) conference.

“Laboratories today are under mounting pressure to find ways to increase productivity and standardization within a reliable and cost-effective model,” said Hansjoerg Haas, senior director and general manager, laboratory automation at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Automation has become an effective tool to achieve this objective. We are committed to providing innovative breakthroughs to exceed our customers’ laboratory needs with our diverse product portfolios, cutting-edge technologies, superior services and strategic partnerships.”

As a key sponsor of SLAS, Thermo Fisher were a prominent participant at the event with interactive booth demos, posters, workshops and on-site expertise to discuss trends, news and their vision for the industry. Through a series of presentations, a panel of global leaders on synthetic biology automation will explore how the emerging field is enabling scientists to shape and change the world through biological discovery and innovation.

Thermo Fisher also sponsored keynote speakers who discussed future developments in the industry including Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Section Chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, NICHD, NIH and NIH Distinguished Investigator  and Rachel Swaby, author of Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World.

New Products

The new Thermo Scientific SmartStor unit is a controlled-temperature benchtop microplate storage device with a temperature range of 4 to 40°C and a plate capacity of 20 standard microplate or 9-well deep blocks. SmartStor features an internal inventory where, after loading and closing the unit door, the unit scans every location and updates inventory. In addition, the system’s internal robot can be integrated with OEM instruments to streamline instrument loading and unloading.

The Thermo Scientific Orbitor RS2 Microplate Mover, which is designed to improve laboratory throughput, and operational flexibility, now has a built-in barcode reader for rapid sample identification and tracking. This additional functionality is designed to allow the Orbitor RS2 Microplate Mover to easily integrate into automated processes, combining rapid plate delivery with a more intuitive workflow and a reduced footprint.

The Thermo Scientific Momentum 5.0 Workflow Software now features additional inventory controls to enable users to maximize their automated systems use of microplate consumables. The new inventory controls provide users with a robust and powerful way to see their entire system inventory and to direct its use as their scientific needs require. Momentum can now query the inventory of SmartStor and update the systems master inventory, enabling users to be more productive.

For researchers seeking to streamline their sample storage processes with an end-to-end solution for customers’ sample storage workflows, Thermo Fisher and Hamilton Storage have partnered to offer the fully automated Thermo Scientific Decapper 500 and 550 Series tube capping systems which are perfect for use in medium- to high-throughput biotech, pharmaceutical and clinical laboratories doing compound storage, high-throughput screening, biobanking and genomic storage. For the first time, users can cap and decap both Thermo Scientific Matrix and Nunc automation tubes without owning multiple pieces of equipment.

Thermo Scientific KingFisher Presto is a new sample purification instrument solely designed to integrate into automated workflows for isolation of target nucleic acids and proteins for pharmaceutical, biotech and research projects in high-throughput laboratories. The system reduces purification processing time, and offers high quality and quantity of extracted materials.

The Applied Biosystems Automated Thermal Cycler offers the flexibility, reliability and performance needed in a complete PCR automation system. The design provides easy integration with a robotic platform, a small footprint with flexible control module installation location, and the ability to run as a standalone instrument for PCR optimization prior to integration.

With more than 490 kinase targets, the new Thermo Scientific Kinase Targets makes finding the right partner for research easier. Profiling results in as little as 48 hours and a dedicated project manager will help ensure excellent service with a quick turn-around.

In conjunction with industry and company experts, Thermo Fisher also hosted attendee workshops that highlighted the latest developments, innovations and new applications.

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