Tecan Journal Edition 02/2004

ISSN 1660-5276

Tecan Journal English Edition 2/2004 - June 2004

Reporter Gene Assay in Ustilago maydis Page 4

Automated Generation of Cell Lines Page 9

Automated NMR Screening to Find Lead Compounds Page 6 www.tecan.com

Editorial

Contents

Tecan Supports your Daily Work

Global News Tecan Supports Investigation of Crimes with Large Scale Automated DNA Typing System

Dear Customer

Page 3

The success of Tecan’s products is based on almost 25 years of experience in liquid handling, automation and detection. To make these core competencies more accessible to you, we recently adapted our management

Genomics

structure. Through the new organisation, customer

Reporter Gene Assay in Ustilago maydis

needs and regulatory compliance are now addressed on

Page 4

a more global level. This means you will profit from an improved range of products and services in the future. At the same time we will continue to offer the advantage

Proteomics Automated NMR Screening to Find Lead Compounds

of immediate access to qualified sales and support experts in your vicinity at your local Tecan office – a service which was always highly valued by our customers.

This edition of the Tecan Journal contains the usual articles on interesting

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applications. On page 4 you will find an article on the contribution of the Safire monochromator detection reader to research aiming at a better understanding

Drug Discovery Automated Generation of Cell Lines

of the interaction between plants and pathogenic fungi, which will in the long run lead to improved methods for the control of plant diseases.

On page 6, we describe an automated application for the preparation of samples before analysis by NMR. Thanks to the advances in automation technology, the use

Page 9

of NMR based methods for compound screening in drug discovery is on the increase.

Therefore, this article is also a good demonstration of how Tecan contributes to the

New Products Fast and Reliable Automated Microplate Processing – Freedom EVOlyzer

Page 12 Tecan Plus Take Advantage of Tecan’s Helpdesk Service

progress of modern medicine.

Cell based assays play an increasingly important role in the secondary screening part of the drug discovery process. The article on page 9 describes the automation of a cell line generation method. According to the growing demand, Tecan will continue to expand its range of products and services for the automation of cell related methods.

If you are interested in learning more about Tecan and the people standing behind the products that support your daily work, you may be interested to watch our new corporate video. Please see page 14, for further details.

Page 13

Yours faithfully,

Events Preview on Conferences and Trade Shows 2004

Page 14 Aitor Galdos

Local News

CEO Tecan Group Ltd.

Driving Innovation – Tecan Demonstrates New Products at International Exhibitions

Page 15

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Global News

Tecan Supports Investigation of Crimes with Large Scale Automated DNA Typing System Tecan signs agreement with South African Police Service to provide a fully automated DNA typing system for national forensic databank

Keith Morris (SAPS, left) and Martin von Lueder during the signing ceremony of the contract for the automated DNA typing system in South Africa.

This project is an excellent demonstration of Tecan’s unique experience in automation of genomic applications and in integrating large scale laboratory systems.

Tecan has signed an agreement with the

Tecan’s solution, which is based on its

Christo Weitz, Senior Superintendent of the

South African Police Service to supply, install

large-scale TRAC3 system, will permit fully

South African Police Service Forensic Science

and provide customer support for its fully

automated DNA typing from blood and

Laboratory commented: “We are extremely

automated forensic DNA typing system.

other body fluid or from tissue samples

pleased to have the support of the European

Tecan’s experience in automating genomics

collected at the scene of a crime. In terms

Union and Tecan in this far-reaching project

applications will play a central role in the

of size and throughput, the proposed

to improve the level of service that our facility

operation of South Africa’s national forensic

installation for the South African Police

is able to offer the people of South Africa.

DNA databank. The ¤8.35-million contract

Service is probably unrivalled by any similar

Undertakings of this sort protect civil liberties

was secured by Tecan’s German subsidiary

systems currently in operation.

and help to ensure the operation and further

after an open invitation for international bids. The project is financed by a European Union initiative to assist reconstruction and development in South Africa.1

Martin von Lueder, President of Tecan

development of a judicious legal system.”

Europe, remarked “Tecan’s extensive experience in automating a wide range of genomic applications, including those

The South African national forensic databank

supporting the forensic sciences, was a key

contains DNA samples that may be analyzed

factor in our successful bid for this project.

by electrophoresis to create DNA profiles.

Our proven ability to develop and implement

1

Such methods have revolutionized forensic

powerful customer solutions combined with

development in the Republic of South Africa,

science by enabling drastic improvements in

our strengths in customer support and large-

Robotic automation of the crime index of the

the identification of individuals whose

scale automation projects clearly

DNA criminal intelligence database, Financial

samples are included in suspect databanks.

differentiated our solution from the proposals

agreement no. SA/99/73200/024.

The government of the United States alone

of our competitors.” He added: “The South

2

plans annual investments of $60 million over

African project is one of the first nationwide

Ashcroft given to the American Academy of

the next five years to increase the capacity for

DNA forensic programs to be introduced in a

Forensic Sciences, February 2004.

DNA identification of state and local crime labs.2

non-academic setting.”

3 Tecan

Tecan Journal 2/2004

European program for reconstruction and

Statement from US Attorney General John

Robotic Assay Composer.

3

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Genomics

Reporter Gene Assay in Ustilago maydis Established by Dr. Florian Kaffarnik and Dr. Michael Feldbr端gge, Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany

Dr. Florian Kaffarnik with The power of the monochromator based detection is now available in the recently introduced Safire 2.

the Safire microplate reader.

Ustilago maydis, a pathogen causing plant tumors

analysis was performed using green

Ustilago maydis, the causative agent of

Development of an assay for examination of signalling mechanisms

maize smut disease, is a widely distributed

Haploid sporidia are cultivated in growing

been used to show whether pheromone

plant pathogen. Although economical

medium and can easily be transformed by

responsive elements (PREs) are necessary

damages caused by this fungus are relatively

homologous recombination. Mating type

and sufficient for the cAMP-mediated gene

small, it serves as a model organism for

genes of the a-locus code for a

expression.

fungal plant pathogens. For sexual

pheromone/pheromone receptor system.

development infection of a host plant is

Pheromone of one mating type binds to the

essential. This infection requires fusion of

cognate receptor of the other mating type.

Recombinant U. maydis cells, harboring

haploid sporidia of different mating types

Binding leads to a morphological change

appropriate promoter GFP constructs, were

on the plant surface. The resulting dikaryon

from yeast-like to filamentous growth and

treated for 6 hours with artificial pheromone

grow filamentously and infects the plant.

formation of conjugation hyphe.

or 18 hours with cAMP-containing media.

The mating types of Ustilago maydis are

Additionally, expression of the a-genes is

After treatment cells were transferred to a

determined by two gene loci, a and b. The

induced. Central regulator of these early

microplate and GFP fluorescence and optical

biallelic a-locus is responsible for recognition

events during mating is the transcription

density were directly measured using a

and fusion of the cells, whereas the b-locus

factor Prf1. Activity of Prf1 is controlled by

Safire microplate reader. Fluorescence served

controls filamentous growth. In the plant

a MAP kinase cascade. The research group

as a measure for the amount of GFP in the

massive proliferation of fungal material

at the Max-Planck-Institute investigated

cells and therefore for the activity of the

occurs and consequently tumors are formed.

the possibility of other signal transduction

corresponding promoter. In addition, it was

At the Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial

pathways being involved in signalling after

necessary to determine absorbance at

Microbiology a group of seven research

pheromone recognition, because there were

600 nm (OD600), because fluorescence

scientists works on fundamental mechanisms

hints that cyclic AMP (cAMP) might play

intensity depends on the density of the cell

involved in signal transduction processes

a role. To answer that question, promoter

culture. Hence, fluorescence was normalized

fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene.

As promoters, 4 different constructs have

Experimental design

during mating in Ustilago maydis.

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Genomics

Life cycle of Ustilago maydis.

Picture of tumor on maize plant.

to the optical density. For exact measurement

to measure the fluorescence of the cells.

of GFP fluorescence it was furthermore

For the frequently changing wavelengths

important to adapt the excitation and

Safire utilizes specially designed fast-

emission wavelength, because the cells

scanning double-monochromators for

exhibited autofluorescence in the range of the

highest sensitivity making the use of

excitation and emission wavelength of GFP.

optical filters for changing wavelengths

Thus, for this experiment the use of a monochromator-based detection system was crucial, allowing the measurement of the OD600 as well as the quantification of GFP-fluorescence. The system also required

in fluorescence and absorbance obsolete.

While filter-based systems require filters for each new wavelength, Safire has all wavelengths on board making it effortless to tune the system according to the assay.

a very high sensitivity to also detect small differences in the expression of GFP. Tecan’s Safire also allowed the fast measurement of many samples in 96-well microplates, resulting in a high throughput to obtain statistically significant data in a time efficient way.

Flexible system with high sensitivity

Tecan’s Safire monochromator-based microplate reader – an ideal solution For more information on the experiments

The use of Tecan’s Safire, a monochromator-

please refer to The EMBO Journal, Vol 22,

based microplate reader, allows the necessary

No. 21, pp 5817-5826, 2003.

wavelength alterations and is sensitive enough

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Proteomics

Automated NMR Screening to Find Lead Compounds Rutger Folmer, Structural Chemistry Laboratory, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden

Figure 2: Automation of NMR-based screening Figure 1: The system is based on two Tecan sample preparation platforms, a Genesis 100

technologies has enormously increased the

(not shown) and a Genesis 150, both connected with 600MHz NMR instruments through

importance of this technique in industrial

SampleRail systems.

drug research.

Introduction

projects world-wide and interacts mainly

between the test compound and the

Automated NMR-based screening

with medicinal chemistry groups in order to

inhibitor (Figure 5).

technologies are now available and proving

help focus chemistry development towards

to be an increasingly important tool for drug

molecules that show higher affinity to drug

discovery. The use of NMR for screening

target proteins. Besides helping chemists to

chemical libraries to find lead compounds

understand and optimize the interactions

has a number of advantages. Specific

between their lead compounds and target

knowledge of the target function is not

molecules, the NMR group is also involved in

required, and neither is the development

lead generation programs. This includes the

of a target-specific assay. Therefore, this

screening of relatively large libraries of drug

universal technique for the detection of inter-

fragments to find molecules with affinity to

molecular interactions can be applied to

any protein of interest.

drug discovery programs with very little

At the beginning of the screen, the empty NMR tubes sit in spinners (holders) mounted on the Genesis workbench. After pipetting 500 µl of buffer into the tubes, one or several compounds of interest are added (up to 12 can be pooled in one tube). Then the spinner is picked up by the Robotic Manipulator Arm (RoMa) (Figure 4) and moved to a trolley, which is mounted on the SampleRail. This trolley moves the sample to the NMR spectrometer and places it into the magnet

method development. NMR is extremely

NMR screening process

for data acquisition. When data has been

sensitive for weak interactions (down to

The system (Figures 1, 2 and 3) is based on

acquired the sample is moved back to the

millimolar range) and can provide detailed

two Tecan sample preparation platforms,

Genesis and put into its original position.

structural information on the ligand-binding

a Genesis 100 and a Genesis 150, both

For the screening of molecular interactions

mode. NMR screening directly measures the

connected with 600MHz NMR instruments

a small amount of protein is added to the

interaction between the ligand and the

through SampleRail systems (Bruker BioSpin

test compounds and the sample is measured

target, thereby minimizing false positives.

AG). In a typical experiment to study

again in the spectrometer. In a third step, a

molecular interactions, data are acquired

small amount of an established inhibitor is

three times: at first only the test compound

added to the protein-compound mixture and

is measured, then the compound together

the sample is measured once more. When

with the target to analyze molecular

working with oxidation-sensitive proteins

interactions. In the last step an established

Argon gas is dispensed onto the top of the

inhibitor is added to measure competition

sample after each pipetting step.

The Structural Chemistry Laboratory in Mölndal, Sweden, is one of AstraZeneca’s competence centers and serves the entire AstraZeneca R&D community for information on structural chemistry. The laboratory is involved in pre-clinical drug discovery

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Proteomics

Figure 3: The automated NMR system at the Structural Chemistry Laboratory of AstraZeneca in Mölndal, Sweden.

A total of three pipetting needles are used

This is a very important feature as many

error prone task. With the fully automated

for the entire process, all mounted on the

proteins become quite unstable under the

system in place, researchers can accomplish

Liquid Handling Arm (LiHa) of the Tecan

conditions in which they are measured.

other more challenging and rewarding tasks

Genesis platform: One needle connected to

Prior to using the automated system,

than pipetting.

a 1 ml syringe for pipetting the protein and

a larger number of samples had to be

buffer, a needle with low-volume option and

prepared in one step in order to get the

Conclusion

250 µl syringe for the compounds, and a

desired throughput, which had a significant

Automation of the well-established NMR-

third needle for dispensing the Argon gas.

influence on the quality of the measurement.

based screening has enormously increased

A special carrier is provided to keep the

With the Genesis-SampleRail system,

the importance of this technique in

protein cooled at 4°C to increase its stability.

samples can be measured 24 hours

industrial drug research. Today NMR

a day immediately after they are prepared,

screening is applied in many areas such

Advantages of automation

which significantly increases both throughput

as macromolecular interactions, fragment-

When comparing the automated system

and quality. Certainly, the system also

based drug design and the analysis of drug

with the conventional manual screen the

prevents pipetting errors, one of the most

metabolism. The technique constantly

advantages of automation are obvious.

likely errors when manually pipetting

benefits from novel applications of well-

Instead of preparing each sample manually

compounds from 384-well plates.

established methods as well as from new

the automated system can prepare NMR

Previously, the Structural Chemistry

emerging innovations in NMR research.

samples “on the fly”. The Genesis system is

Laboratory at AstraZeneca used a less

By eliminating error prone manual tasks

linked to a software program (NMR-MCP),

comprehensive system without the liquid

and increasing speed and throughput of

which in turn communicates with Bruker’s

handling options. Although the NMR was

the method, automated solutions, as in

software packages, controlling the

able to process samples 24 hours a day, all

many other research fields, have brought

SampleRail and the data acquisition in

pipetting steps were performed manually

a big boost to the role of NMR screening

the NMR spectrometer. Connecting all the

and this limited the measurements largely

techniques in the research process of the

components of the system allows samples to

to normal working hours. Besides the time

pharmaceutical industry.

be prepared just in time for data acquisition.

limit for preparing samples it was also an

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Proteomics

Automated NMR-screening for effective drug development

Figure 4: The spinner is picked up by the Robotic Manipulator Arm and moved to a trolley, which is mounted on the SampleRail. This trolley moves the sample to the NMR spectrometer and places it into the magnet for data acquisition.

Figure 5: NMR is extremely sensitive for weak interactions (down to millimolar range) and provides detailed structural information on the ligand-binding mode.

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Drug Discovery

Automated Generation of Cell Lines Dr. Eward Pap and Dr. Silke Grueneberg, Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH, LG High Throughput Screening, Frankfurt am Main

Figure 1: With the open concept of the Tecan robotic platforms, several modules and third party devices can be combined to a fully automated cell line generation system.

Introduction Cell lines play a key role in the process of drug discovery wherein stably transfected

Laminar flow cabinet Liconic StoreX 200™ robotic incubator

(e.g. GPCRs, ion channels, nuclear receptors) or can fulfill the function of an in vitro model for tissues or organs. By investigating the

Cells are gently mixed by pipetting and the resulting cell suspension is transferred to

cells work as a system to (over-) express functional proteins under native conditions

2-5 min before fresh medium is added.

Microscope: High precision motorized-focus with a motorized X-Y stage for moving 384 plates from well to well

the daughter plates. Several copies of that plate are made, each with a different volume of cell suspension resulting in plates with various cell densities. In a final step the wells

behavior of living cells following treatment

Chemicals and accessories

are filled with fresh medium and the cells can

with drugs, highly valuable insight can be

Transfecting reagent, FuGENE 6®

be cultivated under appropriate conditions.

generated to predict the interaction and

Transfecting system (Roche)

specific effect of drugs on the expressed

Cells: Hamster or human cells

protein. Advanced analysis technologies such

Identification of transfected cells Cell inspection and single cell colony

as kinetic methods or reporter assays are

Transfection

identification is made by an automated

used to measure the reaction of a cell under

Fresh cells are positioned onto the Genesis

microscope that incorporates a high precision

these different experimental conditions.

worktable where the transfection is performed

motorized-focus and a motorized X-Y stage

This article presents a procedure that releases

according to the supplier’s recommendations

for automated image capture of all wells of

the user from almost all repetitive tasks by

using the Liquid Handling Arm (LiHa).

a 384-well plate.

generating cell lines automatically using a

After transfection and antibiotic selection

The image processing software calculates

Tecan Genesis Workstation system.

the transfected cells are diluted to single

the number and growth rate of cell colonies

cells into 384 plates (Fig 2).

per well represented in a list (Fig 3), which is

Material and methods

After growing the single cells to colonies the

converted into a worklist for Gemini.

Instruments

Te-MO prepares several plate copies with

Cells of a certain well are picked and collected

Tecan Genesis Workstation 200/8 with

different cell numbers from these 384 plates

in a new mother plate at a defined position

Te-MO 96: 500 µl syringes, standard volume

by detaching the cells with trypsin.

using the LiHa. Detaching and suspension

tips, standard wash station, fast wash pump,

The medium is completely removed and the

procedures are as described above.

Te-MO 96 (Fig 6). Te-Stack for Te-MO

cells are washed once with the appropriate

disposable tips.

amount of PBS. After that trypsin is added immediately and the cells are incubated for

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Drug Discovery

Figure 3: Detection of successfully transfected cells in a 384 well plate. The microscope creates a Figure 2: Schematic workflow of the cell

list, which is converted into a Gemini worklist to pick cells from the mother plate into a new

generation process.

daughter plate.

Cell maintenance

Results

Cell maintenance with StoreX and Te-MO

Incubation of cells takes place in either 96

Transfection: By choosing the appropriate

on a Genesis Workstation (Fig 5): The cell

or 384 well plates in a Liconics StoreX 200

system and protocols transfection can be

maintenance procedure allows medium

system at 37째C and approx. 95% humidity.

performed using the LiHa. The transfection

exchange every 3 days. The use of the Te-MO

After three days the medium is exchanged

efficiency is similar to manually performed

with a sterile filter disposable tip (diti) and

using the following procedure: The robotic

protocols (Fig 4).

a slow aspirate and dispense speed enables

manipulator of the Genesis Workstation places the plate from the StoreX onto the Te-MO. The old medium is completely removed and fresh medium is added immediately.

This process must be performed quickly without letting the cells become dry.

Cherry picking with LiHa: Using the fully automated microscope, cell colonies can be identified and a list of their well positions in the 384-well can be prepared. This list is converted into a worklist for Gemini/FACTS, which is the control software of the Tecan

The media can be purchased ready to use

Genesis Workstation 200/8. The LiHa

with all ingredients included or can be

performs cherry picking of the colonies

prepared freshly by adding further components

according to the worklist and collects the

on the Workstation. Media and plates without

cells into new mother plates. By these steps,

lids must be handled under sterile conditions.

new mother plates of cell lines are prepared.

the medium in 384-well to be exchanged in less than 60 seconds. The Te-Stack fed with up to 12 racks provides the system with new ditis. New daughter plates can be created if required for further purposes.

Discussion Recently, the generation of cell lines has become a standardized process due to the use of commercially available, validated transfection methods. Furthermore, the handling of a large number of cell clones treated with the same

Therefore the complete workstation is

protocol and under identical conditions makes

housed within a laminar flow cabinet.

cell line generation highly suitable for automation.

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Drug Discovery

Figure 5: The direct integration of the Liconic StoreX 200 robotic incubator to the Genesis Figure 4: Successfully transfected human embryonic kidney cells 293 express a green fluorescence.

enables automated cell maintenance processes.

The automated approach relieves the user from repetitive tasks

Figure 6: Fully automated generation of stable cell lines and cell maintenance with Te-MO.

The application described here represents an automated approach for cell line generation.

Comparison of automated and traditional cell line generation processes Existing process

It includes the automated transfection, antibiotic selection and cell maintenance

Transfection

Manual

Automated by LiHa or, optionally, manual

of the successfully transfected cells on a compact Tecan Workstation system.

New automated process

Antibiotic selection

Manual

Limited dilution into 384-well

Semiautomated with dispenser

Automated by LiHa

Due to the open concept of the Tecan robotic platform, the Tecan workstation combines integrated 3rd party storage and reagent

Detection of single cells

Via microscope,

Via microscope,

manually transfer from

manually transfer from

incubation unit to

incubation unit to

microscope

microscope

Picking of positive cells

Manual

Automated via LiHa

Cell maintenance procedure

Manual

supplying devices to a complete, fully automated cell line generation system (Fig 6).

The automated approach relieves the user from repetitive tasks. By retaining the overall time for the complete process, the effective working time is reduced by about 50–60%

Semiautomated with dispenser

Tecan’s Te-Stack and Te-MO system with

compared to the manual procedure.

Automated via Te-MO on Genesis

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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New Products

Fast and Reliable Automated Microplate Processing – Freedom EVOlyzer® Tecan’s new Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA) analyzer is a flexible workcenter that fits in every laboratory

Parallel sample pipetting and continuous loading enables optimized scheduling of Freedom EVOlyzer.

Freedom EVOlyzer includes state of the art reader, washer and incubation units and will be available in four sizes - 75, 100, 150, 200 - ideal for low to high throughput and various batch

A graphical editor tool allows easy definition

size requirements.

of processes.

The Freedom EVOlyzer is Tecan’s new

All Freedom EVO standard safety features

speeds up operation by optimal utilization

Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA) analyzer

are included.

of system resources. The high speed

enabling fully automated microplate processing. Freedom EVOlyzer is available in different sizes for all throughput and batch size requirements and includes high quality components dedicated to fast and reliable EIA automation.

To maximize the convenience for the routine operator and to allow for safe process control, Freedom EVOlyzer offers a guided graphical user interface in several languages, designed to support touch screen operation.

Complementary user management, full

performance of Freedom EVOlyzer is guaranteed through the combined use of independent plate transport, a 16 channel washing unit and continuous loading of samples, reagents and plates by a new loading interface.

The Freedom EVOlyzer comes with 1-, 2-, 4-

process traceability and documentation

To secure safe operation, the EVOlyzer

or 8- tip liquid handling arm and an

fulfill the requirements of a routine

software controls all liquid levels, schedules

independently operating robotic

diagnostic laboratory.

all necessary interactions and guides the operator by LED signals on the loading

manipulator arm. It offers a maximum of

interface to execute required reloading steps.

chambers, up to 32 plate storage positions

New software for increased throughput and safety

and full automation of all washing and

All EVOlyzer products are driven by the new

high speed performance with the highest

reading steps by Tecan’s reliable Columbus

EVOlyzer software to reduce effort and cost

possible process and operator safety.

Washer and the well proven Sunrise reader.

for application setup and operator training.

The new loading interface enables continuous

Freedom EVOlyzer uses parallel pipetting for

and flexible operation of the system.

transfer of samples to multiple plates, which

12 RT and 12 independently heated incubation

Monitoring of user interactions combines

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Tecan Plus

Take Advantage of Tecan’s Helpdesk Service A call to your local helpdesk gives you access to a network of highly qualified experts

Comprehensive customer support is provided from a competent, enthusiastic team of friendly support staff in your local Tecan office.

Broad reach of customer support

A service offering high value

Whether you need assistance in reliable

We aim to provide you with courteous,

automation, precise and safe liquid handling,

timely and efficient service that will

maintenance and operation of automation

exceed your expectations. Customer focus

or detection systems, our services are in

is paramount and therefore we continually

place to assist you. We’re able and ready

tailor our services and solutions to your

to offer the expertise you might require

requirements. But we don’t stop there.

Germany +49 1805 83 22 633 or +49 1805 TECAN-DE

to ensure the effective use and high-

We’re confident that whatever your

Italy +39 02 215 21 28

performance operation of our sophisticated,

requirements, whatever your challenges,

Japan/Tokyo +81 42 334 88 10 Osaka +81 6 63 05 85 11

leading-edge instruments and systems.

our experts find the ideal solution. It’s all

Netherlands +31 18 34 48 174

part of Tecan’s comprehensive service that

Portugal +351 21 000 82 16

Support wherever you are

has been designed to give you peace of mind.

The high level of our Customer Support

Therefore, just call your local helpdesk!

For immediate support please call your nearest helpdesk: Austria +43 62 46 89 33 256 Belgium +32 15 42 13 19 France +33 820 88 77 36

Spain +34 93 490 01 74 Scandinavia +46 317 54 40 00

Services offers immediate advantages to Switzerland +41 1 922 82 82

you. Helpdesks are maintained at Tecan

UK +44 118 930 0300

subsidiaries worldwide and trained qualified

USA +1 800 832 26 87 or 1 800 TECAN-US

specialists are available to help you in your local language. Most calls to our local help lines are handled by the local expert or passed on to a qualified field specialist.

For more intricate problems, members of Tecan’s highly skilled R&D and production teams are readily at hand.

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Events

Tecan on the Road Preview on Conferences and Trade Shows 2004 Date

Event

Location

IFBLS 2004

Stockholm

Sweden: 13-18 June

http://www.vardforbundet.se/ ifbls2004/index.asp

France: 22-25 June

GTBIO

Lyon

http://www.ibcp.fr/rhaser/gtbio/

11-15 July

ISBT 2004

Edinburgh

http://www.isbt-web.org/

16-17 November

Labautomation Europe

London

http://labautomationeurope.com

Het Instrument 2004

Utrecht

www.hetinstrument.nl

Medica

Düsseldorf

www.medica

12-16 June

ALA LabFusion

Boston, MA

http://labautomation.org/LF/LF04/

17-27 July

ACA

Chicago, IL

http://www.uic.edu/orgs/aca2004/

25-29 July

AACC

Los Angeles, CA

http://www.aacc.org/2004AM/

UK:

Netherlands: 1-5 November Germany: 24-27 November North America:

default.stm 8-13 August

Drug Discovery

Boston, MA

www.drugdisc.com

11-15 September

SBS

Orlando, FL

www.sbsonline.com

The Japan Society for Clinical

Yokohama

http://www1.sphere.ne.jp/jidouka/

Japan: 29 September – 1 October

Laboratory Automation Always up to date: http://www.tecan.com/index/com-ev-entry.htm

Tecan – Powering Advanced Medicine Have you ever wished to know more about Tecan and the people standing behind the products that support your daily work? If yes, you are likely to want to see our new corporate video “Tecan – Powering Advanced Medicine”. It gives a brief overview of the company. In addition, for each of Tecan’s business areas, product managers highlight the prominent features of their products.

You can access the video on our website in a streaming format. Alternatively, please visit us at one of the events listed above or call your nearest Tecan office for a demonstration by one of our sales representatives.

Tecan Journal 2/2004

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Local News

Driving Innovation – Tecan Demonstrates New Products at International Exhibitions

LabAutomation2004, San Jose, California, USA.

Pittcon 2004, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Forum LABO 2004, Paris, France.

This spring, Tecan participated at several international exhibitions and demonstrated important new laboratory automation and detection products.

Tecan’s booth at LabAutomation2004 exhibition on February 2-4 in San Jose, California, USA, featured the following products for the first time at a major trade show: Cellerity – A powerful cell and protein production system providing a high-throughput solution for fully automated cell culture maintenance, cell-line expansion and harvesting with minimal process development.

Freedom EVOware® – A software for controlling robotic platforms providing an unmatched combination of flexibility and ease-of-use for beginners with no experience and automation experts setting up complex multi-device schedules.

Safire2 – A monochromator-based microplate reader combining improved flexibility in an easy-to-use modular format with a wide range of high-speed fluorescence techniques.

Cavro™ XLP 6000 – A high performance syringe pump with 6,000 (standard 6,000/48,000) increment resolution.

In addition, Tecan lead numerous workshops and poster presentations with strategic partners including Amersham, Corning, Invitrogen and Millipore.

Other international exhibitions where visitors could see demonstrations of Tecan’s new and existing solutions this Spring included Pittcon in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from March 8-11 and Forum LABO in Paris, France, from March 23-26.

Masthead Tecan Journal Customer Magazine of Tecan Group Ltd. ISSN 1660-5276

Design, Editing and Layout: Northbank Communications Meadowside, Mountbatten Way, Congleton CW12 1DN, UK E-Mail: m.egelhofer@northbankcommunications.com

Circulation: 9,000 copies (German), 10,500 copies (English)

Pre-Press and Printing: DAZ Druckerei Albisrieden AG Grafische Dienstleistungen, Albisriederstrasse 252a, CH-8047 Zürich

Publisher: Tecan Group Ltd.

Copyright: All rights are reserved by Tecan Journal

Editor: Dr. Josef Syfrig

Photos and Illustrations: Tecan Germany GmbH, Tecan Group Ltd, Northbank Communications

Address: Tecan Group Ltd., Seestrasse 103, CH-8708 Männedorf, Switzerland Tel: +41 1 922 88 88 Fax: +41 1 922 88 90 E-Mail: josef.syfrig@tecan.com Internet: http://www.tecan.com

Typography: Type set in Thesis from LucasFonts Subscription: For a free subscription to Tecan Journal, please contact your nearest sales office (see back cover of this issue) or send an e-mail to: tecan@tecan.com

Tecan Journal 2/2004

15

www.tecan.com

One microplate reader suited for both Assay Development and HTS

You no longer have to choose one reader for assay development and another for high throughput screening. The monochromator-based Safire2 has the speed, sensitivity, flexibility and capacity to do a great job of both, and anything in between. The fast scanning mode of Safire2 enables recording of excitation spectra, emission spectra or absorbance spectra with high speed comparable to diode array spectrometers. Safire2 gives the two readouts required for ratiometric assays, such as FP or FRET, almost simultaneously, making the need for two detection channels redundant. Its modular design allows easy upgrading, making Safire2 the reader of choice for most applications, including homogeneous, ratiometric biomolecular assays, HTS applications, multi-labeling assays, cell-based assays, DNA and RNA quantification, reporter gene assays, and many more.

www.tecan.com/safire2 Austria +43 62 46 89 33 Belgium +32 15 42 13 19 Denmark +45 70 23 44 50 France +33 1 30 68 81 50 Germany +49 79 51 94 170 Italy +39 02 215 21 28 Japan +81 42 334 88 55 Netherlands +31 18 34 48 17 4 Portugal +351 21 000 82 16 Singapore +65 644 41 886 Spain + 34 93 490 01 74 Sweden +46 31 75 44 000 Switzerland +41 1 922 89 22 UK +44 118 9300 300 USA +1 919 361 5200 Other +43 62 46 89 33

Genomics • Proteomics • Drug Discovery • Clinical Diagnostics