HAMPSHIRE, UK, and BOSTON, August 11, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Genetix Group plc (Other OTC:GXGPF) (LSE: GTX), the genomics and proteomics technology group, today announces the launch of the aliQuot, an automated solution for the low volume dispensing of reagents, chemicals, cells, beads, reaction mixes and other media, at the Drug Discovery Technology conference in Boston, USA.
The aliQuot, a desktop machine, uses a proprietary fast pressure-timing dispense mechanism to fill a 1536-well plate with one microlitre in under 30 seconds. The level of accuracy (well-to-well CV of approximately 5%) is unsurpassed by any other instrument in its price bracket. The major markets for this product will be drug discovery, forensics, genetic screening, genomics research and high throughput screening.
Low volume dispensing is economically beneficial to pharmaceutical companies when testing compounds with reagents which can cost thousands of dollars per millilitre. Using smaller volumes in these assays enables a greater number of tests to be carried out, or the same number of tests at less cost. Another feature of the aliQuot which reduces the cost of assays is a backfilling function which allows unused compound or reagent remaining in the dispensing pipes to be flushed back into the reservoir bottle for future use.
Future developments are likely to include the simultaneous dispensing of up to eight reagents.
Julian Burke PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Genetix, commented:
"The aliQuot makes small volume dispensing accessible to laboratories previously unable to conduct assays on this scale because of budget or space constraints, it also offers a more economical solution to those larger companies already conducting tests on this level. Building on skills acquired during the development of the Qfill2 liquid handler, Genetix is able to offer this small volume capability at excellent speed and accuracy to it customers. Multiple pre-launch orders have already been received by two of the three leading pharmaceutical companies."
About Genetix
Genetix Group plc is based in New Milton, Hampshire, UK. It develops, manufactures and markets high-throughput equipment and related items used for research into human, and plant genomics, proteomics and cell biology. It currently supplies equipment to more than 150 customers worldwide in the pharmaceutical, agricultural and food industries including GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Celera Genomics, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and the Max Planck Institutes. In addition, the Group has made a significant contribution to the Human Genome Project by supplying equipment to seven of the leading eight laboratories involved in the consortia. Genetix acquired the Genpak group in October 2000 before floating successfully on the London Stock Exchange in November 2000.
About aliQuot
The aliQuot encompasses a variety of low-volume dispensing requirements in one instrument. It allows precise dispensing into 1,536, 384 and 96-well microplates. A range of interchangeable reagent reservoirs, ranging from 60 ml to 2 litres in volume, is available to suit the requirements of each individual dispensing run and reagent. The aliQuot is compatible with aqueous and DMSO-based solutions and is programmable for liquids of different viscosities. The system is small enough to fit into a laminar flow cabinet for sterile dispensing application, and can be controlled remotely using an RS232 port.
A photograph and full specification sheet are also available for this product.
This information is provided by RNS. The company news service from the London Stock Exchange