Dolomite,
a world leader in microfluidic design and manufacture, is delighted to announce
its collaboration with Emerald BioSystems in the development of the Microcapillary
Protein Crystallization System (MPCS) Plug Maker™.
The Plug Maker has just won a coveted "New Product Award" at LabAutomation
2010 (Palm Springs, CA). This novel touchscreen instrument enables low-volume
crystallization (5-10 nL protein/experiment), for the production of diffraction-ready
crystals with no wasted protein. The MPCS Plug Maker is ideal for applications
such as ligand screening, hybrid screening and microfluidic seeding. The Plug
Maker is a self-contained unit operated from a built-in touchscreen control
unit, taking up less than two feet of bench width.
Dolomite carried out all elements of the Plug Maker system design and development
(including concept generation, industrial design, hardware and software engineering,
and manufacture), creating an easy-to-use system based on Emerald's core science.
The Plug Maker automates well-validated Emerald technology, rapidly creating
a series of 10nl plugs of protein and precipitant samples in a plastic CrystalCard,
which are then allowed to crystallize. This revolutionary performance was made
possible using Dolomite's ultra-smooth pump technology, coupled with its world-beating
expertise in microfluidics and engineering. Dolomite added further value by
completing the entire instrument design (including a vision system, fully automated
liquid handling system and touchscreen control software). The development took
just 18 months from first concept to launch at LabAutomation.
Fine gradient optimization and sparse matrix screening can be performed simultaneously
to identify optimal crystallization growth conditions. Experimental conditions
are easily optimized with the ability to form on-chip gradients, with only 22
µl of protein needed. In addition, the ability to perform up to 800 experiments
per chip maximizes throughput for a highly efficient workflow.
Lance Stewart, CEO, Emerald BioSystems commented, "Dolomite has delivered
a world-class product in the Plug Maker. Using Dolomite's microfluidic expertise,
we have rapidly been able to take the product from initial concept and proof
of principle to full instrument manufacture." Dolomite is subsequently
supplying manufactured units solely to Emerald BioSystems and has agreed to
collaborate with them on any further developments to the instrument.
For further information on the MPCS Plug Maker, please visit www.emeraldbiosystems.com,
or for details on the complete range of microfluidic products available from
Dolomite, including chips, connectors/interconnects, pumps, valves and flow
sensors, please visit www.dolomite-microfluidics.com.