ITHACA, N.Y. — Rheonix Inc., a developer of fully automated molecular testing solutions, will showcase its breakthrough molecular testing workstation, the Encompass Optimum™, in booth 537 at the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening’s (SLAS) fifth annual conference and exhibition. The exhibition will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, Jan. 23-27. Rheonix will also participate in Festo Corp.’s workshop, “How Industrial Automation Solutions Improve Processes in the Lab and the Decision of Make vs Buy.” The workshop will be held Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in room 15B.
The workshop will address standard liquid-handling systems and the move toward more customized, high-speed robotics used in other industries, such as packaging and electronics assembly. Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) incorporate Festo automation systems into their products to improve the productivity of pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical laboratory processes.
At the workshop, William Hathaway, manager of product engineering at Rheonix, will discuss how Rheonix collaborated with Festo to implement automation within its innovative platform, the Encompass Optimum workstation. Hathaway will also discuss the recently patented Rheonix CARD® cartridge, which is a microfluidic device that is interfaced with the workstation to perform assays, and the benefits that Rheonix will provide to the health care industry.
“Labs today are facing obstacles such as inefficient workflow, limited budgets and a lack of trained staff, which create an environment that is receptive to workforce multipliers and automated systems like the Encompass Optimum workstation with its versatile CARD cartridge,” said Hathaway. “Partnering with Festo to incorporate automation within the workstation, we’ve developed a first-of-a-kind system that emphasizes both throughput and the ability to multiplex assays which greatly simplifies the testing process. We’re helping bring powerful molecular assay tools to laboratories that could not previously afford to purchase or run them.”
The Encompass Optimum workstation, when interfaced with a Rheonix CARD® cartridge, is designed for building and implementing nonclinical molecular assays with automated workflow. The workstation’s unmatched versatility allows users the flexibility to configure their own assay protocols and control all aspects of assay performance, while keeping the testing simple and maintaining the workstation’s ease of use. The Encompass Optimum workstation allows users to create their own sample-to-answer, fully automated, complex molecular assays in an easy-to-use format performed in the Rheonix CARD® cartridge. When interfaced with the workstation, the CARD cartridge can run several biological samples concurrently through a fully integrated molecular analysis with no user intervention. The workstation automatically manipulates the network of microfluidic pumps to move fluids through the channels of the CARD and heats or cools particular regions of the CARD as necessary. The Encompass Optimum workstation dramatically decreases the complexities of creating user-defined testing, while increasing efficiency and accuracy. The product’s automation, capability for high throughput and high-complexity assays, and complete sample-to-result system allows the workstation to solve workflow inefficiencies within many research labs.
SLAS 2016 will feature over 300 leading laboratory technology providers from all over the world. The conference is the flagship event of the society, bringing together thousands of professional scientists, researchers, academics and government delegates looking to leverage laboratory technology and automation to drive results for their respective organizations. Key professional disciplines represented at SLAS 2016 include: assay development and screening, automation and high-throughput technologies, bioanalytical techniques, biomarker discovery and applications, drug target strategies, micro- and nanotechnologies, and informatics.
