Corning Launches New Handheld Devices for Next-Generation Sequencing in Biological Research

Corning Incorporated today announced its new Axygen^® brand IMAG™ handheld magnetic beads separation devices.

The Axygen brand magnetic separation devices (MSDs) revolutionize manual magnetic bead-based separation processes used in biological research. Applications include nucleic acid purification and clean up, cell-based assays, antibody purification and protein purification. The new IMAG MSDs can cut the total separation process, and labor by up to 50 percent.

“The current process for magnetic separation has many limitations and is time- and labor- intensive, including multiple pipetting steps,” said Bassam El-Fahmawi, Ph.D., bioscience business manager, Axygen Inc., a Corning subsidiary. “Traditionally, MSDs are not optimized for manual use and most require electric-powered liquid handling systems. Our new IMAG MSDs, in tube or microplate formats, allow low-throughput Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) users to prepare NGS libraries as easily and conveniently as automation users, without making a large capital investment.”

Features and benefits of the new Axygen brand IMAG MSDs include:
• Availability in both single-tube or 96-well microplate formats
• Increased operational efficiency
• Strong magnets can cut separation time to less than 30 seconds
• Saves time and money
• Manual operation with low- to high-throughput capabilities.

Corning is also introducing a full line of Axygen magnetic bead-based kits which can make the NGS library preparation process more efficient. The AxyPrep™ Mag PCR Normalizer Kit, for example, utilizes a paramagnetic bead-based purification system for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) clean-up and allows researchers to skip the time-consuming quantification step. This can reduce the typical seven-hour process by up to one hour.

Through acquisition and ongoing R&D investment, Corning now offers a more comprehensive range of premium, innovative laboratory products and solutions for a wide spectrum of life science applications. Corning’s trusted, quality brands, backed by technical expertise, provide researchers with better ways to advance their research from the beginning of their process to the end. The family of brands includes Corning^®, PYREX^®, Costar^®, Axygen, Gosselin™, and Corning cellgro^®.