Molecular Devices Introduces QPix 420 Microbial Colony Picker

Molecular Devices showcased the recently launched QPix 420 next generation microbial colony picker at ELRIG this week. This is the third system in the QPix 400 range which also includes the QPix 450 and QPix 460. All three systems offer unmatched performance, productivity and efficiency, with a choice of specifications to fit all levels of microbial picking and library management needs.

Designed for smaller research facilities and academic labs, the new QPix 420 maintains a small laboratory footprint whilst featuring the unique option to simultaneously detect colonies and quantify fluorescent markers, in common with the other systems in the range. This pre-screening step enables objective identification and selection of colonies of interest and, combined with the system's highly accurate robotics and organism-specific colony picking pins, ensures the right colony is picked every time, eliminating unnecessary work and expense downstream.

Application-driven software includes tools to easily track sample histories throughout a workflow, and an agar height sensor that auto-calibrates picking height further increases accuracy at the picking stage. Applications include areas such as protein expression, synthetic biology research, enzyme evolution, phage display, DNA sequencing and library generation and management.

Dr. Mark Truesdale, Marketing Manager, Molecular Devices, commented: "The launch of the QPix 420 completes the new generation range of systems. The QPix 400 systems have been developed with significant enhancements in performance and features, particularly in software and imaging, added to the original world-leading QPix robotics. Supporting a wider variety of applications and with a range of sizes and throughputs, users can now choose the system best suited to their application and workload demands."