New analytical measurement capabilities for life scientists

Paraytec has announced that it will unveil, at Analytica 2008, a suite of applications advances for life scientists based upon their ActiPix^® D100 miniature UV area imaging detector.

Paraytec's multi-award winning product, the ActiPix D-100, is the world's first quantitative UV area imaging system. As well as providing superior performance over existing micro and nano flow detectors the patented ActiPix opens up intriguing new possibilities never before possible using conventional detectors. On the Analytica Stand 382/1, hall 3 in the Innovations area Paraytec will provide live demonstrations of the ActiPix D-100's unique area imaging capability in applications of interest to Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Biological researchers. These will include new measurement capabilities in applications including real time study of diffusion processes, in-line quantification and sizing of biopharmaceuticals, dissolution / solubility testing and membrane transport studies.

Compact in design the ActiPix D100 consists of a control box connected via a fibre optic cable and communications cable to a remote sensor head. The sensor head holds easily exchangeable, application-specific cartridges for techniques including capillary electrophoresis (CE), nano-liquid chromatography (nanoLC) and powerful imaging of lab-on-chip devices. The miniature detector head contains a high resolution 1280x1024 active pixel sensor. The detector can be used as a 'plug and play' accessory linked in-line to single or multiple peripheral devices, such as existing CE or nanoLC instrumentation, with or without a mass spectrometer. Detection is performed at a selected wavelength by means of interchangeable filters. Light is delivered via a fibre optic coupled pulsed xenon light source. Readout of signals from individual pixels is carried out at MHz rates, with all processing done in hardware on high performance electronic assemblies. Processed data including absorbance values covering the whole imaged area is output in real-time to a computer using an industry-standard high-speed serial data link.

Dr Mebs Surve (Business Development Manager) commented 'The ActiPix D-100 extends the use of UV-Vis absorbance detection to a range of new biological and pharmaceutical applications. Using capillaries as sample vessels, we are able to characterise tiny sample volumes with exceptional sensitivity over a wide dynamic range. Combined with our use of active pixel area sensors alongside real-time processing software, results can become not just numbers, but incredibly powerful real-time images'.