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GSK First to Buy HTP, Automated Cell-Culture System from MatriCal MatriCal last week announced that it has shipped its first automated cell-culture system, or MACCS, to GlaxoSmithKline’s oncology biology facility in Collegeville, Penn. The automated technology, launched in March, enables scientists to culture a frozen stock of cells and grow them for assay-ready drug-discovery research, according to MatriCal CEO and co-founder Daniel Roark. The firm sold the unit after around 10 pharma companies, including GSK, provided “very good feedback” into its development, said Roark. According to Roark, GSK told MatriCal before it began developing the system that it “was looking for alternatives [to manual cell culture] in the marketplace, and did not see a system that was flexible enough to work with some of the cultureware that they felt would be beneficial for their research efforts.” Ronald Wegrzyn, assistant director of oncology at GSK, told CBA News that he suggested to Roark and MatriCal co-founder and President Kevin Oldenburg that they develop the MACCS “because of a need that we would have in our high-throughput-screening organization. I actually walked up to them and proposed the idea, based on one of their other products, the MiniStore.” The MiniStore is MatriCal’s automated sample storage and management unit. What Wegrzyn wanted was an automated cell-culture system that he suggested could be created by converting the MiniStore into an incubator, and an add-on system that cultures and plates cells. The resulting MACCS system can perform both tasks. Current cell culture procedures are primarily manual, and require researchers or technicians to sit under hoods and passage microtiter plates. The Automation Partnership, a MatriCal rival, manufactures automated cell-culture systems, but Wegrzyn described them as “very inflexible as far as what operations they could perform.” Wegrzyn said that he wanted an automated system that could passage and seed cell cultures, and that could passage cells out of flasks and transfer them after counting 96- and 384-well microtiter plates. In addition, his team at GSK wanted to be able to use liquid nitrogen vials to freeze cells and be able to thaw them, count them, and seed them into either flasks or microtiter plates. GSK’s facility has as many as 300 tumor cell lines, so “I need plenty of storage capacity for plates and flasks that are growing cells within the system,” Wegrzyn said. “With our specifications on this machine, we had a very flexible and user-friendly system.” MatriCal will soon install a system at Danish drug maker NovoNordisk, which will use it primarily for protein production, Roark said. NovoNordisk is also working with shaker flasks, said Roark, and added that the MACCS system is so far the first [of the company’s systems] to implement shaker flasks. In addition, NovoNordisk is doing hybridoma work, for which MatriCal has developed a new pipettor. MACCS-imum Flexibility The MACCS system was launched in March (see CBA News, 3/28/08). “After you are in the industry for a while, you get to know people, and if you have built good automation in the past, it gives you an opportunity to maybe think about doing something new for someone in the future,” Roark said. “That is how this opportunity with GSK arose.” While it was developing the MACCS system, MatriCal received feedback from 10 pharmas. Among those who provided feedback were researchers who work with shaker flasks, and MatriCal has said the company will enable the system to read the flasks. The MACCS currently has the ability to store cell culture flasks in “high capacity,” Roark said. “We also have our own spinner flask [the MatriMix], so we can work with [shaker and spinner] flasks within the system now, which is a big advantage over what exists in the marketplace, which is not very automation-friendly” said Roark. Many pharmaceutical researchers want to be able to split cells in real time and monitor cell growth in order to culture the cells to the correct density and screen them. One capability of the MACCS system is that it enables scientists to reseed cultures from mother stock and freeze cells back down. “As your cell line gets depleted, you need to refreeze and store your mother sample, and we have the ability within the system to do that, which is something that other systems cannot do,” said Roark. MatriCal’s MiniStore product enables scientists to manipulate tubes on a robot that comprises three axes. But in an environment that includes cell culture, researchers are manipulating flasks, vials, and other lab ware, and need a 6-axis articulated robot that can pour, mix, and handle many types of consumables, from flasks to plates to pipette tips to cannula. This is where the modular MACCS system comes in. “We just have a lot more variety in [the MACCS] system,” said Roark. “You are actually storing cells, so now you have an incubator, and have to deal with the question of how to get cells in and out of the incubator and into the robotic environment. And, of course, you have to deal with sterility issues.” Also, based on the capacity required by groups working with the MACCS system, MatriCal can expand the incubator module to accommodate the number of samples that they may want to process, said Roark. “A lot of different options within the software and database are also being added, in terms of adding image acquisition, that sort of thing, so you can look at cell morphology in addition to getting viability data from a cell sorter,” he added. The company is also looking at adapting the MACCS system to work with stem cells. MatriCal has built a software and support team to deal with the different types of applications, said Roark. For example, the company built its MatriMix spinner flask, for which it has a patent pending. One issue MatriCal had with some of the currently available spinner flasks is that they are not automation-friendly. “We needed to develop a flask that allowed our automation to orient the flask and also to aspirate from it,” Roark said. Researchers also want to maintain a homogeneous mixture of cells, so that when they are plating them, they get an even distribution with each aspiration and dispense. “The benefit of this is that we have an aspiration port while we continue to mix,” Roark said. The system features built-in alerts that reminds operators by e-mail to load enough media for weekend runs, so that the scheduled production can occur as planned. GE Healthcare Expands High-Content Screening Offerings with Two Pacts NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – GE Healthcare has signed agreements with two separate firms intended to expand its offerings in the high-content cell screening field, the firm announced today. The first pact is with Process Analysis and Automation, under which PAA will provide automated hardware and software for GE Healthcare’s IN Cell Analyzer and LEADseeker platforms. Through the second agreement, with MatriCal, GE Healthcare will now be able to offer 96-well and 384-well, flat glass-bottom microwell plates “at a competitive rate.” GE said MatriCal’s plates provide low autofluorescence, evenness of plate surface, and optimum optical viewing surface for cell-based assays. GE announced the alliances at the CHI High Content Analysis meeting taking place this week in San Francisco. MatriCal Announces Exclusive Licensing of Microplate Washer Technology from Nuvogen Research Spokane, WA (Press Release) – Matrical today announced they have signed an exclusive license agreement for Nuvogen Research’s patent pending plate washer technology. Matrical will manufacture and sell the “SQUIRT”, a novel microplate washer that washes microplates with any density: 3456, 1536, 384, 96… wells per microplate. Although SQUIRT was developed to be used for high throughput screening with 1536 well microplates, the most common use for the SQUIRT currently is for cell based 384 well plate assays. Development of the SQUIRT was partially funded by Phase I and II NSF SBIR grants. SQUIRT sprays a plate with buffer to rinse and blows air on the plate to remove the buffer. This avoids the use of needles for dispensing and aspiration. Without needles washing is much faster, clogging is less likely, surface bound cells or microarrays are not disrupted (because the technique is non-contact) and microplates of any density can be washed. The stringency of the wash is adjusted by pressure and flow, from gentle washing for cell monolayers to forceful washing for ELISAs and microarrays. For all densities and stringencies the wash is very fast – typically less than one minute. SQUIRT can be run as a stand-alone instrument by touch pad control or with a robotics system through ActiveX control. Conventional Thermal Cyclers: Hot Machines For Cool Researchers If you need a fast thermal cycler that is specifically geared to high-throughput work—large-scale screening, for example—consider the new MatriCycler from MatriCal. “The MatriCycler is the first in a new class of thermal cyclers,” says Kevin Oldenburg, MatriCal’s president. “It is currently the only instrument on the market that can perform reactions in 96, 384, and 1536 well formats all within the same unit. It achieves the same or faster cycling speeds and low volume reactions as seen with chip-based systems, but is microwell plate based, and consequently, fully compatible with ABI sequences and other automation requiring microwell plates.” Additional features make the MatriCycler distinctly geared toward high-throughput research. Completely automation-compatible, it can be integrated into any robotics platform. The MatriCycler and its associated plasticware are unique, says Oldenburg, in that “instead of heating samples from the bottom, as in a conventional thermal cycler, this system heats samples from the top.” Their proprietary microwell plates in 96, 384, or 1536 well format, using samples as small as 0.5 to 6 microliters, are placed on the unit either by hand or robotically. The unit then pulls the microwell plate into the instrument and begins the predefined thermal cycles. And the central quality of high-throughput work is also met—speed. “This system is incredibly fast, with a 30-cycle reaction taking between 15 and 20 minutes depending upon the length of the fragment,” comments Oldenburg. The MatriCycler is set for launch in April 2006. April 2005The Next Generation of Products MatriCal has recently made strides in improving our microwell plates and freezer rack to keep up with your high throughput laboratory. Glass Bottom MatriPlates: The new and improved glass bottom plates (MGB series) by MatriCal are scratch resistant and have individual window flatness better than 2 microns over a 0.75mm square field of view. Frame flatness is better than 150 microns from row A to row P and column 1 to column 24. Glass bottom MatriPlates are ideal for confocal and CCD camera based imagers. MGB series well design consists of a flat bottom with rounded square wells to eliminate liquid wicking. Plates come in 384-well standard and low volume as well as half-height formats, plus our newest addition: the 1536-well glass bottom plate. These low volume plates reduce tissue culture demands by 90% compared to standard volume plates. Additional plate options include: sterile and surface treatments such as tissue culture, poly D-lysine, fibronectin, collagen, and more. MatriPress Freezer Rack: The new and improved MatriPress freezer rack incorporates gasketed lid technology with intuitive features to make this freezer storage rack a necessity in your laboratory. Store compounds in plates sealed with the MatriSeal gasketed lid to eliminate evaporation and water uptake while allowing unlimited plate access. Unlike adhesive or sticky film seals, the gasketed lid never leaves a sticky residue behind. The MatriPress freezer rack is available in 60 and 90 plate capacity racks (custom sizes upon request). Check out the newest features of the MatriPress: smooth gliding compression levers, stationary handles for easy carrying, extra plate loading space, and an optional warming box. MatriTube Storage Plates: MatriCal's storage plates are made from high grade polypropylene for durability and long term storage. Minitubes, called MatriTubes, enable individual compound access and increase compound stability. Choose from 96 or 384-format tube storage plates for high throughput solutions to compound management. MatriTube storage plates have optional 2D data-matrix symbology bar codes and are built to the SBS footprint for easy integration with robotics. MatriCal also provides automated compound storage solutions for all your compound management needs. MatriStore passes S.A.T. on MatriStore System at Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. San Diego, CA: MatriCal Inc., a privately held provider of drug discovery and life science research solutions, announced a successful Site Acceptance Test (S.A.T.) for the MatriStore automated compound storage and retrieval system recently installed in the new Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ: NBIX) corporate headquarters in San Diego, California. The MatriStore system sets forth a major advance in the way compounds are both stored and retrieved. Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Agricultural, and Academic Institutions maintain and store large numbers of chemicals that are commonly referred to as compound libraries, as well as large numbers of biological materials. These compounds are rigorously tested against known biological targets and represent the starting structures for the future development of new therapeutics/drugs. These compounds have the moniker of representing the company's crown jewels and as such require special storage conditions, inventory tracking, and handling to ensure their viability. The MatriStore system supports large-scale storage of compounds of varying plate and tube types, and performs a series of plate and tube actions that transfer compounds from their original source plate locations to desired destination plate locations for particular screens. Housed in a cold room environment, the MatriStore operates from ambient to -20°C. Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric, neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases and disorders. The Company's neuroscience, endocrine and immunology disciplines provide a unique biological understanding of the molecular interaction between central nervous, immune and endocrine systems for the development of therapeutic interventions for insomnia, certain female and male disorders, anxiety, depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, pain, and autoimmunity. Compound management system by MatriCal passes F.A.T. for NPS Pharmaceuticals MatriCal Inc., developer and manufacturer of the MatriStore a fully automated compound storage and retrieval system, has successfully passed the F.A.T. (Factory Acceptance Test) on the system being produced for Utah based NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: NPSP) The MatriStore is a climate controlled automated compound management system that stores and retrieves chemical compounds, DNA, bacteria and other micro-organisms used in life science research. Optimized with 96 and 384-well MatriTube Storage Plates that enable miniaturized cherry picking of samples, the MatriStore functions in a -20°C environment to safely store libraries for screening campaigns. An agreement signed earlier this year between MatriCal and NPS commenced production of the MatriStore for the new NPS facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah. NPS Pharma has a strong pipeline of drug candidates ranging from early stages of discovery research to late stage clinical trials. Drug discovery at NPS focuses on drugs for skeletal, endocrinological, gastrointestinal, and the central nervous system conditions. MatriCal also supplies other products to the life science research community such as microwell assay plates, a high throughput sonication system, and solutions for compound management. MatriCal receives SBIR grant for further development of the SonicMan MatriCal, Inc, developer and supplier of laboratory instruments and consumables to the life science research market recently secured a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $852,000 from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The funds will help in further development of their SonicMan™ high throughput sonication system. SBIR grants are awarded to small technology companies by ten Federal agencies. The grants finance the early stages of a new product, from proof of concept to prototyping and final product development. For large SBIR grants, such at the type won by MatriCal, the granting agency expects a successful commercial launch of the supported product. The three year grant to MatriCal is a "fast-track" award, which combines a staged approach and a fast-track approach award. "We knew that we had a really strong product since we had already done a significant amount of development on the project. We considered our prospects of getting the grant very good, so we decided to submit for both phases at the same time" explained Kevin Oldenburg, Ph.D., founder and president of MatriCal. "We are thrilled to receive the grant," said Dan Roark, founder and CEO of MatriCal. "The SonicMan instrument meets the need to preserve precious compounds, thus helping life science companies speed drug discovery." Roark and Oldenburg estimate that R&D for the SonicMan will absorb about three full-time MatriCal employees over the next 30 months. Sonication has been used for many years to disrupt cells, shear proteins and DNA, and to dissolve small organic molecules. Until now, there has not been a high throughput solution to the problem of frozen compounds precipitating upon thawing, rather than remaining suspended in solution. The SonicMan uses sound waves to drive compounds back into solution, providing an essential platform to utilize sonic energy to accomplish high throughput solutions. Relying on a pinned lid placed on a 96 or 384-well microplate, SonicMan technology employs a sonic horn to transfer sonic energy through the lid into the sample to resuspend compounds in solution without cross contamination. Applications include: resuspending stored compounds in HTS; resolubilizing compounds in synthesis; shearing genomic data into small fragments for PCR amplification; extracting target proteins, RNA/DNA, and enzymes via cell lysis and membrane disruption; mixing low volume assays; driving sonochemical reactions; and transfecting eukaryotic cells. MatriCal also develops and manufactures compound storage solutions as well as microwell plates for assay development. Introducing two new low volume 384 clear bottom MatriPlates MatriCal introduces two low volume 384 clear bottom Matriplates™ (MGB series) specifically designed to reduce tissue culture demands by nearly 90% compared to standard volume plates. Working volumes are 40 and 70uL respectively, in half height (10.4mm) and standard height (14.35mm) formats. Applications include FIS, FCS, Nephelometry and cell-based assays for all scanning and confocal imagers. Clear bottom MatriPlates deliver better flatness specifications translating to faster read times, and are scratch resistant, a substantial advantage over plastic bottom plates. Viewing options include 0.72mm thick glass, 0.17mm cover slip glass, UV-transparent quartz, and bottomless. Available sterile, surface treated via collagen, poly D-lysine, and fibronectin treated. MatriCal introduces the SonicMan MatriCal, Inc., a privately held provider of drug discovery and life science research solutions based in Spokane, WA introduced earlier this month the SonicMan™ high throughput sonication system for dissolution of compounds. The SonicMan provides a platform to resuspend compounds stored as solutes dissolved in Dimethylsulfoxide and stored from 4oC to -80oC in 96, 384, and 1536 microplates. Applications include:
Sonication of biological and chemical samples has been used for many years to disrupt cells, shear proteins and DNA, and to dissolve small organic molecules. According to Chris Lipinski, Ph.D. Pfizer Global R&D in Groton Connecticut, up to 40% of compounds stored in Compound Management Systems throughout Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies are precipitated upon freeze thaw. There has been no high throughput method available to ensure these compounds are in solution - heating is not allowed due to fear of compound decomposition and shaking does not work due to high surface tension in the plate well. "The SonicMan demonstrates how a massively parallel sonication system designed to work in 96/384/1536 formats can be used to drive compounds back into solution, "explains Kevin Oldenburg, PhD, President of MatriCal. This technology relies on a pinned lid that is placed on a microplate (96, 384, or 1536 well). The pins insert through the lid and into the liquid contained within the plate. A sonic horn is brought into contact with the lid and the sonic energy is transferred into the sample. As scientists are highly conscious of cross contamination, the lid has been developed as a disposable part. The pinned lid is designed to ensure sample integrity with no well-to-well cross contamination. For more information about the SonicMan, click here. Contract signed with NPS Pharmaceuticals Spokane, WA: MatriCal Inc., a privately held provider of drug discovery and life science research solutions established in 2000, announced an agreement has been reached with Utah based NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: NPSP) to supply a MatriStore™ fully automated compound management system. "We are excited to have signed a development agreement with a company such as NPS who has a strong pipeline of drug candidates, and know we are helping bring novel therapeutics to the market by preserving the integrity of these compounds and implementing an effective method for repeated access without degradation or loss of bio-activity using our automated MatriStore and MatriTube storage technologies," says Dan Roark, CEO of MatriCal. The MatriStore is a climate controlled automated compound management system that automatically stores and retrieves chemical compounds, bacteria and other micro-organisms, and DNA used in life science research. By employing proven robotics and industrialized plate storage technology, the MatriStore has had continued acceptance in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Agricultural, and Academic Institutions research market place. The system design benefits from MatriCal's 96 and 384-well MatriTube Storage Plates that enable miniaturized cherry picking of samples.MatriCal introduced the MatriStore to the life science research market in 2003. In the past year MatriCal has signed contracts with two other leading drug discovery companies for MatriStore systems, specifically Galderma (Nice, France) and Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (San Diego, California). With the recent Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) approvals on the Galderma and the Neurocrine systems, and the new contract with NPS Pharmaceuticals, "MatriCal products are continuing to be favorably recognized by the life science research market," stated Roark. Learn more... MatriPress Freezer Rack MatriCal, Inc. introduces its newest line of compression stackers: the MatriPress freezer rack. This portable spring loaded storage system holds lidded standard height or deep well plates and prevents sample evaporation or uptake of water. Unlike conventional heat seals and sticky films that allow only a limited number of plate accesses, the MatriSeal™ lids are robotics friendly and provide easy plate access without damaging the plates or leaving adhesive residue behind. The MatriSeal lid sheet gasket is constructed from a chemically resistant polymer (Dimethylsulfoxide compatible) that, when compressed, provides an air/liquid-tight well-to-well seal that withstands the rigors of both short- and long-term storage to -80°C. The Freezer Rack is ideal for microplate storage in standard freezers. Learn more... Bush Cabinet members visit Spokane, WA. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Treasury Secretary John Snow, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Small Business Administration Administrator Hector Barreto visit MatriCal on Tech grant tour. President Kevin Oldenburg discusses the SonicMan™ high throughput sonicator.
15 January 2004 MatriCal sells robotic units to California drug maker, foresees big sales growth. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. signs agreement to purchase MatriStore™ automated compound management system from MatriCal Inc. Spokane, Washington: MatriCal Inc., a privately held provider of drug discovery and life science research solutions established in 2000, announced an agreement has been reached with Neurocrine BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NBIX) to supply a MatriStore™ fully automated compound management system. The system will be installed in Q2 2004 at Neurocrine's new corporate headquarters currently under construction in San Diego, California. Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Agricultural, and Academic Institutions maintain and store large numbers of chemicals that are commonly referred to as compound libraries, as well as large numbers of biological materials. These compounds are rigorously tested against known biological targets and represent the starting structures for the future development of new therapeutics/drugs. These compounds have the moniker of representing the company's crown jewels and as such require special storage conditions, inventory tracking, and handling to ensure their viability. The MatriStore™ compound storage and retrieval systems set forth a major advance in the way these compounds are both stored and retrieved. The system is based on proven robotics and plate storage technology. "When combined with our 2D MatriTube microwell storage consumables, MatriPlate™ assay consumables, and SonicMan™ high throughput sonication technology, a winning combination for compound management is achieved that minimizes lost compound, reduces false negative screening results, and provides the best opportunity to recognize active lead compounds" according to Dan Roark, MatriCal CEO. Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading neuroscience company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric, neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases and disorders. The Company's neuroscience, endocrine and immunology disciplines provide a unique biological understanding of the molecular interaction between central nervous, immune and endocrine systems for the development of therapeutic interventions for insomnia, certain female and male disorders, anxiety, depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, pain, and autoimmunity. New MatriPlate™ High Throughput Screening plates for Improved Assay Performance Anachem is adding a new and revolutionary product range from MatriCal, to its portfolio of lifescience research products. MatriPlates are 384 and 1536 well plates with a unique, patented well design that optimises all high-throughput assay applications, including fluorescence, chemiluminescence, colorimetric and cell-based methods. The plates maximise sample signal, improve ease of use with robotic systems, simplify assay miniaturisation and eliminate problems of vapour lock in the base of wells. The secret to this improved performance is the distinctive MatriPlate well design: a truncated, inverted pyramid. This enhances assay signal through better light transfer, providing up to 10 times greater signal intensity compared to alternative plates. The shape also helps direct pipette tips into the well base, allows liquid to flow smoothly into the bottom without trapping air bubbles and facilitates removal of the entire liquid, critical when the material is expensive and in limited supply. Increased use of HTS technologies within drug discovery has made for more stringent quality control of plate dimensions. All MatriCal plates are manufactured to the Society of Biomolecular Screening (SBS) specifications ensuring that they will 'fit' automated liquid handling and plate reading equipment without re-optimisation. Use of patented materials and proprietary plastic formulations give exceptional uniformity, durability and stability. Their rigidity guarantees that plates will not flex or bend when held by robotic grippers, avoiding spillages, cross contamination and mis-alignment of plate positioning on decks. The MatriPlate range includes over 30 lines of microwell plates designed for different applications. These include black, white and clear plates, teflon impregnated polypropylene plates, patented low fluorescence material plates and chemical resistant plates. MatriPlates are a must-have for any HTS laboratory!Anachem is the number one distributor to the U.K. scientific community with over thirty years of technical expertise and innovation. Today, Anachem exclusively represents suppliers such as Gilson, Rainin, MatriCal and Treff, offering the U.K. scientific market, world renowned manual liquid handling products, plastics and consumables backed by unprecedented quality of service and support. For further product information contact Anachem Ltd., Anachem House, Charles Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 0EB, UK. Tel: 01582 747500, Fax: 01582 745105, www.anachemlifescience.co.uk. |
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