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QPix 400 Series Microbial Colony Pickers

Microbial screening colony picker with sample tracking and plate handling

The QPix™ 400 Series Microbial Colony Pickers combine intelligent image analysis with precise automation for fast and efficient screening of large libraries. Capable of picking up to 3000 colonies per hour, it will streamline your workflow. In addition to microbial screening, the system automates several sample preparation and plate handling processes such as transfer of bacterial liquid culture and plating on agar. With a variety of data tracking and assay tools, the QPix Software streamlines the control and management of complex and iterative processes.

ÁRAJÁNLATOT, INFORMÁCIÓT KÉREK!

Leírás

Identify colonies with a desired phenotype

The QPix colony pickers support a wide variety of microorganisms and multiple selection modalities, including fluorescence intensity, blue/white selection, size and proximity, and zone of inhibition.
Select colonies efficiently

A suite of organism-specific pin and agar sensor ensure efficient picking. The system delivers a picking efficiency of >98%, allowing you to walkaway with confidence.
Maintain Sterility

A host of sterility features are available including a UV light for sanitizing the interior of the instrument, as well as pin washing, and halogen drying of pins.

Features

Organism-specific pins

Different shape and picking area pins maximize efficiency for E. coli, phage, and yeast. Plating-specific pins ensure uniform distribution of liquid culture onto agar.
Multiple imaging modes

Colonies can be picked based on pre-specified parameters using white light, fluorescence, and color. The use of filters enables applications such as blue-white colony screening.
Plating and Spreading

Automated plating and streaking of 96 samples can be done in 30 minutes, providing greater walk-away time.
Replication, grid and hit picking

Automated plate handling and tracking streamlines downstream assay and sample management. QPix colony pickers provides flexible plate replication, gridding, and hit-picking capabilities.
Agar sensing

Ultrasonic agar height sensor detects differences in height resulting from variable pouring volume enabling maximum picking efficiency.
Scalable automation options*

The QPix HT model is a robot compatible solution with a modular deck. The Automated Workflow Engineering Solutions Team can tailor a colony picker with a variety of custom services.

*Price, time to deliver and specifications will vary based on mutually agreed technical requirements. Solution requirements may cause adjustment to standard performance.

Colony picking for microbiome studies

See how automated colony pickers can speed up the process for microbiome studies.

Colony picking in synthetic biology

See how automated colony pickers can speed up the process for synthetic biology research.

Applikációk

Applications of QPix 400 Series Microbial Colony Pickers

Protein Evolution

Protein evolution describes the changes over time in protein shape, function, and composition. Directed evolution of proteins has proven to be an effective strategy for altering or ameliorating the activity of macromolecules for industrial, research, and therapeutic applications. With multiple fluorescent filters, the system is compatible with a wide range of fluorescent cloning vectors. This enables QPix colony pickers to reveal unique information about individual colonies when studying protein folding, enzyme evolution, and protein localization. This includes searching for transformation markers and screening for mutations.
Phage Display

Phage Display is a technique to enable the study of protein, peptide or DNA interaction with a target protein. This molecular tool enables the discovery of high-affinity binders by using bacteriophages to present a target protein on the exterior of the viral coat, while containing the DNA encoding the target protein inside the viral coat. The resultant displaying phages can be screened for binding against a library of peptides or proteins in a high throughput fashion. QPix colony pickers can be used to automate inoculation, plating, spreading and picking in a Phage Display workflow.
DNA Sequencing

Sequencing is the reading of the precise order of adenine (A) guanine (G) cytosine (C) and thymine (T) nucleotides within a molecule of DNA. Shotgun sequencing is a method whereby DNA is fragmented into one kilobase pieces, are then sub-cloned into circular plasmids, and transformed into bacteria. Automated colony picking is essential for increased throughput and plasmid isolation for sequencing. QPix colony pickers are renown for reliability and accuracy, and were used by many sequencing centers during the Human Genome Project. Many areas of research, such as vaccine development, continue to utilize traditional sequencing techniques.
Blue-White Screening

Screening of bacterial transformants that contain recombinant plasmids with cloned gene inserts is an essential step in molecular cloning. A colorimetric reporter method called “blue-white screening” allows convenient identification of recombinant and non-recombinant colonies based on color. QPix colony pickers offer an automated solution especially designed for accurate blue-white colorimetric screening using white light imaging for effective monitoring of transformation efficiency. Other colorimetric approaches such as “red-white screening” can also be implemented on the systems.
Biofuels

One of the most prominent alternative energy resources is biodiesel, an energy-rich portable fuel mainly composed of triacylglycerols. Biodiesel production from lipid producing microbial systems involves screening thousands of clones through a multitude of tests such as bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assays, optical density measurements, and gas chromatography assays. QPix colony pickers automate the task of colony picking, a laborious and error-prone process, effectively shortening timelines to find suitable candidates.
Antibiotic Zone of Inhibition

The effectiveness of an antibiotic-producing bacterial strain on a target bacterial strain can be measured by the size of the clearing zone it produces on a lawn of bacteria. QPix Software allows you to rapidly identify, rank, and pick microbial colonies producing clearing zones. Intelligent image analysis enables measurement of clearing zones within a lawn and ranking based on colony size, halo diameter, and compactness.

Műszaki specifikációk

Imaging

Camera (white light only system)

Camera (white light and fluorescence system)

Fluorescent imaging (optional)

Colony statistics

Tracking

Regulatory Approval

Compliance

Quality

Software

Zone of inhibition detection

Colorimetric colony selection

Plate replication

Re-arraying

Compressed Air Specifications

Air

Minimum operating pressure

Minimum operating volume

Instrumentation

Spreading capability (QPix 460 System only)

Destination plate capacity

Source plate capacity

Dimensions

Picking destination plate type

Picking height

Picking head

Pin drying

Wash bath

Picking capacity

Picking pin types


QPix 420 system	QPix 450/460 systems
CCD Camera, image resolution: 22 pixels /mm. Field of view: 62 x 46 mm	CCD Camera, image resolution: 22 pixels /mm. Field of view: 62 x 46 mm
CCD Camera, image resolution 22 pixels /mm. Field of view: 32 x 24 mm	CCD Camera, image resolution 22 pixels /mm. Field of view: 32 x 24 mm
Epifluorescence illumination, five standard wavelengths included: Ex /Em: 377 /447 nm for DAPI /Hoechst Ex /Em: 457 /536 nm for FITC /GFP Ex /Em: 531 /593 nm for Cy3 /DS Red Ex /Em: 628 /692 nm for Cy5 Ex /Em: 531 /624 nm for Rhodamine /Texas Red	Epifluorescence illumination, five standard wavelengths included: Ex /Em: 377 /447 nm for DAPI /Hoechst Ex /Em: 457 /536 nm for FITC /GFP Ex /Em: 531 /593 nm for Cy3 /DS Red Ex /Em: 628 /692 nm for Cy5 Ex /Em: 531 /624 nm for Rhodamine /Texas Red
Colonies selectable based on size, proximity, roundness, fluorescence intensity. Selection performed on whole tray image	Colonies selectable based on size, proximity, roundness, fluorescence intensity. Selection performed on whole tray image
1 x barcode reader for tracking of source and destination plates. Data tracked through all applications for plates with same I.D.	1 x barcode reader for tracking of source and destination plates. Data tracked through all applications for plates with same I.D.

CE	CE
ISO9001:2008 certified	ISO9001:2008 certified

Software license	Software license
Software license and filters	Software license and filters
Software license and additional head	Software license and additional head
Software license and additional head	Software license and additional head

Clean, oil-free with sub-micron filtration	Clean, oil-free with sub-micron filtration
6 bar (~90psi)	6 bar (~90psi)
80L/min	80L/min

	Sampling and spreading source plate: 1 x 96-well (30 minutes for 96 samples). Aspiration volume 10-130 µL. Destination plate: 2 x 22 cm 48 region QTrays. Samples spread from pre-set or customizable pattern
QPix 420 System: Picking: 12 plates; replicating and re-arraying, maximum of 20 plate positions	QPix 460 System: Up to 140 low profile plates, 70 per stacker lane, maximum 2 stackers
QPix 420 System: Without manual intervention: 1 x 15 cm petri dish; 5 x 9 cm petri dishes; 2 x OmniTrays; 1 x 22 cm QTrays	QPix 450/460 System: Without manual intervention: 2 x 15 cm petri dish; 10 x 9 cm petri dishes; 4 x OmniTrays; 2 x 22 cm QTrays
QPix 420 System (without table): 1460 mm (width) x 770 mm (depth) x 750 mm (height)	QPix 450/460 System: 2200 mm (width, excluding monitor arm) x 800 mm (depth) x 2140 mm (height on table)
Various, 24, 48, 96 or 384-well, including deep well	Various, 24, 48, 96 or 384-well, including deep well
Integrated ultrasonic agar height sensor to set agar height per plate for accurate picking	Integrated ultrasonic agar height sensor to set agar height per plate for accurate picking
Fully pneumatic, 96 pin picking head. Interchangeable heads for other applications	Fully pneumatic, 96 pin picking head. Interchangeable heads for other applications
Proprietary halogen pin drying station	Proprietary halogen pin drying station
3 x static wash baths	3 x static wash baths
3000 colonies per hour in white light, 2000 colonies per hour in fluorescent light	3000 colonies per hour in white light, 2000 colonies per hour in fluorescent light
Range of organism-specific pins	Range of organism-specific pins