Beckman Coulter Workstation Automates Antibody Cocktail Preparation

The Beckman Coulter Antibody Cocktail Preparation workstation automatically combines antibodies and staining dyes from individual vials into tubes or vials staged on the company’s Biomek* NXp deck. Automating the multi-colour flow cytometry analysis preparation process eliminates costly errors associated with manual preparation and improves efficiency. Complex multi-reagent, multi-panel antibody staining cocktails** are prepared with precision and accuracy.

Antibodies can be directly aliquoted into single 12 x 75 mm sample tubes in 96-tube racks. Cocktails can also be produced in bulk in 4 mL dark color vials. Additional output formats may be developed upon customer request. Built-in temperature control and light and evaporation protection reduce factors that could potentially affect fluorochrome-conjugated antibody stability

An intuitive software interface presents easy-to-use features for antibody panel definition and management. It simplifies daily operation and data management with multiple report options and formats. The software also controls access through the user account management function.

“Automating this important and complex process will provide researchers with antibody panels that they can depend on,” said Graham Threadgill, director, Life Science Automation. “This new workstation will enable precise and cost-effective identification of targets.”

Research flow cytometry applications requiring multiple panels of staining cocktails with multiple antibodies or staining dyes, for use in leukocyte classification and in studies of vaccine efficacy and complex immune response, are becoming increasingly popular. By automating the cocktail preparation process, costly human errors can be avoided. Additionally, antibody names, lot numbers and consumption levels are automatically tracked and stored in a database.