tecan journal edition 01/2006

Tecan JournalEdition 1/2006

ISSN 1660-5276

More power to your workstation withTecan’s Freedom EVOware® softwarepage 8

From primary blood to DNA – fullyautomated DNA extractionpage 10

Tecan and REMP – the perfect synergypage 18

Cover shows Eskil Trollhagen, Project ManagerApplications International, Tecan AG Switzerland

2 W E LCO M E

Tecan Journal 1/2006

Welcome to the firstTecan Journal of thenew year!

2006 is set to be a busy year for Tecanas we continue on our theme of ‘Talk toTecan’ and learn from you, our customers,how best to provide ground-breakingautomation solutions.

2005 was a successful year for Tecan andwe hope to continue our period ofgrowth throughout 2006. The acquisitionof REMP half way through the year hasnow been successfully implemented andwe look forward to the added expertiseand knowledge our REMP colleagues willbring to the entire Tecan product andservice offering. Several new and excitingproducts are planned for launch in 2006,including specific application modules for

platforms, new readers, and newgenerations of washers and OEM pumpand pipetting components. Many ofthese new developments are in directresponse to market trends and changesin regulatory requirements in all theapplication areas that Tecan serves.Of these, biopharmaceutical and clinicaldiagnostics remain important applicationareas, and forensics is a growing andexciting focus for Tecan. There is a realdemand for increased sample throughputin this discipline and we are well placedto give customers the reliability theyneed in such highly innovative andregulated environments.

I hope that we can continue to deepen and prosper ourrelationship with you as customers and partners. I wishyou all a successful and prosperous new year for 2006.“

”Thomas BachmannChief Executive Officer (CEO)

Welcome and ContentsThomas Bachmann, CEO, welcomes you…pages 2-3

Watch out this year for newdevelopments from the Tecan pipelineFind out about Tecan’s new PressureMonitored Pipetting and MCA toolsBioser Medikal places eight FreedomEVOlyzers® in TurkeyTecan’s Turkey distributors are kept busypages 4-5

Training brings the World togetherTecan leads a quality system regulationtraining workshop in ChinaDemonstrating the new InfiniteTM andFreedom EVO® in ChinaHands-on training demonstrations forTecan’s distributorspages 6-7

More power to your workstation withFreedom EVOware®An overview of the different softwarepackages available, including the newand improved Freedom EVOware v1.2Freedom EVOware takes control inSan DiegoJeff Reid describes how Freedom EVOwarehelps researchers at UCSD generate agenome-wide RNAi librarypages 8-9

From primary blood to DNA – fullyautomated DNA extractionThe Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegen uses Chemagen magneticbeads with a Freedom EVO Workstation to extract DNA from blood samplespages 10-11

Naming the dead – the role of highthroughput mitochondrial DNAsequencingThe Armed Forces DNA IdentificationLibrary in the US processes thousandsof samples each year with the TecanGenesisTM RWS 200 Workstationpages 12-13

Automated, high throughput preparationof ProteinChip® Arrays for SELDI-TOF MSprofilingAutomating the search for serumbiomarkers from breast cancer patientspages 14-15

Automated genomic DNA extractionfrom buccal cells with Invitrogen’sChargeSwitch® TechnologyTecan and Invitrogen develop nucleic acidpurification kits for automation with theFreedom EVOpages 16-17

Tecan and REMP – the perfect synergyIn conversation with Bernhard Iseli, COO of REMPpages 18-19

Events for the first half of 2006page 20


3CO N T E N T S

4 G LO B A L N E W S4 L AT E ST P R O D U C T S

Watch out this year fornew developments fromthe Tecan pipeline

Close up of a tip

Find out about Tecan’s new PressureMonitored Pipetting and MCA tools

WHA

T’S

NEW


Tecan’s new Pressure Monitored Pipetting(PMP) tool is an independent option forFreedom EVO® platforms that brings anumber of benefits to biopharmaapplications, including DNA extraction andscreening assays. With PMP, the pipettingquality can be observed online for bothaspirations and dispensations, and faultsincluding tip leakage, bubbles, occludedtips or inappropriate dispensed samplevolumes can quickly be detected. The PMPcan also detect the liquid level of non-conducting liquids (as organic solvents)with pressure Liquid Level Detection (pLLD).The PMP also allows Liquid Level Detectionby simultaneously using the conventionalcapacitive Liquid Level Detection (cLLD)with pLLD (dual LLD).

PMP is an innovative new technology.The PMP algorithm uses known pipettingparameters, such as pipetting speed,volume and tip type, to calculate a modelcurve. This is then fitted to the measuredpressure curve to allow for unknownpipetting parameters, such as sampleviscosity or surface tension, prior tofailure detection / determination, whichis performed by a repeatable andsensitive failure detection algorithm.

The PMP integrates easily into theFreedom EVO 100, 150 or 200 equippedwith disposable tips, and comes with itsown software module that monitors andanalyzes pipetting. The software module isfully integrated in Freedom EVOware®. Themeasured pressure curves can be stored

by the software, allowing you to retrievedata when you need to. The sampletraceability and sensitive error detectionof the PMP bring considerably increasedprocess stability and process security tomany liquid handling applications.

The PMP has already been verified forserum and aqueous solutions, for thewhole volume range from 10 μl up to1000 μl, and will be developed for otherliquid classes. Tecan will release the PMPfor research use in biopharmaapplications by April 2006.

A new option for Freedom EVO – a multi-channel arm

Showing again the evolutionary conceptof the Freedom EVO, Tecan is adding a newmulti-channel arm to the multi-functionalplatform. With up to 44 positions on theworktable and integration flexibility on allsides, including below the worktable,Freedom EVO with its new multi-channelarm is fully compatible with existingmodules and options, such as vacuum andmagnetic bead separation, incubation andreading capabilities. In addition to themulti-channel arm Freedom EVO can haveup to two other arms enabling trueparallel processing for higher throughputand productivity.

The Freedom EVO with its new multi-channel arm can be seen at theLabAutomation exhibition at Tecan booth #305.

5

parallelism which leads to maximumcapacity. Continuous loading and parallelsample pipetting also ensure highthroughput for the smaller sizes of theinstrument. The Freedom EVOlyzer’sintegrated features, such as panels,sensors, lights and warning alarms,enable close monitoring of all actions,providing high safety and reliability.

“The trust is the key. If you want to growand earn a defendable place in themarket, you have to earn the customers’trust in your company and in theproducts you offer.” Mr Cepni concluded:“We have been doing this since day oneand that is why we have succeeded.”

Minilyser™ is a trademark of REMP AG,Oberdiessback, Switzerland

www.Bioser.com.tr

A P P L I C AT I O N D I AG N O ST I C S

Throughout 2005, the Company has placedno fewer than eight Freedom EVOlyzer100/4 at five different sites in Turkey, andBioser’s Freedom EVOlyzer team hasimplemented over 15 different assays fromrenowned reagent manufacturers.“Wetrust the quality and reliability of Tecan’sproducts and we particularly like theFreedom EVOlyzer because of its highthroughput and continuous loadingcapability,” said Mr Cepni.

The Freedom EVOlyzer, Tecan's newgeneration of IVD-D (98/79/EC)compliant ELISA, is available in 100 cm,150 cm to 200 cm worktable sizes.Equipped with 2, 4 or 8 channels, eithersteel tips or disposable tips, and anindependent robotic manipulator (RoMa)arm for plate transport, the FreedomEVOlyzer can achieve a high degree of

Over the years, Tecan has enjoyedworking with numerous distributors andBioser Medikal, based in Istanbul, Turkey,is a great example of how such acollaboration can help each party to growand prosper. Since its first contact withTecan in 1994, Bioser has placed over 60units throughout Turkey, includingFreedom EVOlyzer®, Genesis™ RMP,Minilyser™ and Genesis FE500™instruments. As well as Tecan, Bioser hasalso teamed up with other global partnerssuch as Dade Behring and Equipar.

“I strongly believe in a steady increaseof automation in Turkish labs andhospitals. The demand for high qualityoperations and less labor intensiveprocedures is to be seen everywhere,”explained Mr Güngur Cepni, CEO,Bioser Medikal. “Furthermore,compliance with international qualityregulations such as the European IVD-D (98/79/EC) is already an importantpart of our market.”

Bioser Medikal places eightFreedom EVOlyzers® in Turkey

Mr Güngur Cepni, CEO of Bioser Medikal

Tecan’s Turkey distributors are kept busy

Istanbul Zonguldak

Izmit (Kocaeli)

Eskisehir

MalatyaTURKEY



with medical devices or the companiessupplying them. The workshop was verywell received and was recorded andpublished on the SFDA homepage. Tecanalso received official thanks from theSFDA and has been invited back for asecond course to take place in January2006. This workshop, for a smaller groupof SFDA employees, will concentrate moreclosely on how to investigate complaints,the procedures involved and how tostatistically evaluate the whole reportingstructure.

We are delighted to have been invitedback to China and will continue to useour expertise in training, whether that’sin compliance and regulatory issues or inproduct and software workshops, to buildand strengthen relations with customers,business partners and governmentbodies alike.

Compliance Director and formeremployee of the US FDA, traveled to theSFDA Center for Drug Evaluation inBeijing to conduct the workshop.The course covered medical deviceregulations based on US guidelines,including complaint handling, adverseevent reporting, corrective and preventiveaction, recalls and market withdrawals, allin accordance with the 21 CFR part 820FDA regulations.

The 28 participants, all employees of theSFDA, are responsible for building upChinese regulations to match those inthe US and Europe, beginning with aChinese Compulsory Certificate forregistration of new products. Theinformation they took from the coursewill help to establish national guidelinesfor investigating incidents whensomething goes wrong, whether that’s

In May 2005, Tecan was invited by China’sState Food and Drug Administration(SFDA) to carry out quality systemregulation (QSR) training for its members.A delegation comprising Mark Wang,Tecan’s Chief Representative in China,Günter Weisshaar, the Vice President ofQuality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs,and Christie Rice, Tecan’s Global

6 Q UA L I T Y A S S U R A N C E

Training bringsthe Worldtogether

At Tecan, we pride ourselves on an excellent reputation for training and, in thepast year, our expertise in this area has helped to develop and encourage goodrelations with regulatory authorities and governing bodies all over the World.

The 28 SFDA participants at the Tecan workshop


7Q UA L I T Y A S S U R A N C E

Demonstrating the newInfinite™ and Freedom EVO®

in China

Participants came from Tecan’sdistributors for China, including Eastwin,Union Net Credit and Chinawealth, andTecan’s distributors for Singapore,including In vitro Technologies, SiberHegner Sdn Bhd, SciMed Asia Pte Ltd.,Everlight Biotech Co Ltd., DKSH andPozitronics. Tecan was represented bydelegates from Switzerland, Austria,Singapore, the US and India. Invitrogenwas also invited to participate in thetraining meeting and to explore thepossibility of further co-operation with Tecan.

Half of the week’s meeting was devoted to the Infinite, which was introduced byDieter Popp and Gerlinde Zerza-Schnitzhofer, and included comprehensive,hands-on training for all technical aspectsof the plate reader, its software and itsapplications, as well as sales advice.

The product managers Jason Meredith andChristoph Jung then took the floor withthe new Freedom EVO, and introduced theaudience to the benefits of the newFreedom EVOware® features as well as avariety of biopharma applicationsappropriate to the platform.

Tecan was proud to introduce Infinite, the new multimodalmicroplate reader, and the Freedom EVO liquid handlingplatform to distributors at a recent training meeting inChina. The five-day event was organized by the TecanGroup Beijing Representative Office and took place in theChina World Hotel (Dec 5 2005) and the Jianguo HotelBeijing (Dec 6 to 9 2005).

Christie Rice (Director Global Compliance, TecanUS), Mrs Yi Mei (Director of Blood ManagementDivision, Ministry of Health) and GünterWeisshaar (Executive Vice President GlobalQuality & Regulatory Affairs, Tecan Group Ltd.)

CHIN

AMr He Ju-Cheng (General Manager of Vastec,the Tecan China distributor in the HospitalSegment), Dr Zhao Rong-Ping (Head ofImmunology Division of the Clinical DiagnosticLaboratory at Shanghai Renji Hospital) andMark Wang (Tecan Beijing Representative Office)

Mark Wang and Christie Rice Hands-on training demonstrations for Tecan’s distributors

8 AUTO M AT E D L I Q U I D H A N D L I N G


The system is guarded from unauthorizedentry, providing discrete levels of accessthrough its password protection systemand is ideal for laboratories working to21CFR part 11 regulations, since itgenerates the electronic logs required foraudit trails, electronic signatures andmulti-level password control. New userswill find both Freedom EVOwareStandard and Freedom EVOware Plusintuitive and easy to follow. Dailymaintenance routines can be controlledfrom the start-up screens or users canclick to run a pre-existing program. Userswho choose to create a new protocolenter the heart of the program where the

image of their workstation acts as avirtual reference point for their design.The library of worktable and scripttemplates helps users get startedwithout delay, and a range of built-inwizards and dynamic HTML info-padsguide you through commonmodifications. More advanced userswishing to design their protocols fromscratch will find all the information theyneed within the Freedom EVOwareprogram. Users choose the function theyrequire, then ‘drag and drop’ the roboticmoves into the design of their protocol.Similarly, this time-saving ‘drag and drop’feature allows you to access labware

definitions and over 75 new or third-partydevice drivers. A database of liquid classeshelps to define parameters so thataccurate pipetting and liquid handling isachieved for almost any type of liquid youare dealing with and, in all cases, theonline help is ready to point the way.Having designed a new protocol, users areable to view it as a 3D simulation before it is transferred to the Freedom EVO®Workstation, providing the opportunity to correct or fine tune any steps.

Maximizing throughput and optimizingyour resources is always a priority and thisis where Freedom EVOware Plus comes tothe fore. Incorporating all the featuresavailable in the Standard version, FreedomEVOware Plus also has an integratedscheduling facility designed specificallyfor high throughput, multi-plateapplications. Its scheduling functionallows users to create complex workflows,where the processing of a second batch ofsamples can begin before the first hasfinished, creating an entirely optimizedprotocol. Using Freedom EVOware Plus todesign and run your protocols means yourworkstation need never be idle again.

Freedom EVOware takes control inSan Diego

Tecan’s Freedom EVOware has givenresearchers at the University of Californiain San Diego, US, the ability to programtheir Freedom EVO 200 Workstation tomeet all their needs as they generate agenome wide RNAi library. Drosophila isused as a model organism and creation of

More power to your workstationwith Freedom EVOware®

Freedom EVOware lets you take control of your labworkflow and protocols, combining both pipettingactions and scheduling in a single package. Availablein Standard or Plus versions, Freedom EVOware isdesigned to grow with the size of your workstationand provide simple instrument control for yourcomplex needs.


9AUTO M AT E D L I Q U I D H A N D L I N G

the library involves amplifying its 20,000genes using specific primers, prior tomaking double stranded RNA.

The magnitude of the project initiallypresented some difficulties as Jeff Reid,staff research associate, explained:

“We have found Freedom EVOware to bea good program, which is very user-friendly and reliable,” Jeff continued.“Compared to other, similar programs Ihave used, the Freedom EVOware desktopinterface is definitely a lot cleaner. Youcan optimize standard protocols byaccessing the commands and flight typesthat you need without being slowed

down by a large number of options thatyou are never going to use. Depending onwhat you want to achieve, you can reallydo a lot with Freedom EVOware. It letsyou get as complex as you like in terms of workstation protocols and it gives youa greater degree of freedom to createmore elegant programs.”

The laboratory’s workstation has a single,eight-channel liquid handling (LiHa) arm ,a robotic manipulator (RoMa) arm and aTe-MO™ 96 multichannel pipettor. The Te-MO 96 aliquots primer pairs and transfersthem to 96- and 384-well platescontaining genomic DNA, ready for thefirst round of PCR. The products of thisfirst PCR reaction are then transferred,again by the Te-MO 96, to a fresh plateand act as templates for the secondamplification step. Special primer sets areintroduced during the second round ofamplification to minimize cross-contamination of the samples. As theproject progresses, the final PCR productswill be prepared for the generation ofdouble stranded RNA and the resultingRNAi library will be normalized for use intransfection studies.

The project has so far amplified 7,000genes ready for conversion into RNAimolecules, with the amplification of theremaining genes part of the laboratory’slong-term goal. The team is proposing touse the RNAi library in high throughputlight microscopy and positron emissiontopography studies to see what effectsthe presence of the RNAi molecules hason specific gene function in Drosophila.

New and improved FreedomEVOware v1.2

Freedom EVOware version 1.2 is nowavailable in both Standard and Plus formsfor all Freedom EVO Workstations, andoffers the added advantage of fullintegration with Tecan’s new i-controlsoftware for the series of InfiniteTM

microplate readers. The ApplicationProgramming Interface (API)enhancements give programmers thefreedom to control Freedom EVOwareremotely and to install their own errorhandling routines, as well as extendingFreedom EVOware’s device supportthrough the driver toolkit. This latestversion provides the simultaneouscontrol of up to three workstation arms,including two LiHas and the enhancedPick and Place arm. It will also control thenew PosIDTM 3 positive identificationsystem and gives improved movementin the Z-axis of the Te-MagS™.

Freedom EVOware v1.2 operates on all fourFreedom EVO Workstations (75, 100, 150 and200) and is available for existingcustomers1. Tecan software engineers andproduct care teams are on hand to answerquestions from customers directedthrough your local Tecan sales organization,providing technical support as a priority.1Existing customers should contact their localTecan representatives to check for compatibility

What do you want to do?

Freedom EVO 96 Freedom EVOsim LiHa RoMa Password configuration

“The large number of primer pairsinvolved in amplifying the genes andthe scale of the PCR reactionpreparation meant that carrying outthe PCR process manually was notfeasible. The obvious answer was toautomate the procedure using ourFreedom EVO Workstation, and sowe turned to Freedom EVOware todesign the protocol.”

An overview of the different software packages available, including the new and improved Freedom EVOware v1.2

10 A P P L I C AT I O N B I O P H A R M A


From primary blood to DNA – fully automated DNA extraction

The laboratory’s research activitiesrequire a reliable, highly reproducible andstandardized method for DNA extractionfrom full blood samples. We are using aTecan Freedom EVO® 150 Workstation,combined with a Chemagic MagneticSeparation Module I from Chemagen, toautomate our DNA extraction methodusing magnetic beads.

Figures 1 and 2 show the experimentalset-up for the DNA extraction, whichincludes a Tecan Freedom EVO 150Workstation with PosIDTM barcode reader,and a liquid handling (LiHa) arm witheight tips in mixed configuration.A robotic manipulator (RoMa) arm with acentric gripper transports buckets withBD Falcon™ tubes through an opening inthe benchtop (under the deck) onto thecarrier axis of the Chemagic MagneticSeparation Module I (Chemagen), whichis adjacent to the Tecan Workstation.There is also a dispenser for largervolumes on the Workstation.

The extraction is performed in 50 mlFalcon™ tubes, which are organized in a 4 x 3 (=12) configuration in the buckets, inorder to fit into the Chemagic MagneticSeparation Module I (see Figure 3). Themodule consists of an electromagnet anda metal 12-rod head. The rods are dippedinto the Falcon™ tubes, which contain thesample and a magnetic bead suspension,so that when the electromagnet isswitched on, the rods are magnetized andthe beads are separated.

DNA extraction from full blood without aliquoting

No aliquoting or sample distribution isnecessary for this application, so theoriginal primary blood samples are used.Each sample’s barcode is read from theprimary tube at the beginning of theprocess and passed through the wholeprocess to the final 2 ml Eppendorf vialscontaining the extracted DNA. All of thebarcodes and the sample positions arestored and documented within the LIMS.

The LiHa arm is used to prepare thetubes, which contain approximately 7 mlblood with lysis buffer, M-PVA MagneticBeads, washing buffer and elution buffer.The RoMa arm moves the buckets withthe samples under deck onto the carrieraxis of the separator and the Tecansoftware starts the Chemagic protocol forthe magnetic separation. Centrifugationsteps do not need to be carried out withthis protocol and sample preparationusing Chemagen’s Chemagic kits can becompleted very quickly.

The high magnetite content of themagnetic beads makes extractions fromany sample volume very easy and,consequently, the low levels of non-specific binding ensure that highly purenucleic acids are isolated from crudesamples and critical sample materials.The isolated DNA can then be useddirectly in a variety of downstreamapplications.

The final product, the nucleic acid stocksolution, is quantified by measuring theOD 280 / 260 with a Tecan GENios™reader, and normalized in order to get astandard working concentration. The OD280 value represents the DNA quality and the OD 260 represents the DNAconcentration; typical yields from thisprocedure are 30 μg DNA/ml sample.

Downstream processing

The nucleic acid stock solution is suitablefor use in a number of downstreamprocesses, including Southern blotting,PCR, multiplex ligation-dependent probeamplification (MLPA), sequencing andconformation sensitive capillaryelectrophoresis.

Performance, throughput and validation

With the current set-up, the averagethroughput is 100-150 samples per weekand 5,000 samples per year. With eachtwo hour extraction run, 12 samples canbe extracted as a batch and themaximum throughput per day is fourruns with a total of 48 samples.

The instrument set-up and the methodhave been thoroughly validated bycomparison with manual methods andthe results have been published. Qualityassessment studies have beenundertaken by the European MolecularDiagnostics Network in 1-2 cycles per yearwith results scoring at the end of thestudy, and this is comparable with theGerman „Ringversuche” method.

The Department of Human Genetics at the Radboud University Nijmegen MedicalCenter provides care for patients and families with hereditary diseases, and performsground-breaking research into the relationship between genes and diseases. Themain areas of interest for the Center’s DNA laboratory are hereditary cancers, kidneydisease, hereditary deafness and blindness, mental retardation and neuromusculardisease, including mitochondrial disorders.

Frans Hol, PhD, Clinical Molecular Geneticist, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen,Dept. Human Genetics – 120, PO Box 9101, NL-6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands

11C U STO M E R S U P P O RT


A P P L I C AT I O N B I O P H A R M A

Figure 1: Fully automated DNAextraction set-up: Tecan Freedom EVO150 Workstation and ChemagicMagnetic Separation Module I(Chemagen).

Tecan Freedom EVO 150 Workstation [1]with PosID barcode reader [2], LiHaarm with 8 tips in mixed configuration[3] and RoMa arm with centric gripper[4]. Buckets are transported throughan opening in the benchtop under deckonto the carrier axis [5] of theChemagic Magnetic SeparationModule I (Chemagen) [6].

Figure 2: Fully automated DNAextraction set-up in detail.

PosID barcode reader [1], LiHa arm [2],RoMa arm with centric gripper [3], heatincubator [4] and buckets [5] withsamples.

The Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegen uses Chemagen magneticbeads with a Freedom EVO Workstationto extract DNA from blood samples

Figure 3: Chemagic Magnetic Separation Module I (Chemagen).Electromagnet [1] and metal 12-rod head [2].

Automating DNA extraction procedures hasseveral advantages:• The entire process is fully automated, from the primary blood

sample to the final DNA as a nucleic acid stock solution, ready forfurther experiments

• It is much faster (two hours) compared with the manual method,which needs an overnight incubation

• It results in a much better and more reproducible quality of DNA

• The DNA has a lower viscosity and so can be pipetted much moreeasily in downstream processes

• The set-up allows excellent documentation of the process andresults, and complete sample identification and tracking

• Combining Tecan instruments with Chemagen kits and theMagnetic Separation Module has been well established by Tecan,and both instruments can be controlled using one softwarepackage

• The system has been running very reliably, for over a year, and thisis particularly important since aliquots of original blood samplesare not stored, meaning that if a sample is lost then it would benecessary to go back to the patient for a second blood sample

Falcon™ is a trademark of Becton, Dickinson and Company.

1

2

2

1

3 4

56

12

3

45



Naming the dead– the role of high throughput mitochondrialDNA sequencingTimothy McMahon PhD, Head of Validation Services, Armed ForcesDNA Identification Laboratory, Maryland, USA

DNA extraction and sequencing but thereference samples are morestraightforward to process and aresequenced using seven primers thatcover over 1,122 bases of the mtDNAcontrol region that contains HV1 and HV2as well as mini variable regions 1 and 2.Samples are processed in groups of 93plus two negative controls and a PCRpositive control. Preparing individualsequencing reaction plates for eachprimer and the actual physicalrequirement of placing them individuallyinto the thermal cyclers and purifying thesamples after sequencing is thereforemanually intensive and equates to asmuch as 12 man-hours. There wasobviously a need to find a faster,automated method of preparing thesequencing reactions and a TecanGenesisTM RWS 200 Workstation waschosen for the task. The Genesis 200Workstation’s flexible programming andthe ability to use a probe detectionsystem instead of tips provided the fullautomation and versatility that AFDILrequired, and other aspects, includingsensitivity and low contamination levels,were also critical in the choice ofinstrument. However, it was ultimatelythe flexibility in programming and theability to mount thermal cyclers and aheat sealer on the workstation platformthat made the Genesis 200 the perfectchoice for this application.

The system has been designed to becompletely automated, allowing the userto walk away once the instrument isrunning and return the followingmorning when sequencing is complete. Itis fitted with a liquid handling (LiHa) armwith eight Teflon® coated fixed tips and a

DNA, can be extracted and theHypervariable regions one and two (HV1and HV2) amplified using primer sets ormini primer sets, depending on the levelof degradation. The results of theseamplifications are then compared toreference samples collected frommaternal relatives of missing forcespersonnel and, together with historicalrecords, anthropological and after-actionbattle reports, are used to propose aformal identification.

AFDIL receives over 800 bone samplesfrom unidentified bodies and between1,500 and 2,000 family reference samplesper year. The bone samples, because oftheir general condition, require manual

The delicate process of identifying theremains of American soldiers killed inaction, whether from recent conflictsincluding Iraq or older campaigns such asKorea, Vietnam and World War II, falls tothe Armed Forces DNA IdentificationLaboratory (AFDIL) in Maryland. While themore recent casualties can be identifiedfrom fresh bone and tissue samples, theolder skeletal remains present more of aproblem as their nuclear genomes areoften too degraded for standard nuclear

DNA (nucDNA) identification methods.Instead, small sequences of intactmitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which arepresent in higher concentrations indegraded remains compared to genomic

The Armed Forces DNA Identification Library in the US processes thousands of samples each yearwith the Tecan Genesis 200 Workstation


13A P P L I C AT I O N B I O P H A R M A

robotic manipulator (RoMa) arm, and theplatform simultaneously houses the fourthermal cyclers that perform thesequencing reaction. Purified mtDNA isplated out in seven 96-well plates by theLiHa arm and combined with theindividual primer sequencing master mix(primer, sequencing dilution buffer andhalf reaction BigDye v1.1). The RoMa armtransfers each plate to the sealing unitand then moves the first four plates intothe thermal cyclers. Once the sequencingreaction is complete, the RoMa armremoves the plates to the cooled deckand the remaining plates are thensequenced. Cross-contamination ofsamples is kept to a minimum by regularbleach washes of the fixed LiHa tips.

The result of this hands-free process hasbeen a significant drop in the number of samples that have had to be re-sequenced. Previously, on average 4.9 % of the samples would have to be re-sequenced, but using the workstationthe failure rate has fallen by a factor of 10, saving time, money and reagents.Similarly, the time taken to process thesamples has been cut by almost twothirds, giving technicians more time toconcentrate on sequencing the bonesamples and for data analysis. Thesequence information generated from thereference samples is stored on an internaldatabase ready for comparative searches,but the results from the bone sampleshave to undergo a stringent in-housereview process before the sequence isreported to the Joint Pacific AccountingCommand Central IdentificationLaboratory (JPAC-CIL). JPAC-CIL thensubmit a comparison request for thesample to AFDIL and we compare it to theinternal family reference database to see ifa positive ID can be made by mtDNA. For agood sample this can take up to twomonths although, if the DNA is badlydegraded, the process will take longer. Inmany cases the identity of the remains isalready suspected based on otherinformation gathered by JPAC-CIL, and thisallows the sample to be screened againsta targeted set of reference samples. Forsome remains, maternal relatives mayhave to be found in order to generate a

conclusive identification. In all cases,automation of the reference samplesequencing process using the TecanGenesis 200 Workstation has undoubtedlyhelped to answer some decade-oldquestions of identity and bring peace tothe families of soldiers lost in conflict.

Teflon® is a registered trademark of E.I. Dupontde Nemours, Wilmington DE, USA

Timothy McMahon, Head of ValidationServices, Armed Forces DNA IdentificationLaboratory, Maryland, USA

Timothy McMahon in the laboratory

Tecan Genesis 200 Workstation at the AFDIL in Maryland, US



The Institut Paoli-Calmettes in Marseille,France, has begun a global search forserum biomarkers with diagnostic,prognostic and/or predictive values inclinical samples from breast cancerpatients. As part of the regional anti-cancer center’s clinical proteomicsprogram, the researchers are using Tecan’sFreedom EVO® 150 platform to automatesample preparation for surface enhancedlaser desorption/ionization-time of flight(SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) toidentify markers of interest.

Comparing protein expression levels incancer patients’ serum with normalserum samples may lead to theidentification of important biomarkersthat can predict for malignancy oftumors. These biomarkers can alsoprovide valuable information concerning

the likely efficacy of specific anti-cancertreatments, as well as help to identifynew molecular targets for innovativetherapeutic strategies. Traditionally,biomarkers have been investigated using1-D or 2-D gel electrophoresis to separateproteins, coupled to mass spectrometryfor protein identification1. However, theseprocedures are complicated and requirelarge amounts of material, meaning thatlarge-scale application of these methodshas generally been restricted topreclinical and basic science studies.

SELDI-TOF MS allows relatively highthroughput protein analysis of verycomplex biological samples, yet needsonly limited preprocessing. Thetechnology combines chromatographicfractionation of the proteome usingspecific protein chips and TOF MS analysis

Laurent Jacotot*, Philippe Vaglio*, Anthony Gonçalves1,2 4, Yves Toiron1,Hagay Sobol3,4, Jean-Paul Borg1, Xavier Saunier 5, Emmanuel Russo5

*Modul-Bio S.A.S., 232 Boulevard Sainte Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France; 1MolecularPharmacology, 2Medical Oncology, 3Genetic Oncology, Cancer Institute of Marseille, InstitutPaoli-Calmettes and 4UMR599 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale(INSERM) 8University of la Méditerranée, UFR of Médecine, Marseille, France;5Tecan France S.A.S, 26 avenue Tony Garnier, 69007 Lyon, France.

Automated, high throughputpreparation of ProteinChip® Arraysfor SELDI-TOF MS profiling

Figure 2: Tecan’s Freedom EVO 150 platform

Figure 1: Automating the search for serumbiomarkers from breast cancer patients

that can be applied to various clinicalsamples, including biological fluids suchas serum2. Samples are directly bound toCiphergen ProteinChip® Arrays andanalyzed with SELDI-TOF MS profiling,using the ProteinChip® Biomarker system.Preparation of the ProteinChip® Arraysrequires equilibration of theProteinChips® with specific bindingbuffer, washing, sample spotting,incubation with shaking, washing, a short drying phase and application of theenergy absorbing molecule (matrix)application.

In order to make the SELDI-TOF MSanalysis more reproducible on a highthroughput basis, researchers at theInstitut decided to set up completeautomation of the pre-analytical steps,i.e. chromatographic capture of proteinson ProteinChip® Arrays. To achieve this,they approached Modul-Bio S.A.S., asoftware and robotics company based inMarseille, France, that custom-buildsflexible robotics systems and LIMS forbiological applications, including DNAsequencing, protein interactions orchemical compound screening processes.

Laurent Jacotot, Chief Executive Officer atModul-Bio, explained, “We custom buildto what people need, based on availableoff-the-shelf systems. For this project, werecommended the Tecan Freedom EVO150 platform because its programmingflexibility meant we could easily add theCiphergen SELDI-TOF protocol to it. TheInstitut also wanted to integrate aTeleshake shaker (Variomag) and otherequipment with the Tecan’s Gemini™software system, so we developed anapplication to fully control the speed,motion and sequence of all the devicesand movements.”

Modul-Bio’s automated preparation of theProteinChip® Arrays vastly increased thesample throughput for researchers at theInstitut Paoli-Calmettes. The system wasspecially developed to provide extremely

15A P P L I C AT I O N B I O P H A R M A


high-precision liquid volume handling,including liquid level sensing, single ormultiple dispensing options and flexibilityfor different liquid classes. Importantly,automated sample processing generatesimproved sample quality and datareliability, due to the decrease in possiblehuman error, and makes it easier forlaboratories to carry out repetition of datasets. Using the Freedom EVO with eight

pipetting tips and two liquid handling(LiHa) arms, the entire process can beperformed within three hours for 96samples, which equates to 192 or 288samples each day and the potential tocomplete 384 samples in a day. Modul-Bioalso developed a Swing Java™ interface forthis application (Figures 1-3), seamlesslyintegrated with Gemini, to control theadapted Ciphergen protocols on theFreedom EVO (Figure 4). This interfaceallows the user to choose the number andvolume of serum samples to be bound onCiphergen ProteinChips® and the type ofProteinChip® used in each column of theProteinChip® cassette (standard MTPformat). The arrays are available withdifferent chromatographic properties,including hydrophobic, hydrophilic, anionexchange, cation exchange andimmobilized-metal affinity surfaces.

Depending on the different type of proteinchip, specific protocols with specific bufferare then executed by the Tecan system.

This set-up has been used at the InstitutPaoli-Calmettes to investigate serumsamples from two different groups ofpatients. In the first study, samples fromhigh-risk, early breast cancer patientswere analyzed for serum biomarkers that

could predict formetastatic relapse ormetastasis-freesurvival. The secondstudy investigatedsamples from patientscertified with andwithout BRCA1mutations, which have

been implicated in a large number ofhereditary breast cancers, in order togenerate plasma protein biomarkers thatcould be associated with the presence ofthe mutation3.

SELDI-TOF MS techniques make it possibleto analyze biomarkers from small samplevolumes requiring only limited pre-processing phases, and the availability oftools such as Tecan’s Freedom EVOplatform and Ciphergen’s ProteinChip®Arrays and Biomarker System make large-scale analyses much easier. Coupled toappropriate bioinformatic tools, SELDI-TOFMS has shown to be a very promisingmethod for probing serum to identifyprotein patterns and/or biomarkersrelated to various stages and types ofsolid tumors4-9, which could serve as earlydiagnostic markers.

JAVA™ is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.in the United States and other countries

ProteinChip® is a registered trademark ofCiphergen Biosystems Inc., Fremont, CA, USA

Figure 3: Modul-Bio’s Swing Java™ interface

Figure 4: Tecan’s Freedom EVO 150 platform and Ciphergen ProteinChips® cassette

References

1. Hanash SM. (2000) Biomedical applications of two-dimensional electrophoresis using immobilized pHgradients: current status. Electrophoresis 21: 1202-1209.

2. Fung ET, Thulasiraman V, Weinberger SR, DalmassoEA. (2001) Protein biochips for differential profiling.Curr Opin Biotechnol 12: 65-69.

3. Gonçalves A, Esterni B, Bertucci F, Sauvan R,Chabannon C, Cubizolles M, Bardou VJ, Houvenaegel G,Jacquemier J, Granjeaud S, Meng X-Y, Fung ET,Birnbaum D, Maraninchi D, Viens P, Borg J-P. (2005)Post-operative serum proteomic profiles may predictmetastatic relapse in high-risk primary breast cancerpatients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Oncogene(in press)

4. Petricoin EF, Ardekani AM, Hitt BA, Levine PJ, FusaroVA, Steinberg SM, Mills GB, Simone C, Fishman DA, Kohn

EC, Liotta LA. (2002) Use of proteomic patterns inserum to identify ovarian cancer. Lancet 359: 572-577.

5. Adam BL, Qu Y, Davis JW, Ward MD, Clements MA,Cazares LH, Semmes OJ, Schellhammer PF, Yasui Y, FengZ, Wright GL Jr. (2002) Serum protein fingerprintingcoupled with a pattern-matching algorithmdistinguishes prostate cancer from benign prostatehyperplasia and healthy men. Cancer Res 62:3609-3614.

6. Petricoin EF III, Ornstein DK, Paweletz CP, Ardekani A,Hackett PS, Hitt BA, Velassco A, Trucco C, Wiegand L,Wood K, Simone CB, Levine PJ, Linehan WM, Emmert-Buck MR, Steinberg SM, Kohn EC, Liotta LA. (2002)Serum proteomic patterns for detection of prostatecancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 94: 1576-1578.

7. Koopmann J, Zhang Z, White N, Rosenzweig J, FedarkoN, Jagannath S, Canto MI, Yeo CJ, Chan DW, Goggins M.(2004) Serum diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

using surface-enhanced laser desorption andionization mass spectrometry. Clin Cancer Res 10:860-868.

8. Wadsworth JT, Somers KD, Cazares LH, Malik G, AdamBL, Stack BC Jr, Wright GL Jr, Semmes OJ. (2004) Serumprotein profiles to identify head and neck cancer. ClinCancer Res 10: 1625-1632.

9. Zhang Z, Bast RC Jr, Yu Y, Li J, Sokoll LJ, Rai AJ,Rosenzweig JM, Cameron B, Wang YY, Meng X-Y,Berchuck A, van Haaften-Day C, Hacker NF, de BruijnHWA, van der Zee AGJ, Jacobs IJ, Fung ET, Chan DW.(2004) Three biomarkers identified from serumproteomic analysis for the detection of early stageovarian cancer. Cancer Res 64: 5882-5890.



Extracting genomic DNA (gDNA) frombuccal swabs or pelleted mouthwashes isextremely useful as a quick, non-invasivetechnique for collection and isolation ofDNA. This method is used for DNAextraction in many applications, includinggenotyping, detection of disease markersand for comparison to crime scenesamples. In response to the demand forincreased sample throughput in theseapplications, Tecan and Invitrogen havedeveloped a range of ChargeSwitch®Technology-based nucleic acidpurification kits that are fully automatedusing Tecan robots.

The quantity of cells and, therefore, DNAobtained from a buccal swab or pelletedmouthwash can often be very low. As aresult, techniques used for purification ofDNA from buccal cells must be sensitiveand reliable, as well as ensure that theDNA obtained is suitable for relevantdownstream applications such as PCR,sequencing and STR analysis. Currently,there are a number of automatedtechniques for the purification of gDNAfrom buccal cells, all of which often useharsh ionic chaotropes, such asguanidinium isothiocyanate, hazardousorganic reagents such as ethanol, phenol,chloroform or isopropranol (IPA), orexpensive and undesirable alcohols. All ofthese reagents can penetrate during thepurification process and this can have adetrimental effect on the efficiency ofenzymes such as Taq® polymerase,resulting in reaction failure, as well aspotentially causing problems for liquidhandling systems, such as saltprecipitation in lines. ChargeSwitch®Technology avoids the use of anychaotropes, organic solvents or alcoholsand delivers high yield, high purity nucleicacid in a rapid and cost effective manner.

Nucleic acid sample preparation withChargeSwitch® Technology

ChargeSwitch® Technology is a uniquechemistry that acts as a pH-dependentionic switch, which is “switched on” at alower pH, becoming positively chargedand binding DNA. When “switched off”by raising the pH, the charge isneutralized, allowing purified DNA to be released. The ChargeSwitch® protocol is summarized on the opposite page.

Automating gDNA isolation

Automated purification of gDNA frombuccal cells using ChargeSwitch®Technology on Tecan workstations(Figure 1), such as the GenesisTM orFreedom EVO®, is a reliable, walkawayprocess with many advantages.Automated protocols for isolating gDNAfrom buccal cells generally require eithera centrifugation or vacuum step, whichcan cause a bottleneck in the process.

Using ChargeSwitch® Technology, coatedonto the highest quality magnetic beadsavailable, vacuum and centrifugationsteps are no longer necessary, making thetechnology ideally suited to highthroughput environments.

During gDNA isolation, variations intemplate quantity may have an effect onthe final STR profile, where too muchtemplate may lead to overamplificationand saturation, while too little templatemay result in partial profiles or failures.Through limitation of binding capacity,ChargeSwitch® Technology can provide anormalized yield of purified gDNA in therange of 1-3 ng/ml. At this concentration,the need for quantification is removedand users can readily modify the amountof beads added in order to adjust thenormalization. Furthermore, using theChargeSwitch® Genomic DNAPurification protocol (ChargeSwitch®gDNA Normalized Buccal Cell Kit, Cat. No.

Automated genomic DNA extractionfrom buccal cells with Invitrogen’sChargeSwitch® Technology

(a) Low throughput

(c) High throughputFigure 1: Tecan automated platforms

(d) Ultra high throughput

(b) Medium throughput

17

CS11020) can remove the need forquantitation prior to STR analysis, savingtime and increasing throughput (Figure 2).

When fully automated on Tecanworkstations, the ChargeSwitch® protocoloffers complete walkaway to minimizerisk of cross contamination (Figure 3).ChargeSwitch® avoids the use of enzymeinhibitors, increasing the performance ofenzymatic reactions. The high yielding kitcan provide larger yields for less sensitivedownstream reactions, or for when DNAneeds to be archived.

For more information aboutChargeSwitch® Technology and its use ingenomic DNA extraction from buccalcells, please go towww.invitrogen.com/naprep.

ChargeSwitch® protocols are alsoavailable for automated plasmidmicropreps with no centrifugation orvacuum filtration, automated PCR clean-up with adjustable size exclusion andautomated gDNA purification from bloodwith no centrifugation or vacuumfiltration.

A P P L I C AT I O N B I O P H A R M A

Figure 2: High yield data

Figure 3: Low risk of cross contamination

ChargeSwitch® protocol

Single buccal swabs were placed inalternate microtitre plate wells(highlighted in purple) to demonstratethat the adjacent empty wells would notbe contaminated by DNA from othersamples. DNA was purified using theChargeSwitch® Genomic DNAPurification protocol (Buccal Cells, HighYield) on the Tecan Genesis roboticworkstation. The DNA content of eachmicrotitre plate well was then measuredusing Quant-it™ PicoGreen® analysis(values are shown in ng/μl). Resultsindicate that cross contamination ofsamples does not occur.

PicoGreen® is a registered trademark and Quant-it™ is a trademark of Molecular Probes, Inc

REMP Tube Technology™ and Small Size Store™are trademarks of REMP AG, Oberdiessbach,Switzerland

ChargeSwitch® is a registered trademark ofInvitrogen

Taq® is a registered trademark of Fermentas

Yield of gDNA purified from eightsamples using the ChargeSwitch®Genomic DNA Purification protocol(ChargeSwitch® gDNA Buccal Cell Kit, CatNo. CS11021) on the Tecan Genesis. Thevariation in concentration is due to theamount of epithelial cells collected in thesampling process.


Digest1. Add 1 ml of digestion reagent

to a buccal cell swab in a96-well deep well plate.

2. Incubate at 37-55°C for 20 minutes.

Bind3. Transfer digest supernatant

into a fresh 96-well deepwell plate containingpurification reagents andChargeSwitch® beads.

4. Mix and incubate for 5 minutes.

Wash5. Separate beads on the

magnet and discardsupernatant.

6. Resuspend ChargeSwitch®beads in 1 ml of wash bufferand wait for a pellet toreform over the magnet.

7. Remove supernatant andrepeat wash step.

Elute8. Remove plate from magnet

and resuspendChargeSwitch® beads in 150 μl of elution buffer.

18 S A M P L E M A N AG E M E N T

And six months on, do REMP employeesalready feel part of the Tecan Group?

Yes they do. Everyone realised therewould be changes but we are verycomfortable with the whole situation.

Tecan has been helpful and supportivefrom the start and we have been madevery welcome – even at Tecan’s 25thbirthday party.

I’m quite sure that an important factorhas been that we are both Swisscompanies. There have been relativelyfew changes – we have the same culture,the same understanding, the same

Firstly, would you say that the acquisitionof REMP by Tecan came as a shock toREMP’s employees?

I wouldn’t say a shock but perhaps asurprise! The management team at REMPwas always very clear in communicatingits plans to take the Company in thisdirection and I believe this was wellunderstood by the employees. In reality,our employees were just waiting to seewhat would happen and from thebeginning they saw this as a very positivemove that gave them more personalsecurity as part of a larger companygroup. So surprising, yes, but not a shock!

language and a similar work ethic – andthat has been a real plus. At the sametime we all recognize the greatopportunities that have now opened upfor REMP; we have the financial securityand capacity to introduce our products toentirely new markets all over the World.

How is Tecan helping you to make themost of these opportunities?

Well, first of all we immediately acquiredover a hundred additional sales people!By January 2006, all Tecan salespersonnel will be trained and familiarwith REMP products and this has been a

Tecan and REMP– the perfect synergy

In June 2005, the Tecan Group of companies acquiredREMP. Bernhard Iseli, COO of REMP and an employeefor four years, talks about the change of direction forREMP now that it is part of the Tecan Group.



19S A M P L E M A N AG E M E N T

huge step for us. For this to happeneffectively we have developed a clearstructure to the product portfolio.

How have your existing customersreacted to the acquisition?

Mainly positively. They too are pleasedthat there is a strong partner behindREMP and they see advantages to poolingtogether products and particularlyservices. Service has traditionally been avery important aspect of REMP’s offering,with over 90% of our systems on yearlyor three-yearly maintenance contracts.In this field we see the biggest potentialto increase our services as a group.

And from which new markets do youexpect to attract new customers?

Well, our main market has always beenthe pharmaceutical/drug discoverymarket, specifically large store solutionsfor compound management. Of course,we want to grow in our existing marketsand the new small size store product hasopened up new avenues for this.However, at the same time, we arecurrently developing a biosample store incollaboration with a customer and this -80˚ technology is set to become a majorfocus for next year. There is a great dealof interest in this project in the lifescience market and, although it is anentirely new field for us, it will bring useven closer to Tecan’s areas of interest.

There is already an overlap of Tecan andREMP markets though, isn’t there?

Yes, certainly there are many areas ofoverlap which will make the transition ofthe two companies a fairly naturalprogression. Together, they compre-hensively cover applications in the drugdiscovery, biotech, diagnostic and generallaboratory arenas and the productportfolios of both companies

complement each other. For example,REMP’s revolutionary large-scaleautomated storage and retrieval systemsintegrate seamlessly with Tecan’s state-of-the-art automation platforms, andTecan has a whole portfolio of DNAextraction, normalization and othergenomics tools that will fit perfectly withbio-fluid storage and consumables.

And what about future productdevelopment? Do you expect to drawsome aspects of Tecan and REMPproducts together?

Not yet. We are still following a cleartransition plan led by the integrationteam whereby we are systematicallypulling together all aspects of thebusiness; production, sales, marketing etc.

At the end of 2005, we perfected theproduct portfolio and decided whichproducts we want to bring to whichmarkets. I am sure that productdevelopment will follow soon and Ipersonally would say that the first step,the easiest step, would be to work at asoftware level. Once that step has beentaken in principle, further developmentwill almost certainly be driven by a needby a customer to fully integrate REMPand Tecan products with each other;a need, for example, to have a seamlesssystem that takes samples from a storeto a Freedom EVO® platform. From thatprocess we will be able to make sense ofhow best to bring the technologiestogether for the market as a whole.

REMP’s headquarters in Oberdiessbach, Switzerland

Central to our product range are the sample stores. REMP offers the ideal storage solution, whetherfor -80°C, -20°C or room temperature, for hundreds or millions of samples, vials or tube tacks, fullyautomated or manual.

20 E V E N T S 2 0 0 6

Tecan Journal 1/2006 www.tecan.com

Asia (Pte) Ltd. +65 644 41 886 Tecan Sales Austria GmbH +43 62 46 89 33 Tecan Sales International GmbH +43 62 46 89 33 Tecan Benelux B.V.B.A. +32 15 42 13 19Tecan Benelux B.V.B.A. +31 18 34 48 17 4 Tecan Group Ltd., Beijing Rep. Office +86 10 586 95 936 Tecan Deutschland GmbH +49 79 51 94 170Tecan France S.A.S. +33 4 72 76 04 80 Tecan Italia S.r.l. +39 02 215 21 28 Tecan Sales International GmbH +43 62 46 89 33 Tecan Japan Co. Ltd. +81 42 334 88 55Tecan Nordic AB +46 31 75 44 000 Tecan Nordic AB, Rep. Office Denmark +45 70 234 450 Tecan Portugal +351 21 000 82 16Tecan Sales Switzerland AG +41 44 922 89 22 Tecan Iberica Instr. S.L. +34 93 490 01 74 Tecan UK Ltd. +44 11 89 300 300 Tecan US Inc. +1 919 361 5200

REMP AG (Switzerland) +41 31 770 70 70 REMP (USA) Inc. +1 508 429 2200 REMP Deutschland GmbH +49 6126 5831 0 REMP Nippon AG +81 3 3539 1771

Meet Tecan at these events during the first half of 2006

Europe

3ème Assises de Genetique Humaine et Medicale Montpellier January 26-28 2006

RNAi 2006 – Advances in RNA interference research Oxford March 22-23 2006

Genomes to Systems Conference Manchester March 22-24 2006

Forum Labo Paris March 28-31 2006

Analytica Munich April 25-28 2006

38th European Human Genetics Conference Amsterdam May 06-09 2006

MipTec Basel

Helsinki

May 8-11 2006

June 14-16 2006

Farma Meeting Madrid June 28-30 2006

Japan

JSBBA Kyoto March 25-28 2006

Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Sendai March 28 2006

International Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Kyoto June 18-23 2006

International Bio Expo Tokyo May 17-19 2006

USA

Protein Science Society of Japan Kyoto April 24-26 2006

LabAutomation Palm Springs, CA January 21-25 2006

MD & M West Tradeshow Anaheim, CA January 31-Feb 02 2006

AAFS 58th Annual Meeting Seattle, WA February 20-25 2006

Pittcon Orlando, FL March 12-17 2006

AACR Washington, DC April 01-05 2006

ASM Orlando, FL May 22-24 2006

Tecan Journal, Customer Magazine of Tecan Trading AG., ISSN 1660-5276Design: OTM/London www.otmcreate.comPhotography: Marc Wetli/Zürich www.wetli.com, Günter Bolzern/Zürich www.bolzern.net,Susanne Völlm/Zürich www.susannevoellm.chEditor: kdm/UK www.kdm-communications.comPrint: DAZ Druckerei Albisrieden AG/Zurich www.daz.chAddress: Tecan Switzerland AG, Marketing Communications, Seestrasse 103,CH-8708 Männedorf, Switzerland, [email protected],www.tecan.comTecan Group Ltd. makes every effort to include accurate and up-to-date information within thispublication, however, it is possible that omissions or errors might have occurred. Tecan GroupLtd. cannot, therefore, make any representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the

accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this publication. Changes in thispublication can be made at any time without notice. All mentioned trademarks are protectedby law. For technical details and detailed procedures of the specifications provided in thisdocument please contact your Tecan representative.This brochure may contain reference to applications and products which are not available in allmarkets. Please check with your local sales representative. Gemini™, Genesis™, Genesis FE500™,GENios™, Infinite™, PosID™, Te-MagS™ and Te-MO™ are trademarks and Freedom EVO®,Freedom EVOlyzer® and Freedom EVOware® are registered trademarks of Tecan Group Ltd.,Männedorf, Switzerland. Tecan is in major countries a registered trademark of Tecan Group Ltd.,Männedorf, Switzerland.© 2006 Tecan Trading AG, Switzerland, all rights reserved.

Headquarters:Tecan Group Ltd., Seestrasse 103, CH-8708 Männedorf, SwitzerlandT +41 44 922 88 88 F +41 44 922 88 89 [email protected] www.tecan.com

European Academy of Forensic Science

tecan journal edition 01/2006

Documents

prosperous new year

tecan pipelinefind

tecan journaledition

successful year

tecan andwe hope

year hasnow

busy year

new readers