Magnetic Particle Processing Attracts Influenza Researchers

A German life sciences research laboratory has acquired an advanced magnetic particle processor to enhance its efforts to study the molecular genetics of the H1N1 influenza virus that was responsible for last year’s flu pandemic.

The University of Applied Sciences (Bielefeld, Germany) will now be employing a new Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Milford, MA, USA) KingFisher Flex magnetic particle processor. The instrument’s patented magnetic separation technology is expected to streamline high-throughput data collection.

The KingFisher Flex has been described as a truly flexible solution for genomics studies with a 24-rod magnetic head in combination with a 24-well deep plate. This format allows users to achieve processing volumes up to five mL. Alternatively, for higher throughput requirements, 96 samples can be processed from 20 mL-1,000 mL total volume using a 96-rod magnetic head and 96-well deep or shallow plates.

The KingFisher is an open and flexible system that lets the operator use any magnetic particle based kit to meet the application demands while its easy-to-use BindIt Software package provides instrument control, protocol creation, and modification capabilities.

“As viral strains increasingly mutate, they become harder for the adaptive immune system to fight, and, therefore, they pose a significant health threat to the general public,” said Dr. Carsten Tiemann, project director at the University of Applied Sciences. “In our work within infectious diseases, specifically H1N1 screening, we found the KingFisher Flex to be extremely fast and reliable for nucleic acid extraction for subsequent downstream analysis.”

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University of Applied Sciences
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