Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a Danaher company and global leader in laboratory automation, has announced a strategic collaboration with Hombrechtikon Systems Engineering•AG (HSE•AG), a Swiss provider of customized automation solutions for life sciences. The partnership focuses on modernizing nucleic acid quantification by integrating high-throughput liquid handling directly into molecular biology workflows.
Automated Integration Eliminates Manual Steps
The collaboration integrates HSE's eviDense UV Photometer directly onto the deck of Beckman Coulter's Biomek i-Series automated workstations, enabling real-time absorbance measurements seamlessly within the liquid handling process. This technique precisely measures nucleic acid concentration and purity at 260/280 and 260/230 nanometer ratios while eliminating manual intervention.
"Time is the most critical facet in the laboratory today, and we're always examining workflows to see how we can help laboratories achieve results faster with greater accuracy," said Ewan Grant, Senior Director of the Biotech Business Unit at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. "This collaboration is a major step forward in advancing nucleic acid quantification. By enabling this workflow to be executed through a liquid handler, we're uniquely able to help laboratories maximize walk-away time for both extraction and NGS library preparation, empowering researchers to get the answers they seek faster."
The non-destructive analysis allows valuable sample volume to be immediately recovered or advanced through the workflow based on user needs. Designed as a drop-in replacement, the instrument integrates effortlessly into established workflows and protocols, using proven methods to automate and close existing process gaps.
Rapid Fluorometric Analysis Capabilities
The partnership also enhances fluorometric analysis of nucleic acid quantification, delivering results for 96 samples in as little as 20 minutes. By incorporating the HSE eviFluor Duo microcuvette-based fluorometer on the Biomek i-Series Automated Workstation, laboratories gain access to a fully automated, end-to-end sample preparation solution.
This system facilitates real-time data generation for immediate, decision-based pipetting, significantly increasing speed and precision while eliminating manual, error-prone steps. The automated pipetting feature is seamlessly incorporated as a functional part of the system, enhancing efficiency and precision at scale.
Enhanced Data Integrity and Workflow Efficiency
"The collaboration between Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and HSE marks a significant advancement in lab automation," stated Konstantin Lutze, Chief Technology Officer at HSE. "With the integration of the eviDense UV Photometer and the eviFluor Duo Fluorometer into the Biomek i5 and i7 workstations, both absorbance and fluorescence measurements are performed fully automatically within the liquid handling workflow."
The integrated approach enables highly efficient nucleic acid quantification while enhancing data integrity and measurement consistency. By eliminating manual interactions, the risk of user-induced errors is minimized, supporting laboratories in achieving greater efficiency, reliability, and scalability through fully integrated, automated workflows.
Impact on Drug Discovery and Research
These innovations are designed to empower research laboratories to accelerate drug discovery, reduce manual workloads, and enhance data reliability across genomic workflows. The automation-first approach streamlines critical processes from normalization to yield characterization, bridging existing workflow gaps and empowering real-time, data-driven decision-making within a unified platform.
The collaboration addresses workflow inefficiencies by refining essential processes and promoting real-time decision-making capabilities, bringing researchers closer to the critical answers they seek in their genomic research endeavors.
