QPix 400 Series is the best-in-class high efficiency colony picking tool for microbiology research and biotechnology applications. Our automated microbial picking solution combines high resolution imaging with intelligent software algorithms that identify colonies based on morphology, color and fluorescence intensity. The precision robotic picking device allows for accurate and reliable colony selection and picking ensuring you pick the right colony every time. This streamlines the microbial screening workflows in research labs for genetic analysis, antibiotic resistance studies, and bioproduction optimization. It’s an integral part of the many workflows for protein engineering, synthetic biology, phage display, recombinant protein production, biofuel production. using technologies like protein engineering, synthetic biology, analysis tools with precise selection and picking of microbial colonies.
Our automated colony picker streamlines other steps of high throughput microbial library screening, such as plating, gridding rearraying and replicating to provide maximum flexibility for adapting to a variable workflow need. Additionally, blue -white colony screening can be leveraged for streamlining upstream recombinant protein production workflow while zone of inhibition serves as a key tool for accessing antimicrobial activity during antibiotic discovery and development process.
With system integrated barcode reading, we ensure sample tracking and audit trails, safeguarding data integrity and maintaining procedural consistency for subsequent downstream processes.
The system can be further upgraded into a complete workflow solution with automation and integration capability offered through our custom solutions team. These solutions can streamline processes by automating sample preparation and plate handling functions. These capabilities maximize your walk-away time while maintaining the same level of precision picking and data integrity.
Features
Key Features of our Microbial Colony Pickers
Our automated microbial screening systems come with a host of features to suit your range of applications:
- Full functionality includes high efficiency, picking, regional picking, gridding, re-arraying, replicating, multichannel fluorescence and blue- white colony screening and zone of inhibition screening.
- Multi-modal imaging integrated into the system enables you to pick colonies based on desired parameters using fluorescence, and white light.
- Our Qpix 400 colony pickers have the capability to pick 3000colonies/ hr in WL mode and 2000 colonies/ hr in fluorescent mode.
- Our colony-picking robot system ensures efficient colony-picking through a suite of organism-specific pins and agar sensor capability.
- They deliver >98% picking efficiency in colony-picking workflows.
- The systems are equipped with an ultrasonic agar height sensor that compensates for minor agar height differences across the plate improving picking accuracy.
- Organisms-specific pins are a stand-out feature of our bacterial colony picker. Pins with various shapes and picking areas optimize picking efficiency for E. coli, phage, and yeast.
- Our systems offer a host of sterility features, such as multi- wash module for pin washing, UV light for sanitizing instrument interior, and halogen drying of pins to maintain sterile conditions during picking process Optional HEPA filter sterilization is also available.
- Our comprehensive microbial colony pickers allow automated plating and streaking of 96 samples in just 30 minutes.
- The robotic system streamlines downstream assays and sample management through automated plate handling and tracking features .
- Our offering is compatible with robots and features a modular deck. The Advanced Workflow Engineering Solutions Team can create a tailored colony picker with a variety of customized services to meet your specific needs.
Applications
Applications of Microbial Colony Pickers
Colony picking is one of the early and crucial steps in biological research to produce DNA or proteins at scale for various downstream applications. Our automated microbial colony screening systems enable you to automate your workflow for efficient screening of large libraries. Here are some areas where you can integrate our high-throughput systems:
- Our colony-picking software enables quick identification, ranking, and picking of microbial colonies with clearing zones while analyzing antibiotic-producing bacterial strains. With this system, you can pick a large number of colonies per hour, reducing labor in the process and increasing throughput.
- Our comprehensive colony pickers provide automation for the fast and efficient screening of thousands of clones. This reduces the timeline to find a suitable enzyme candidate for biofuel production.
- Our colony pickers are equipped with multiple imaging modes for various clone screening applications, such as blue-white colony screening and zone of inhibition.Blue- white colony screening is a common laboratory technique used for negative selection of recombinant bacterial strains.
- Zone of inhibition is often used for antibiotic sensitivity test or as a technique to screen for and develop novel antibiotics for multi-drug resistant bacteria.
- Our robot-controlled microbial picker has the ability to pick around 30,000 colonies per day while automatically tracking and managing pick run data. This allows researchers to design and develop massive and diverse libraries of biological strains. They help in a range of synthetic biology applications, from the production of biofuels to specialty chemicals.
FAQs
What are the advantages of our microbial colony picker?
Our microbial colony pickers are designed to provide a faster and more efficient colony-picking experience. The organism-specific pin and agar sensor with multiple selection modalities and intuitive software enables you to pick the right colony every time during workflows. Further, the automation allows the plating and streaking of 96 samples in just 30 minutes. All data collected during the process are stored in the system with images. So, there’s no fear of data loss.
How do you decide which colonies should be picked from a plate culture of mixed flora?
By observing the morphology of microbial colonies under the microscope, such as shape, size, appearance, margin, opacity, elevation, and color, one can decide the type of colony to be picked from a culture of mixed flora.
Which Microbial Colony Pickers is right for users?
We have a suite of microbial colony pickers to streamline lab workflows. The choice of the system depends on several factors, such as features you require, applications, automation, picking capacity required, and budget. You can check out and compare all our systems and their features and supported applications in this chart.
How can automated colony picking help?
Colony picking is a crucial step in biological research. The automation of the step not only reduces the labor involved but gives lab personnel more time to conduct other research activities. It helps in efficient and faster colony picking. For example, with our automated microbial colony-picking system, you can pick around 3000 colonies per hour. Further, automation also helps in maintaining sterility during the complete workflow and efficient storage and traceability of collected data.