Automated Liquid Handler Boosts Drug Discovery Research

Redd & Whyte, the specialist provider of novel liquid handling technology, has just announced the launch of the Preddator 4-channel system. The S4 has four dispensing channels for more efficient microplate filling and contains a number of enhancements to its software. The Preddator is the world’s only automated liquid handler that can reliably and accurately dispense problematic substances such as oils, detergents, gels, cells and other biological materials, with minimal blockages or downtime.

The Preddator has been developed through collaboration and extensive testing with scientists in some of the world’s leading screening, drug discovery and genomics research laboratories, including Novartis, Switzerland. The Preddator’s unprecedented performance and versatility has led users to evaluate the system for increasingly diverse applications.

The Preddator’s unique solenoid technology ensures precise dispensing of difficult-to-dispense biochemicals, even at low (under 20nl) volumes. The S4’s additional channels will allow research scientists to fill microplates up to four times more quickly with one reagent, or to fill microplates with up to four different reagents in a single run.

The Preddator can be used to fill any microtitre plate (up to 3,456 wells), as well as plates with peripheral evaporation wells and reservoirs. Customers with an existing single-channel Preddator can easily upgrade their system to the S4. The groundbreaking technology was one of the winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations 2010.