Bio-Rad Showcases New Automation Features of its ZE5 Cell Analyzer at SLAS 2019

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) has showcased new automation features of its ZE5 Cell Analyzer during the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening 2019 International Conference and Exhibition (SLAS) in Washington, D.C., February 2–6. These capabilities enable the ZE5 to be used for high-throughput flow cytometry in biomarker discovery and phenotypic screening.

“Flow cytometers used in automated workcells for high-throughput phenotypic screening labs can create a bottleneck because standard flow cytometers can be slow with limited detectors and higher-end flow cytometers may not be automation-ready,” said Dr. Xiaoti Guo, Bio-Rad Product Manager. “Bio-Rad has overcome these challenges by automating its high-throughput ZE5 Cell Analyzer so that a single operator can run up to 27-color phenotypic or targeted screens continuously, up to 24 hours a day,” she added.

New features offered by the ZE5 help accelerate biopharmaceutical drug discovery, enabling researchers to scale up multiple assays, such as epitope binding or compound screening assays, when thousands of samples must be analyzed.

Key benefits of the upgraded ZE5 include:

• Automation-ready – new application product interface and upgrades to fluidics handling allow easy integration of the ZE5 into automated workcells with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), robotic arms, plate hotels, and incubators, all controlled by scheduling software
• High-throughput – the new ZE5 can process 96- or 384-well plates in under 60 minutes with no drop-off in data quality, even at an acquisition rate of 100,000 events per second
• Flexible panel design – 5 lasers and 30 detectors, including up to 7 colors of UV excitable dyes, permit design of small and large panels

Bio-Rad invites SLAS attendees to hear a presentation by Chris Trussell from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF). Trussell discusses how the automation capabilities of the upgraded ZE5 Cell Analyzer enable GNF to perform large screens, with upwards of 30,000 samples, for receptor binding assays and how these features advance his research. The SLAS workshop presentation will be held on Tuesday, February 5 at 12:30 PM.

To learn more about the ZE5 Cell Analyzer, visit booth 849 at SLAS.

About ZE5

The ZE5 Cell Analyzer is an automation-ready flow cytometer capable of accommodating a wide range of experimental complexities and throughput needs. Its fully integrated sample loader and ability to handle various types of tubes or plates without an instrument hardware change provides walk-away functionality 24/7. Offering event rates >100,000 cells/second and the ability to design up to 27-color panels, the ZE5 Cell Analyzer helps researchers glean more results from rare cell populations in less time using their most precious samples, which is invaluable for understanding the complexity of biology and disease.