Biotage Unveils New Fully Automated Microwave Peptide Synthesizer

Biotage®, a leading global supplier of solutions and technology for analytical, medicinal and peptide chemistry, introduced an innovative new synthesis platform for peptide researchers at the 2012 European Peptide Symposium in Athens, Greece. The Biotage® Initiator+ Alstra is a fully automated, single channel, programmable microwave peptide synthesizer and is the latest addition to Biotage's growing family of peptide synthesis platforms.

The Initiator+ Alstra is an ideal tool for peptide chemists synthesizing peptides, peptoids, PNA and peptidomimetics, including extremely difficult modifications. The system's inherent flexibility for reagent set up makes it a highly effective platform for both small and large scale synthesis from 5 μmol to 2 mmol. With a working volume from as low as 0.6 mL, the Initiator+ Alstra is perfectly suited for small scale microwave peptide synthesis, especially when the use of expensive building blocks is required e.g. PNA. The system's robotic liquid handler and precise digital syringe pumps reduce reagent and solvent consumption, thus reducing cost and minimizing waste.

The Initiator+ Alstra is programmable via a large 10" touch screen with drag and drop functionality for optimizing pre-installed or user defined methods. A built-in wizard makes programming a synthesis sequence effortless and a calculation table, which is generated, provides the quantities of reagents required, allowing the user to very quickly go from an idea to execution.

"Initiator+ Alstra is an extremely simple to use work horse which fills an important gap in the toolbox of the Peptide researcher. Its state of the art interface, simplicity of operation, speed, size and price are all optimized to match the increasing demands which Peptide Chemists are under today", say's Dr. Amit Mehrotra, Peptide Product Manager at Biotage. "This product is the result of customer input and demands and we are very excited to now be putting it into their hands".