High throughput freeze drying in the 96 well format

Genevac has announced the introduction of the VirTis 96 Well Freeze Drying System for high throughput applications from SP Industries. These unique systems combine a choice of glass or plastic vials, set in an aluminium vial holder, with an exclusive LyoCap™ 96 Well CapMat Lyophilization Stopper.

The solid aluminium 96 well vial holders provide efficient and even heat distribution to ensure fast and consistent freeze drying results for every sample. A range of glass vial sizes are available for high efficiency freeze drying or economical 4ml plastic vials in robotic friendly polypropylene are specially configured for the 96 well holder. The fluted LyoCap 96 well CapMat Stoppers enable samples to be quickly freeze dried and then sealed under vacuum, inert gas, or filtered air after the lyophilization cycle is complete.

In traditional 96 well Freeze drying systems, samples in the wells around the edges of plastic plates tend to dry faster. Samples in the middle wells retain more water to the point that they can collapse when freeze drying is terminated. The unique combination of the VirTis 96 Well Freeze Drying Systems' components eliminates the traditional edge effect freeze drying problems encountered in standard 96 well plastic plates.

The new VirTis 96 Well Freeze Drying Systems now provide scientists an alternative to storing sensitive or heat labile samples at low temperatures. "Until now, freeze drying small samples in 96-well plates was unreliable or unpredictable," said Rob Darrington, Marketing Manager, Genevac. "These new systems now provide the reliability and controls for freeze drying those types of samples."