Rheonix Integrate Tecan’s Cavro® Air Displacement Pipettor into its EncompassMDx to Automate Sample Processing of CARD® technology

Rheonix Inc, a molecular diagnostics device manufacturer based in Ithaca, New York, has integrated Tecan’s Cavro® Air Displacement Pipettor (ADP) into its EncompassMDx™ molecular platform, providing complete automation of sample processing and analysis using Rheonix CARD® technology.

The CARD system allows complete automation of nucleic acid testing of various biological sample types, including FFPE (formalin fixed paraffin embedded) samples, using a single disposable device. Each CARD contains all the pumps, valves, microchannels, reservoirs and reaction chambers required to perform a wide range of assays, using patented technology to control fluid flow.

Dr Richard Montagna, Senior Vice President for Corporate Business Development and Scientific Affairs at Rheonix, explained why Rheonix chose Tecan: “Rather than develop our own pipetting system for reagent addition, our engineers looked at third-¬party devices from several OEM manufacturers to perform this essential task. We chose the Cavro ADP for its combination of accuracy, robustness and competitive pricing, and we are not aware of any other pipetting system that has the same breadth of capabilities. It can handle a wide range of materials and volumes, and we were confident that this flexibility, combined with the use of Tecan’s high quality disposable tips, would allow constant and reliable walkaway operation of the EncompassMDx workstation.”