Aurora Discovery launches the Scout MPD Workstation

Aurora Discovery has introduced a low volume-handling instrument that enables highly automated miniaturization of research assays for life science laboratories specialising in drug research and development.

The Scout MPD workstation provides researchers with non-contact liquid handling at nanolitre and picolitre volumes to support drug development applications including compound reformatting, screening, ADMETox, PCR and SNP preparation and oligonucleotide processing in high-density microplates.

This multi-tip dispenser (MPD) features a 96-tip configuration and a five-microplate cache for high throughput sample preparation. The Scout MPD workstation leverages the company's patented piezo-dispensing technologies, which has been in use for 5 years in pharmaceutical labs for liquid handling at very low volumes.

Although there are significant cost savings associated with miniaturized high-density plates, many drug discovery laboratories have been slow to adopt miniaturized high-density plates, in part, because of challenges when transferring compound libraries into higher-density plates.

The Scout MPD' is based on technology that has been in development for seven years and over four years of collaboration and use. Charles Powell, Aurora Discovery's vice president sales and marketing said: "Aurora Discovery continues to be on the forefront of enabling technologies for assay miniaturization."

"The Scout MPD affords a significant opportunity for life science laboratories seeking robust, low volume sample preparation."

This product, which will be available in August, will be showcased at the Drug Discovery Technology Conference being held in Boston, Massachusetts from August 9-11, 2004.