IRBM Science Park (Pomezia, Italy) has selected HighRes Biosolutions to supply a flexible NanoCell™ laboratory automation system. The NanoCell will be installed as IRBM updates its high-throughput screening infrastructure to support the Italian Chemical Collection and Screening Initiative, a collaboration with Italian state research institutions. The NanoCell system will automate biochemical and cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) assays to support small-molecule drug discovery.
In IRBM’s NanoCell system three MicroDocks™, HighRes’ patented docking stations, surround the central robotic arm. IRBM’s existing lab instruments (e.g., plate readers, dispensers, incubators) will be mounted on mobile carts that dock and undock from the robotic work cell via any of the MicroDocks, which precisely align the instrument carts for robotic access, and automatically supply power, data and gases. Docking and undocking take less than 30 seconds and are completely automatic.
“As a contract screening service provider, the key to our decision to work with HighRes Biosolutions was the unlimited flexibility that the MicroDock stations give to our NanoCell automation system,” said Alberto Bresciani, Head of Screening Technologies at IRBM Science Park. “In the future we will be able to efficiently support multiple experiment and reader end-point formats by simply swapping different instrument carts on and off the system as needed.”
“We are very pleased to be working with IRBM in Italy,” said Jack Dawson, Business Director Europe at HighRes Biosolutions. “IRBM is a great example of how small private research enterprises can provide highly relevant services in these challenging times for pharmaceutical drug discovery. The built-in flexibility of our NanoCell system helps ensure that IRBM’s investment in automation for high-throughput screening will stay relevant for many years to come, growing and adapting as their services and requests change over time”.
About IRBM Science Park
IRBM Science Park (www.irbm.it) is a spin-off of Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti S.p.a., the Italian research site of Merck Research Laboratories. It is located in the Pontina farmlands southwest of Rome, close to the sea coast. IRBM’s 20.000 square meters of buildings include laboratories and conference facilities. IRBM Science Park provides a broad spectrum of research services for drug discovery, organic chemistry, biomedical sciences and biotechnology applications, backed by decades of industry experience. The Institute has expertise with small molecules, peptides, and biologics. IRBM Science Park’s expert multidisciplinary team assists clients in discovering small molecule and peptide therapeutics, starting from lead identification, through lead optimization and up to the generation of a preclinical drug candidate. A state of the art GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) production facility provides research grade and clinical grade recombinant adenoviral vectors for gene therapy and vaccine applications. IRBM Science Park also offers independent access to individual research services.
About HighRes Biosolutions
HighRes Biosolutions, Inc. (www.highresbio.com) is the leader in the design and construction of innovative robotic systems and laboratory devices used by pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research laboratories. HighRes accelerates drug discovery, high-throughput genotyping, siRNA screening, next-generation sequencing sample prep, biorepository science and molecular diagnostics with highly flexible, expandable and modular integrated systems and bench-top devices that are easily configured (and reconfigured) to create research environments conducive to achieving breakthrough results.
###