With the advent of novel instruments, laboratory space has become increasingly valuable. Instrument developers are also aware of this, began to design a compact, powerful instrument. In this issue of "BioTechniques", Nathan Blow to take us to understand some of the new listing of small instruments.
Intelligent Microscope
Two months ago, Nikon launched the latest version of the ECLIPSE inverted microscope - Ti2. One of the new features is the Assist Guide. This is an integrated system that collects data from the various sensors in the microscope to determine if the settings are incorrect. In addition to warning users, the system can automatically correct certain errors to set up the ideal experiment.
Ti2 is the result of many years of research and development staff, their goal is to simplify cell imaging, so that the microscope is more intuitive. Nikon's marketing manager, Lynne Chang, said the motivation for the secondary wizard is to provide a simple and consistent approach for novice users while helping advanced users quickly troubleshoot and provide detailed metadata to improve data reproducibility.
By automating the imaging experience, Nikon is not the only one. Leica also offers the inverted microscope DMi8 platform. This microscope has "intelligent automation" function, so that the user changes the method, the microscope will automatically adjust the lighting settings, brightness and aperture position.
Compact sequencer
Over the years, DNA sequencers have relied on imaging of fluorescently labeled nucleotides to analyze base composition. This approach means that the sequencer must have complex detectors and high-speed cameras. In order to develop a more compact, cheaper sequencer, some researchers decided to find another way.
Nanopore sequencing is a very clever way. It allows very long DNA strands to pass through very small openings (ie, nanopores). As each base passes through the nanopore, it produces a different charge difference. By reading these charge differences, the sequence can be quickly decoded without the need for imaging, saving time and cost, as well as reducing the footprint of the instrument.
Oxford Nanopore's MinION sequencer is such a nanopore sequencer. It is similar in size to a U disk and weighs less than 100 grams, in stark contrast to other sequencing systems that weigh hundreds of pounds. For such a compact sequencer, people both hopeful, but also heart of doubt. Indeed, the early MinION sequencer had some problems: its yield was low and its accuracy was only 75%.
To improve performance, Oxford developers focused on two aspects: sensing between nanopores and enzymes that help DNA pass through the nanopore. With these improvements, the rate of DNA penetration through nanopores has now increased to 450 bases per second, and base recognition is greatly improved. In the fall of last year, nanopore sequencing reached an important milestone - the researchers first reported the use of Oxford Nanopore technology of human genome sequencing. Prior to this, some less complex micro-organisms genome sequencing has been reported.
Despite the small size of MinION is a clear advantage, but it is also very compelling parameters. According to reports, a single flow slot can produce 5-10 Gb of sequence data, while the cost is only $ 1,000. The accuracy of single read operation has risen to more than 90%, and the consistency of the two chains at the same time the accuracy of sequencing can reach 99.96%. In this view, nanopore sequencing has been adjusted to the appropriate pace.
Flow cytometry
Today, flow cytometry is no longer standard in the central laboratory, also began to enter the personal laboratory. Therefore, small-scale flow cytometry increasingly attention. ACEA Biosciences, Inc. has recently introduced a desktop Novocyte flow analyzer.
According to Xiaobo Wang, chief technology officer, the optical platform used in flow cytometry has been large in the past, making the space occupied by the instrument very large. However, with the advancement of laser technology, smaller instruments do not mean less detection parameters. Current solid-state lasers are much smaller, but they still bring a high-quality instrument. Photomultiplier tubes and other detectors are also true.
"These new flow cytometers use the latest optical components, including lasers, photodetectors, and electronic processing chips, which have an important impact on the size and quality of the instrument," Wang said. The Novocyte system has 3 lasers and can detect up to 15 parameters. However, for some parts of the flow cytometer, there is still a game between efficiency and size.
In general, a variety of small instruments now offer researchers a new choice. The latest developments in these microscopes, DNA sequencing and flow analysis are bringing new approaches to scientific research, not just the release of space. Perhaps, this mini-lab is what life sciences need.