Scientists at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland, are developing automated tissue culture methods for testing new biomaterials using a Tecan Freedom EVO® liquid handling workstation. The Cell Biology Division of the University’s Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology has been evaluating the workstation’s ability to perform fully automated and reproducible cell culture, including cell harvesting and plating, for several different cell lines with varying adhesion and aggregation characteristics.

The Cell Biology group is involved with the in vitro development and investigation of novel materials for bone, cartilage, intervertebral discs, teeth and other connective tissue implants, and it is essential that these materials are tested to high standards of quality with minimal variation. “Reproducibility is an extremely important part of reaching our clinical goals when working with these materials,” said Professor Dr Ursula Graf-Hausner, Group Leader of the Cell Biology Division.

The Freedom EVO is equipped with a FlaskFlipper™ module for handling automation-friendly Corning® RoboFlask™ vessels, an Infinite™ F200 luminescence microplate reader and a variety of other automation options. Dr Stephanie Mathes, research scientist in the group, said: “The flexibility of the Freedom EVO is really important. I particularly like the Freedom EVOware® software; it is very easy to operate and you can simply drag and drop icons to create a whole new automated procedure.”

Not all options discussed in this article have been cleared for use in all markets. Contact your local sales office for specific information.

About Tecan

Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global supplier of solutions for the biopharma, forensic and diagnostic industries. The company is a leader in the development, production and distribution of advanced automation and detection solutions for the world’s leading life science laboratories. Through its REMP subsidiary (www.remp.com), Tecan is the premier supplier of large-scale automated laboratory storage and logistics systems. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has over 1100 employees, owns production, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2006, Tecan achieved sales of CHF 405.9 million (USD 324.7 million; EUR 258.6 million). Shares of the Tecan Group are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN/Reuters: TECZn.S/Valor: 1210019).

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