Discovery Blog

The introduction of the MArS microarray scanner from DITABIS of Germany now completes Discovery's line of advanced but affordable instrumentation for the printing, hybridization, scanning and analysis of slide-based microarrays. Discovery's hybridization systems are provided by Digilab of Holliston, MA, and are based on established platforms that are used worldwide. Microarray printers are supplied by Digilab and also by SonoPlot from Middleton, WI.

Discovery's complete line of printers can be viewed on our main instrumentation web site by clicking here. Featured below are the Digilab OmniGrid Accent benchtop microarrayer and the SonoPlot GIX Desktop picoliter microplotter.

The OmniGrid Accent is a high-performance benchtop solution for printing quality arrays. The Accent arrays biological samples from up to three input plates onto a 50-slide platform using a print head with the capacity for up to 48 pins. The whisper-quiet operation and superior printing precision of this high-speed arrayer is the result of state-of-the-art engineering. The transparent enclosure with positive-pressure HEPA filtering provides a dust-free printing environment.

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Please download a brochure on the OmniGrid Accent for more information and specifications.

The SonoPlot GIX Microplotter Desktop is a benchtop picoliter fluid dispensing system that uses controlled ultrasonics to deposit fluids in a non-contact manner. This patented technology can produce picoliter droplets that form features on a surface as small as 5 μm wide. This versatile microplotter can also print true contiguous lines, arcs and bends.

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More information on the GIX Desktop can be obtained by downloading a PDF brochure.

The Digilab Hyb4 automates all thermal and wash cycles for the hybridization of microarrays spotted on standard glass slides. The Hyb4 allows four slides to be hybridized simultaneously and individual ports allow for independent probe introduction for each microarray. The gentle and consistent agitation of the Hyb-4 enhances kinetics and removes "edge effects" by ensuring that the target equally addresses all probes on the array. A larger 12 slide system, the HybStation, is also available for laboratories with higher throughput.

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Please click here to download a brochure on the Hyb4.

Microarray Scanner

The MArS microarray scanner offers superb quality scanning at an affordable price. The scanner has been designed to scan both DNA and protein arrays on standard glass or plastic slides and is ideal for both research and routine diagnostic applications. Two Peltier-cooled solid state lasers are included as standard and emit at 532 and 635 nm for Cy3, Cy5 and other fluorescent dyes excited at these wavelengths.

The MArS scanner can be force-free loaded with up to four slides and scans them simultaneously to save valuable time. The unit is fitted with a motorized filter wheel that can hold up to seven emission filters and comes standard with 570 nm and 670 nm filters as well as a gray filter for barcode reading.

A verification kit is available for the MArS system that allows end-users to routinely check that their scanner is performing optimally for quality control purposes. The kit consists of the Verification Wizard software, two verification slides and a motorized lens cleaning tool. The two slides (the geometric and verification slide) are barcoded and are tracked by the software.

More Information

Please visit our main instrumentation website for complete information on the MArS microarray scanner. Want to evaluate the MArS microarray scanner's ability to scan and analyze your slides? Contact Discovery for details of this free service.