F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ag

Hoffmann-la Roche Inc.

Dieter Voegelin

Remo Anton Hochstrasser

Thomas Zumstein

Christof Fattinger

Tom Kissling

Patrick Iaiza

Claus Mueller

Urs Schwitter

Olaf Grassmann

Pirmin Hidber

Frédéric Ran

Christoph Fattinger

Claudia Mcginnis

Roman Bar

Remo Anton Dr Hochstrasser

Claus Muller

An apparatus () for the automatic testing of substances for carcinogenicity comprises: a plate support () on which at least one micro-well plate () can be placed; a movable pipetting unit () comprising a predetermined number of pipettes (); a number of containers () containing a liquid culture medium (), the number of containers () corresponding to the number of pipettes () of the pipetting unit (); a dish support () on which a corresponding number of dishes () can be placed, each having a bottom and an upstanding side wall (); a plurality of spinners () for spinning the dishes (); a plurality of suction cups () for placing a lid () on each of the dishes; and a plurality of laterally arranged belts () for transporting the closed dishes () to an intermediate storage ().

Process and apparatus for testing substances for potential carcinogenicity

A hanging droplet plate () comprises a predetermined number of droplet compartments () each being capable of receiving a droplet of a liquid. The respective droplet compartment () comprises a circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier () which is arranged to surround a respective cavity () and which prevents a droplet from spreading beyond the microfluidic wetting barrier (). The respective compartment () comprises a closed bottom () and at least one additional circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier (), each additional circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier () which is arranged to surround a preceding circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier (). A wettable area () is arranged between two adjacently arranged microfluidic wetting barriers ().

Hanging droplet plate

A robotic microplate storage system includes a freezer room having freezing units and a first robot for moving and removing microplates into and out of the freezing unit. The first robot can also transfer microplates to a processing station, where the microplates are stored in a microplate recipient within the freezing unit. The storage system may also include at least one processing room which is thermally separated from the freezer room. Each processing room may include a processing station having a tube transfer module and a second robot for moving the microplates between the microplate recipients and the tube transfer module. The first robot may be designed such that it is only capable of removing a microplate recipient from and moving it into a freezing unit as well as transferring it from a freezing unit to a processing station or vice versa.

System and method for robotic storage of microplates

A multi-well filtration device for filtering a suspension comprises a filtration plate with a filtration chamber and a collecting plate with a collecting well. The filtration chamber is connected to the collecting well and a filter element is arranged between the filtration chamber and the collecting well. A separation layer is arranged between the filtration plate and the collecting plate adjacent to the filter element. The use such of a separation layer allows an easy detachment of the filtration plate from the collecting plate. The detached filtration plate can comfortably be transferred into an analysis device, in which the solid phase of the filtration chamber can separately be analyzed through the separation layer, without any replacement of the solid phase.

Multi-well filtration device

A stacker () for storing a plurality of microplates each having a top surface side and a bottom surface side opposed to the top surface side, comprises a housing and a removal gate () for removing a microplate of the plurality of microplates out of the housing. The stacker () is arranged to accommodate the plurality of microplates inside the housing such that the top surface side of one microplate of the plurality of microplates abuts on the bottom surface side of an adjacent microplate of the plurality of microplates and such that the housing adjoins to the plurality of microplates. Using such a stacker, the plurality of microplates can be arranged and stored in a compact manner wherein the single microplates of the plurality of microplates can still selectively and efficiently be accessed. Further, due to the controlled access to the plurality of microplates being arranged inside the housing of the described stackervia the removal gate, icing of the microplates can be minimized when the stacker is cooled for long term storage of samples arranged inside the microplates.

Stacker

A reaction vessel for use in an apparatus for parallel synthetic chemistry with a reaction chamber space for containing contents of a chemical reaction and a discharge channel for selectively removing liquid contents of the reaction chamber. The invention includes an apparatus for receiving a plurality of the reaction vessels, a method for using the apparatus and a method for forming the vessels.

Reaction block for parallel synthetic chemistry and vessel therefor

A heatable pipette, with a needle has an inner channel defined by an inner wall, arranged to conduct electric current through the inner wall for resistively heating the inner wall. The needle has an outer wall, which is defined between the outer wall and the inner wall and connectable for providing pressure air into the outer channel. By conducting current directly through the inner wall, the inner wall itself operates as resistor. Particularly, if the inner wall is made of an appropriate material, for example of stainless steel, the ohmic resistance of the inner wall is not negligible even if the inner wall is very thin. Therefore, the inner wall can directly be used as resistor for resistance heating of the inner wall even if the needle is manufactured in small dimensions.

Growing community of inventors

Sissach, Switzerland

Dieter Voegelin