ITCM is a global manufacturer and leading innovator in customised machinery and systems for pharmaceutical packaging and processing.

 

The RAPid 4 is the latest addition to the TTP LabTech portfolio of innovative screening products. Utilising novel Resonant Acoustic Profiling technology, the RAPid 4 is a flow-based analysis system which performs label-free interaction analysis. The detection of molecular interactions through acoustic technology offers substantial advantages over optical biosensors. It reduces the need to purify samples and generates accurate kinetic, affinity and concentration measurements from complex biological mixtures, such as blood, serum, cell culture supernatants and periplasmic extracts. RAPid 4 is highly suitable for use in life science and pharmaceutical laboratories, for biotherapeutic development and protein expression analysis.

Exploiting the piezoelectric effects of quartz crystal resonators, RAPid 4 allows the label-free detection of molecular interactions in real-time. By directly detecting the association and dissociation of molecules on the surface of a quartz crystal, the acoustic system enables the determination and quantification of protein interactions in buffered solutions and in complex mixtures that may contain solvents, serum, growth media or other impurities. In addition, the collected data can be used to accurately determine the concentration of target molecules across a broad dynamic range. Currently, few technologies offer life scientists the ability to detect real-time kinetic data of this quality across such a broad range of samples, sample purities and concentrations. RAPid 4 is designed to analyse up to 4 samples, or combinations of samples, and control materials in parallel, typically processing an average of 350 samples per day. The instrument is a fully automated platform, which requires minimal user intervention and runs unattended for up to 72 hours.

RAPid 4 Control software acquires and presents the data in real-time. The intuitive graphical interface allows the user to design and implement an assay in a timely and efficient manner. Assay wizards assist the configuration process and improve reproducibility, and the high quality data generated for protein characterisation and quantification is easily analysed using RAPid 4 Workbench software. It provides quantitative and kinetic information in seconds with a minimal learning curve for new and infrequent users.

The new RAPid 4 technology is highly complementary to the current Acumen range of fluorescence-based assay platforms.