FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2003

Tecan (UK), a leading player in the Life Sciences supply industry, has introduced Aquarius, an automated multi-channel pipetting system that makes optimal use of laboratory space.

The ideal solution for medium-to-high throughput sample dispensing …

Tecan (UK), a leading player in the Life Sciences supply industry, has introduced Aquarius, an automated multi-channel pipetting system that makes optimal use of laboratory space.

Compact in design Aquarius contains many of the features of larger multi-channel pipetting platforms in one easy-to-use bench-top system. Aquarius uses both 96- and 384-well pipetting heads and has the built-in flexibility to use fixed and disposable 96-well manifolds interchangeably. The system can be used for medium-to-high throughput sample dispensing for compound logistics, assay development, and primary and secondary drug screening processes, as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing reaction set-up procedures used in genomics. Aquarius has the added benefit of being used as either a stand-alone or in conjunction with existing automated pipetting equipment.

Researchers who need pipetting volumes of 1 to 200 microlitres will find that Aquarius - whether configured with either a fixed- or disposable-tip 96-channel pipetting head - is an ideal choice for their pipetting needs. In one process, it is easy to switch between either disposable or fixed tips. Configured with a fixed tip 384-channel head, Aquarius delivers volumes in an impressive 200 nanolitre to 50-microlitre range. With its three lanes of three pipetting positions, Aquarius offers a remarkable amount of useable deck space in a small footprint. For automated storage, retrieval and delivery of microplates, the system will be fully compatible with Tecan's soon-to-be launched Autoloader.

By supporting a wide range of multi-channel pipetting applications, Aquarius offers researchers a powerful high throughput dispensing system for the drug discovery or genomics laboratory.

CONTACTS:

Tecan UK Ltd. Theale Court 11-13 High Street Theale Reading RG7 5AH UK tel. +44-1189-300300 email: tecanuk@tecan.com www.tecan.com