Beckman Coulter Life Sciences to unveil Vi-CELL MetaFLEX for bioprocessing market at INTERPHEX 2016

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences will unveil a fast, low sample volume bioanalyte analyzer, the Vi-CELL MetaFLEX, at INTERPHEX 2016. This year’s event, showcasing pharmaceutical and bioprocessing innovation, is being held in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, April 26-28 2016. The new, small footprint system will be premiered at the company’s Booth # 1533.

Image credit: Beckman Coulter

The company has leveraged the clinical precision technology behind Radiometer’s world leading acute care blood gas analyzer to create the Vi-CELL MetaFLEX. As Beckman Coulter’s Lena Lee, Global Product Manager, Particle Counting & Characterization, explained:

Our collaboration with Radiometer, also a Danaher company, is a powerful example of the cross pollination of technological expertise within the Danaher companies.

Designed for micro to large-scale cell culture applications, the biochemistry analyzer delivers fast, accurate bioanalytical analysis (measuring pH, pO2, pCO2, glucose, lactate, electrolytes and more parameters). The compact and reliable Vi-CELL MetaFLEX is designed to be operational more than 22 hours a day, with a turnaround time of less than 60 seconds.

The magic is in the sensor cassette. The sensor is based on thick-film technology – several layers of ceramic slabs, microelectrodes and membranes; miniaturization of conventional electrodes.  The result is a shorter measuring time, and smaller sample size.

“In early stage research and process development, cell cultures are generally small scale. The Vi-CELL MetaFLEX delivers levels of pH accuracy that we know is critical to cell viability,” Ms Lee added.

The instrument is able to store up to 2,000 results on-board, with an automated sampling arm so that samples can be introduced from a syringe, tube, microfuge or Vi-CELL sample cup.  Testing is quick and intuitive. The only consumables required are the sensor cassette and solution pack.  The solution pack includes reagents, wash solutions, QC controls and waste collection. Inserting a new cassette and solution pack is the only maintenance needed. The Vi-CELL MetaFLEX’s quality management system automatically measures on three dedicated QC solutions, detecting and correcting any failures, and locking out any parameter that fails QC.