Automated volume reduction increases precision and accuracy in rare cell workflows

Bologna, Italy and Huntingdon Valley, Pa. -- Menarini Silicon Biosystems, the pioneer of liquid biopsy and rare cell technologies, announced that it will launch the new VRNxT™, a volume reduction instrument optimized to remove manual sample volume reduction steps in cellular biology workflows.

By standardizing sample volume reduction, the VRNxT adds precision and accuracy to rare-cell and single-cell analysis, minimizing the loss of precious samples and increasing workflow throughput. While the VRNxT has been developed to standardize the DEPArray workflow*, broader applications in volume reduction are possible.

“The VRNxT was created in response to direct customer feedback and is the must-have addition to DEPArray, or any other workflow,” said Gianni Medoro, Chief Technology Officer at Menarini Silicon Biosystems. “This new device removes manual volume reduction steps and streamlines the overall process, adding precision and accuracy while reducing hands-on time.”

The VRNxT automated volume reduction instrument removes manual pipetting steps, reducing hands-on time up to 90% and eliminating operator variability. No specific skill sets or training are required for operation, thereby delivering user-independent results with high reproducibility and success, with 99% of single cells retained after volume reduction.

“The instrument helped us to reduce our error rate and processing time,” said Matija Snuderl, M.D., Department of Pathology Director, Molecular Pathology NYU Langone Health, who tested the new instrument in his laboratory. “We handle rare cell types isolated from FFPE specimens. With the VRNxT, we were able to lower the chance of error in the volume reduction step, which is especially important when single-cell samples are collected, and decrease the time required to process these samples.”

The VRNxT uses rotational motion for sample volume reduction and can process up to four samples at once, decreasing the time required for sample preparation. Starting from any volume in a PCR tube, the VRNxT consistently reduces sample volume to approximately 12.5 μL in 25 seconds and approximately 2 μL in about eight seconds.

The DEPArray System is the only image-based sorting and isolation platform that combine microfluidics with microelectronics and microscopy to isolate and manipulate individual rare cells with 100% precision.

About Menarini Silicon Biosystems
Menarini Silicon Biosystems offers unique rare cell technologies and solutions that provide clinical researchers with access to unparalleled resolution in the study of cells and their molecular characterization. The company’s CELLSEARCH® and DEPArray™ technologies together provide an end-to-end solution for enumeration and sorting of rare cells with single-cell precision.

Menarini Silicon Biosystems, based in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley, PA, US, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Florence, Italy, with 17,640 employees in 136 countries.
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*The workflow described is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. The performance characteristics, safety, and effectiveness of the workflow have not been established and are not cleared or approved by the FDA.