Brooks Life Science Systems Launch The Plate Auditor For Automated Compound Quality Control

Brooks Life Science Systems, a division of Brooks Automation, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of automation solutions for compound and biological sample storage and management, recently announced the commercial launch of the Brooks Plate Auditor, a fast, accurate and non-invasive tool for identification of precipitate and empty wells in compound and screening plates. The new Plate Auditor is the result of a successful collaboration with the Scripps Research Institute.

The new Plate Auditor is designed to evaluate the quality of microplate-based compound samples for precipitation and liquid volume prior to use in compound management and high throughput screening activities. The system rapidly analyzes plates to automatically verify sample integrity thus eliminating the need for extensive manual quality control.

“The contents of a plate are a fingerprint for all of the potential problems you encounter in a Compound Management operation; Plate Auditor allows easy and rapid detection of many of those problems using machine vision and sophisticated image processing”, stated Peter Hodder, PhD, Senior Director and Head of Lead Identification at the Florida campus of Scripps Research. The ability of the instrument to provide sample color information makes the Plate Auditor a unique option for monitoring sample quality over time, and identifying wells with artifacts which may interfere with or invalidate screening results.

Plate Auditor joins Celigo Imaging Cytometer and Tube Auditor instruments as part of Brooks’ growing range of vision-based research instruments that analyze compounds, biological samples and adherent/non-adherent cells.

The Plate Auditor will be showcased at the MipTec Drug Discovery Conference, 24-27 September 2012, in Basel, Switzerland. Data highlighting how Plate Auditor enhances compound testing integrity was presented at the recent IQPC Compound Management and Integrity Conference, in Boston, MA, US.

In February 2012 Brooks announced the collaboration with the Scripps Research Institute to develop and commercialize the Plate Auditor instrument. “We are delighted to have worked with the Scripps Research Institute’s compound management group to bring the new Plate Auditor so rapidly to the market,” commented John Lillig, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Brooks Life Science Systems.

About Brooks Life Science Systems

Brooks Life Science Systems is a leading worldwide provider of automation and related solutions for compound and biological sample storage, management and analysis. The Company combines the specialist expertise of industry-renowned brands, REMP, Nexus, and RTS, together with the extensive R&D and global service capabilities of Brooks Automation.

Brooks Life Science Systems partners with its customers, working as a trusted advisor from specification, to system installation and ongoing service and customer support. From standardized bench top systems to custom installations, Brooks has the largest installed base of automated storage systems and support network in the Life Sciences industry, with more than 180 systems across the globe including at the top 20 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

As pioneers in automated storage, Brooks Life Science Systems continually focuses its R&D activities on providing innovative solutions to maintaining sample integrity and security during sample storage, handling, analyzing and processing applications. Solutions provided by Brooks are transforming the productivity and streamlining the workflow of scientists across a broad range of life science applications, including drug discovery and biobanking.

Brooks Life Science Systems is a division of Brooks Automation, Inc., a public listed company with headquarters in North America and operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.brooks.com.

About Brooks Automation, Inc.

Brooks is a leading worldwide provider of automation, vacuum and instrumentation solutions for multiple markets including semiconductor manufacturing, life sciences, and clean energy. The Company’s technologies, engineering competencies and global service capabilities provide customers speed to market, and ensure high uptime and rapid response, which equate to superior value in their mission-critical controlled environments. Since 1978, Brooks has been a leading partner to the global semiconductor manufacturing market and through product development initiatives and strategic business acquisitions; the Company has expanded its reach to meet the needs of customers in the life sciences industry, analytical & research markets and clean energy solutions. Brooks is headquartered in Chelmsford, MA, with direct operations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.brooks.com.