Tecan’s Freedom EVO Platform earns praise from French laboratory

Tecan has highlighted the positive testimony its Freedom EVO platform has received from the ARNA Laboratory in Bordeaux.

The lab, which is affiliated with the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), recently acquired two of the systems to automate its work using DNA and RNA aptamers to develop novel tools for biological applications.

Its selection protocols for the screening of large libraries of oligonucleotides generally involve two selections being performed in parallel, consisting of between 8 and 15 runs. Each run takes around six hours, meaning the process lasts between a week and ten days.

This would be difficult, tedious and repetitive to carry out manually, but with Freedom EVO, it is now possible to use additional techniques – including AlphaScreen assays and fluorescence anisotropy – to accelerate the proceedings.

Dr Jean-Jacques Toulme, an Inserm research director, said: "Investing in a Freedom EVO platform enabled the process to be almost completely automated, freeing up staff time and helping us to achieve the desired throughput."

He added that numerous suppliers were considered before deciding on Tecan, and that the solution has been functioning smoothly.