Agilent Technologies to launch new sample preparation tool

Agilent Technologies has introduced a new instrument for analytical sample preparation which is designed to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

The science company's new 7696 Sample Prep Workbench will be released in November 2010 and helps to augment productivity in sample preparation for liquid chromatography and gas chromatography techniques.

As well as its automated features, it has been designed to provide easy-to-use hardware and software, while reducing laboratory workers' exposure to chemicals.

It also consumes a relatively small amount of chemicals and solvents and does not require glassware other than sample vials, meaning the cost per sample is reduced.

Shanya Kane, vice-president and general manager of gas chromatography systems and workflow, said: "The 7696 Sample Prep Workbench is the next step in Agilent's goal of providing a comprehensive workflow solution for chromatography."

Last week, the company launched its SureSelect Human All Exon v2 Target Enrichment kit, a new assay designed for the versatile and efficient sequencing of genomes.