SPT Labtech and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s Genomics Core Facility (EMBL GeneCore) in Heidelberg, Germany, agreed to collaborate to advance fully walkaway automated genomics workflows. As part of the collaboration, SPT Labtech’s firefly®+ all-in-one liquid handling platform has been installed at EMBL GeneCore.
Officials at EMBL GeneCore say they will expand the facility’s capacity to develop new protocols and further validate and optimize existing workflows for challenging applications such as low-input and metagenomics samples to support the broader genomics community. The SPT platform is designed to simplify complex genomics workflows, combining pipetting, dispensing, incubating, and shaking technologies into a single instrument.
The automated protocols use New England Biolabs (NEB) library preparation kits, NEBNext®, to generate libraries from a wide input range. According to a SPT spokesperson, the installation of the company’s firefly+ platform at EMBL GeneCore, combined with NEB kits, creates strong foundation for fully walkaway automation, enabling more streamlined, end-to-end workflows and supporting labs to scale automation more easily.
“The installation of SPT Labtech’s firefly+ platform as part of our collaboration underscores our commitment to remain at the forefront of scientific innovation. Fully walkaway automation will address key bottlenecks in genomics workflows, helping us develop high-quality, scalable NGS protocols,” says Vladimir Benes, head of EMBL GeneCore.
“Our latest collaboration with EMBL GeneCore marks a significant step towards advancing fully walkaway automation, providing end-to-end genomics workflows for a much wider range of applications, including environmental and rare species research,” adds Morten Frost, CCO, SPT Labtech.
“Integration of our library prep kits with SPT Labtech’s firefly+ platform at EMBL GeneCore creates a compelling opportunity for faster, scalable DNA and RNA-Seq workflows,” notes Bjoern Textor, PhD, sales and senior applications manager, New England Biolabs.
