Windsor Scientific has launched the Bioforce Nano eNabler in the UK and Ireland.
Developed to dispense and deliver ultramicro and nanoscale fluids, the Nano eNabler is a multitasking instrument capable of delivering attolitre and femtolitre volumes of solutions containing biomolecules and other materials to defined locations on surfaces with ultra feature sizes and nanometric spatial resolution.
Liquids are dispensed via a Surface Patterning Tool (SPT) whose microfluidic channel(s) deliver a fresh supply of liquid onto the surface. Multiple SPTs can be used to allow parallel printing of a single compound or multiplexed printing of several different molecules to make arrays. The force exerted by the SPT is controlled by a laser in feedback mode.
Typical substrates include glass and plastic, upon which modified surfaces can be prepared. Biomolecules can also be specifically bound on preformed chemically modified Sindex chips. In addition to the biological applications, it is possible to engineer surface architectures by patterning of nanomaterials such as quantum dots, colloids and magnetic nanoparticles, as well as patterning of reactive solutions like etchants, resists and adhesives on, for example, silicon chips.
According to Windsor Scientific, the nanoArrayer opens up unique opportunities for discovery science across the Bio interface - where electronics and materials meet the Bio world.