TrayMix^TM S2
Fully Automated Hybridization Station

Description

Reduce time and cost per analysis
Speed-up your microarray experiments
Get consistent and reproducible results

The automated hybridization station TrayMix™ S2 is a micro-mixer using a patented active mixing by Chaotic Advection technology which belongs to BioTray^®. Best results are obtained thanks to an homogeneous dispersion of molecules over the whole hybridization area (21 x 60 mm). Thepatented Active Mixing by Chaotic Advection system achieves a significant reduction of hybridization times with the use of lower samples quantity (5 pmoles) ; a higher specificity can be reached (high reduction of background noise, increased fluorescent signal intensities). The patented Active Mixing by Chaotic Advection system eliminates artefacts such as dead zones or bubbles usually observed with other systems so that you can succeed in your hybridization experiments from the start.

• the Expert Mode allows the users to customize their own protocole with the possibility to program complex experiments with hybridization downsteps. This mode is rather dedicated to research laboratories.
• The Routine Mode will be used by hospitals and diagnostic laboratories to run robust protocols used in their diagnostic assays.

With the Automated Hybridization Station TrayMix™ S2, improve your analysis results in applications such as gene expression profiling, genotyping, SNP genotyping, chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders detection, Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH), Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH), proteine arrays experiments (for instance DNA/Protein interactions, Protein/Protein interactions).

Download the flyer TrayMix™ S2

Specifications

Fig.1	Fig.2

Fig.2: Once the system has been programmed and the slide has been inserted, the hybridizatin buffer is automatically brought to the 50 µm hybridization chamber. The volume of the chambers is mechanically define to get the very same volume for each chambers for a reproducibility purpose. A perfluoro-elastomer gasket is used only to get tightness between the chamber and the slide.

Fig.3: Port d'injection

Software

• Two operational modes: the routine mode for hospitals and the expert mode for research laboratories.

• Protocols saving and loading for future use.

• Independance of every operation : Pre-Hybridization, Hybridization, Washes, Decontamination of the system. These operations can be run automatically one after the other, following a programmed order or they can be executed step by step.

• Traceability of the operations and edition of a complete report in html format.

Fig 1: Frontpage of the WinTrayMix™ Software

Fig.1: The frontpage of the WinTrayMix™ Software shows all chambers of the hybridization station. It is possible to choose the number of chamber to be programmed. The user can choose between routine mode and expert mode and then he can start setting the each hybridization protocols for the selected chambers. The first scroll bar shows the progress of the whole protocol while the second scroll bar shows the state of progres of each operation in progress.

Fig 2 : Fig.2: Operational modes

Fig.2: When the hybridization station is detected by the software, the first step will be t chose the operational mode between "Routine or Expert". Then the chambers that will be used have to be selected.
The WinTrayMix™ software offers four main operations in "Routine" mode and five in "Expert" mode.

Fig 3 : Configuration of the operations

Fig.3: This screenshot shows the operations available and automated thanks to the TrayMix ™ S2 hybridization station : Pre-Hybridization, Hybridization, Washes, Decontamination of the system. The user can set the parameters of each operation, according to the protocol that he wants to follow or create. The operations can be selected on the left part of the screen and the temperature and time parameters can be entered on the right part of the sceen.

Fig.4: Up to three different washes can be done with the system. Each wash can be selected as many time as needed in order to renew the wash buffers. Each wash use 500µL of reagent.

Fig.5	Fig.6

Fig.5 & Fig.6: Every steps of a programmed protocol are visualized on the screen. The user can follow the states of progress of both the whole protocol and the ongoing operation. A count down (hours and minutes) appears between the two scroll bars during the hybridization step. The "Expert" mode offers the possibility of a step-by-step programming.

The Hybridization procedure is used in order to select, configure and program the following operations : pre-hybridization, hybridization and washes.

The Decontamination procedure is used in order to clean and decontaminate the hybridization station. This operation must be run at 60°C, three times at least between each hybridization operation.

The Maintenance procedure is used in order to initialize, evacuate and change the reagents.


The Chronogrammes Step by Step procedure in Expert mode is used to configurate and add the steps of every operation, one by one and in the order the user want. For instance, it is possible to program an hybridization with several different temperatures stages for different times.

Hybridization Protocol Report : WinTrayMix™ offers the possibility to edit an hybridization report. This report can be personalized with the details of your experiment and the logo of your company or your institution.

The WinTrayMix™ software creates a report in HTML format that can be read with any web browser. The date of the report creation and the parameters configurated by the user are shown in the report ; a table sums up the operations ran. In this table, only the configurated operations will appear (pre-hybridization, hybridization and washes): the date, the hour of beginning, the duration set, the real duration, the temperature and the operation status (finished, cancelled ...) are shown for every operation.

Technology

Table 2: Average values for fluorescence and CV obtained with the same quantity of targets, both with and without agitation (2 hours of hybridization).

NB: The CV of the system after 2 hours is equivalent to that of static systems with treatment under coverslip for 12 hours.

• Signal /Noise ratio & Specificity:
Microarrays hybridized for two hours with a single-stranded CY3 labeled DNA (84 mers) complementary to allele a. Hybridizations were performed with 5 pmol of target under the coverslip method and with the TrayMix™. Allele b was used as a control for hybridization specificity. All spot features were analyzed and compared to the local background signal for each of the experiments. Results comparing the mean signal to noise ratio of the fluorescent CY3 signals to the local background for allele a (black) and allele b (grey) of three experiments ± SD (Standard Deviation).

The figure shows that the specific signal/noise ratio (allele a - black bars) is enhanced from 3.5 to 4.2, while the non-specific signal/noise ratio (allele b - grey bars) is slightly reduced under the dynamic hybridization conditions of the TrayMix™. Comparisons of results after 12 hours of static hybridization are even more favorable to TrayMix™ (Data not shown). Chaotic mixing enhances the hybridization results in all important areas including time, homogeneity, and signal to noise ratio. In addition, the automation of this step is crucial for reproducibility. The system has thus been developed in view of attaining the levels of reproducibility essential for diagnostic purposes. Chaotic advection offers an even more significant advantage to passive hybridization when using high molecular weight molecules in applications such as Microarray Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH).

• Conclusions & Perspectives:
TrayMix™ offers a true innovation for enhancing hybridization efficacy, sensitivity, reproducibility and robustness while easy to use and flexible. The injection port is designed to allow small amounts of new reagents to be automatically and sequentially administered for pre- or post-hybridization processing (e.g. enzymatic reactions, chemical reactions, sandwich reactions, etc...). This permits conception of more complicated processes such as oligo elongation and multi-step reactions. Furthermore, the technology allows adaptation to either multiple slides or multiple reaction areas per slide. It is to be noted that the TrayMix™ technology is applicable to all types of microarrays such as, CHIP on Chip, protein and peptide, CGH, and FISH. This vast spectrum of applications makes the TrayMix™ a great investment of anyone processing microarrays.

• Technical Support:
About technical aspects information request, please contact by email BioTray or by phone : +33(0)4 27 02 19 83.

Accessoires

	Fig.1: BioTray® offers the Techni-Cloth® wipers and advises their use in order to clean the hybridization station, the hybridization chambers, the hybridization cassette and any other metallic part. These wipers can be used with pure water or with pure or diluted ethanol ; with these wipes, cleaning is easy, without any contamination nor fluff on the cleaned surfaces.
Fig.1

Fig.2:

Fig.2: TechniCloth® wipers are fabricated from a blend of 55% cellulose and 45% polyester. This fabric blend combines the highly absorbent properties of a natural fiber (cellulose) with the strength of a synthetic fiber (polyester). Designed for use in cleanroom and medical environment, these wipers are ideal for wiping and spill control with its low particle counts , low extractable levels and solvent compatibility.
Two sizes avalaible.
• 6"x6" (15 x 15 cm) size: Packaging: 600 wipers per bags. 2 inner bags of 300 wipers
• 9"x9" (23 x 23 cm) size: Packaging: 300 wipers per bags. 2 inner bags of 150 wipers

Gasket:
To ensure optimal sealing of the hybridization chamber, BioTray® provides a set of 12 O-rings in elastomer material.
An O-ring is a loop of elastomer with a round (o-shaped) cross-section used as a mechanical seal or gasket.
TrayMix™S2 uses two models of O-rings:
• O-rings in Fluoroelastomer (FKM) for the hybridization chamber:
Dimension: Ø 49,9 mm x 1,78 mm.
• O-rings in Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomere (EPDM) for the injection hole.
Dimension: Ø 6,75 mm x 1,78 mm.

Video