PSS Technologies
In the biotechnology-related business market, where PSS operates, there are research support market and in vitro diagnosis (IVD) market. Each market has the areas of genetic testing and protein testing. By developing innovative technologies suitable for both genetic and protein testing, PSS seeks to offer automated systems to the research support market as well as to IVD market.
PSS is to promote technological development aimed at the establishment of automated systems that enables "rapid, accurate and easy" operation in the IVD market. Based on our core technological concept that we could automate the complicated reaction processes with simplest mechanism, we have realized all the necessary reaction processes in a single pipetting tip by using a pre-packaged reagent cartridge.
The APiT® technology consists of four major technologies, as shown below.
Summary of APiT® technology
The Magtration® is a technology of handling and separating magnetic particles with a uniquely shaped tip in reactions that use magnetic particles.
The Magtration® technology has enabled fully automated extraction and purification of nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) from samples, which is essential in genetic research. The Magtration® technology, simple yet innovative patented technology, by shortening operating time and its accuracy, has greatly contributed to labor-saving in nucleic acid extraction process in which the manual handling had dominated. In addition, the reaction solution of each sample is conveyed with a single tip and the magnetic particles therein are separated on the tip inner wall, cross-contamination between samples in the processed is prevented; as a result, the following DNA amplification reaction is highly reliable.
The Magtration® technology is widely applicable from automation of the sample preparation in genetic analysis such as nucleic acid extraction, automation in the protein field such as of immunoassays and immune-precipitation reactions using magnetic particles and to various other fields.
The Column Tip is a technology of automatically carrying out column chromatography and affinity purification, which have been carried out manually, by using a carrier-containing pipetting tip (column tip). The Column Tip Technology can be used not only in purification of proteins, but also sample preparation such as removal of abundant proteins from protein samples for in marker detection.
The bellows tip is a bellows-shaped integral molding product, having a cylinder mechanism. Although pipetting of samples in clinical tests has been automated by using a cylinder and a plastic tip, the cylinder unit is expensive and experienced leakage problem during long-term use, which causes contamination risk between samples. Thus, PSS has designed a bellows-shaped tip and developed an automated instrument that is safer and more economical to use. We hope that practical use of the technology could contribute to increase of competitiveness in the medical treatment sites and the life science fields
PSS continues to develop its own method of the signal detection technology, which is an important process in gene/protein analysis. It is an innovative signal detection technology for multiplex measurement aimed at diffusion of "tailor-made medicine", personalized treatment based on constitution of individual patients, and PSS is devoted to develop a fully automated analyzer carrying out all processes in one instrument.
The BIST® is named after "Beads array in Single Tip", an analytical tool of the next generation, which enables fully automated multiplex analysis of up to 20 items at the same time. Before the invention of BIST® technology, it had been necessary to analyze each item one by one.
Chemiluminescent signals generated after reaction are detected with an original scanner, BIST®nner. Reaction and washing operations by the BIST® technology can be automated by using the PSS's Magtration® instruments. Furthermore, LuBEA®, a PSS automated analyzer, using BIST technology, enables rapid and low-cost assay.
The three-dimensional microarray device, named "Bio-Strand®", is explained as follows. First, hundreds of DNA probes are immobilized at a constant interval onto a plastic thread or natural thread (diameter: 50 to 100μm, length: 2 to 3 m). Then, this thread is wound onto a core pin and enclosed into a cylindrical tip, which is called Bio-strand® tip. Bio-strand® Technology, like BIST® Technology, automated by using the Magtration® instruments, detects signals with specially designed scanner.
