Spiral Biotech Inc, Norwood, Mass, introduces the Anoxomat™ Mark II anaerobic system for the cultivation of anaerobic, microaerophilic, and capnophilic bacteria—an alternative to the use of anaerobic chambers and gas bags.
Features include:
• Reaching anaerobiosis in 1 to 3 minutes versus 1 to 4 hours for gas bags
• Repeatable environmental conditions, with gas mixtures remaining consistent within 0.5% of desired values
• Cost-of-ownership savings versus the cost of consumables, prereduced media, and ongoing costs involved with chambers and gas bags
• Walk-away convenience and ease of use due to the new, intuitive software and touchscreen interface
• Automatic quality assurance programming features help ensure an airtight status, warn of pressure leaks, and bind residual oxygen after evacuation cycling
• Users can take plates in and out of jars and return to anaerobic environments in minutes
Each cycle includes an evacuation phase, followed by replacement using an oxygen-free gas mixture. One cycle achieves 70% to 80% removal of the original atmosphere and provides a microaerophilic environment in 1 minute. Three cycles achieve an anaerobic atmosphere in less than 3 minutes.
“The Anoxomat was an easier operation…on gases alone, in the first year of operation, it probably saved us around $8,000,” said Frank Hollis of Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ.
The system checks to see if the catalyst is capable of achieving desired conditions and warns of threats of gas failure. The resulting gas mixture stays within 0.5% of the desired value. A built-in quality assurance system checks for leaks before incubation.
Advanced Instruments Inc, Norwood, Mass, is a supplier of freezing-point osmometers used in clinical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology labs. Its subsidiary, Spiral Biotech, develops and supports automated microbiology systems.
