GenePix 4200AL slide scan (QMC)

GenePix Professional 4200A - Post-Genomics Facility, QMC

Four-color scanner with 16-position emission filter wheel for microarrays, tissue and cell arrays, and general fluorescence studies

The 4200AL is available for service scanning of 3x1" slide arrays in multiple colours. potential users can email contact the genomics facility to organise access or postage of slides for scanning. Images and analysis files (GPR files) can be returned via a number of electronic routes.

Now Available! GenePix Autoloader 4200AL

The GenePix family of microarray scanners has long been hailed as the industry leader in performance, features and ease-of-use. Now, the GenePix® Professional 4200A scanner sets an even higher standard for microarray instrumentation with its powerful set of new and enhanced features designed for superior performance, multispectral imaging and high duty-cycle usage.

New

• Improved performance from the industry-leader in quality
• Four-color system for multispectral imaging applications
• 16-position emission filter wheel for enhanced flexibility
• Complete software analysis package included with every scanner

Features

Four Color Scanning

• Four lasers
• Employs solid-state diode and gas lasers that are internally installed into one compact bench-top unit
• Choose from a substantially broader choice of dyes, such as fluorescein, GFP, Texas Red or the Alexa Fluor® dyes

Laser Power Attenuation

• Gradient neutral density filter allowing 5-100% laser transmission in 1% increments
• Allows for maximum flexibility in balancing channel intensities
• Reduce photobleaching of sensitive samples

Unparalleled Signal-to-Noise Performance

• Industry-leading low-noise digitization technology
• Ultra-sensitive PMT detector for substantially greater sensitivity than white-light CCD systems—5 or 10 times higher signal-to-noise (SNR) values, as predicted by theory and measured in practice
• Greater SNR results in ability to use lower PMT settings and avoid saturating pixels—known to confound subsequent higher-order microarray analysis (such as clustering)
• Unparalleled sensitivity means lower laser power settings can be reliably used without degrading SNR

Remarkably Compact

Accessible Emission Filter Wheel

• Provides an even greater degree of flexibility in dye selection
• Innovative and elegant design allows easy access for filter installation
• Twelve open positions available plus four reserved for factory-installed filters for a total of sixteen emission filter positions

Upgrades and Service

• Includes standard one-year factory service warranty
• Service Agreements to extend the warranty coverage is available at time of purchase or any time before warranty expires
• Unlimited Ph.D.-level technical support at no charge
• Field installation of any laser upgrade is available

Scanning Resolution & Flexibility

• Maximize feature sampling with user-selectable scan resolutions between 5 and 100 microns
• Use the 40-micron Preview scan to obtain a reference image or to balance channel settings
• Prevent photobleaching and save time using the new rescan feature—the reacquisition of one or more channels without having to rescan all channels again

Designed for High Duty-Cycle Usage

• Ideal for high-usage laboratories and microarray core facilities in academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical environments
• High duty cycle motors for maximum translation and focus motor lifetimes
• Weight and balance are designed to minimize vibration and optimize heat dissipation
• All lasers undergo extensive quality control testing procedures by both the manufacturer and Axon Instruments

Enhanced Performance Features

• Incredibly low values for rotational non-uniformity at ±4%
• On-the-fly intensity correction circuitry to correct for minor laser fluctuations inherent in all lasers
• Decreased per channel scan time, approximately four minutes per channel (full size image at 10 µm scan resolution)
• Improved analytical methods for higher density arrays

Specifications

General
Sample type:	4200A: Standard microscope slides (1" x 3", 25 x 75 mm, 26 x 76 mm; 0.9-1.1 mm thick) 4200AL: GenePix 4200AL Slide Compatibility Supplement [PDF]
Maximum scan area:	4200A: 22 x 71.5 mm 4200AL: 22 x 69 mm
Maximum resolution:	5 µm
Scan mode and order:	Sequential; fully user-configurable scan order
Detector:	Photomultiplier tube (PMT)
Digital resolution:	16-bit
Image format:	Single-image or multi-image TIFF
Computer interface:	SCSI (adapter included)
Emission filters:	See Configurations section below
Performance
Scan time:	Four minutes per channel for full size scan area at 10 µm resolution
Dynamic range:	Four orders of magnitude; using a proprietary dilution series slide to determine the lower range of detection where minimum signal-to-noise value is greater than 3.0
Rotational Uniformity:	Less than ±4% non-uniformity. Values were obtained by comparing difference in fluorescence intensity of proprietary standard scanned in one orientation, then rotated 180° and scanned again

Lasers

• Four-color system for use with popular Alexa Fluor® and CyDyes™
• Solid-state diode or diode-pumped continuous-wave lasers
• Red laser: 635 nm centered wavelength
• Green laser: 532 nm centered wavelength
• Blue laser
• Yellow laser
  

Blue Laser

• 488 nm centered wavelength

Yellow Laser

• Compact HeNe continuous-wave gas laser
• 594 nm centered wavelength

We  have the standard red, green blue and yellow filters installed (see the list below)  Other filters can be installed in there is demand (filters are std 1/2" bandpass filters)