LevitasBio® has partnered with Planet Innovation to design and manufacture its groundbreaking new LeviCell® EOS system for cell isolation and enrichment during sample preparation.
The LeviCell EOS launched in the middle of the year, with strong early sales and several units already installed at top research laboratories around the U.S.
The LeviCell EOS system uses the same revolutionary Levitation Technology as its predecessor, LeviCell 1.0, to enrich cell populations without altering, stressing or damaging cells – allowing researchers access to higher-quality samples for downstream analysis.
It is compatible with any cell type and sample source, meaning it can be used for research in a wide range of industries, including cell and gene therapy, and pharmaceutical drug development.
With the same fast 3-step, 20-minute workflow as LeviCell 1.0, the LeviCell EOS now provides higher throughput to enable researchers to run four samples at once. To drive higher throughput to further scale there is the ability to connect up to four modules in parallel. New analysis software allows users to manage all instruments from a central control hub, and view the cells moving through the separation channel in real time.
One of the core requirements from LevitasBio was that the instrument be designed as a flexible platform, with a core magnet and cartridge interface submodule that can be swapped out by users to suit their needs. A standard core module is currently available, with a new temperature-controlled module scheduled for release in coming months. The need for a temperature-controlled module was driven by user feedback on the LeviCell 1.0.
Martin Pieprzyk, CEO of LevitasBio, said: “LevitasBio is changing the landscape of how researchers conduct their experiments. Building on the success of the LeviCell 1.0, the new LeviCell EOS system paves the way for fully integrated approaches to sample processing and accurate characterization at scaled throughputs. This marks a profound shift in how scientists work with their samples.”
He added: “Planet Innovation has been a great partner throughout the development and into manufacturing. They’ve been very supportive, flexible and understanding of our business needs. We’ve had one of PI’s operational consultants, Sam Lui, embedded in our business throughout the whole process, which has been a huge benefit. Sam has a far deeper understanding of our product than you would normally expect from a service provider and this was invaluable throughout the development and now as we move into production and installation at customer sites.”
Nathan Ray, Strategic Partner at PI, commented: “PI has been working with LevitasBio as their design and manufacturing partner for almost four years now, and after the success of LeviCell 1.0, we were excited to have the opportunity to work with the team again on the EOS system. While the core tech is the same magnetic separation, the EOS is a more advanced product with a lot of great technology under the hood, including an expanded optics module, thermal control and a really easy-to-use interface. It’s a great product and we’re very happy to see this is being recognized by LevitasBio’s customers.”
