Arryx Inc. Launches HOTkit(TM) Complete for Dynamic, Scientific Manipulation of Microscopic Elements

CHICAGO and LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Arryx, Inc. announced the addition of the HOTkit Complete Holo-Tweezers Solution to its proprietary Holographic Optical Trapping (“HOT”) product line. The HOTkit Complete allows scientists to move beyond passive observation of microscopic events, and now, through the power of light, become active participants in events they wish to study.

The HOTkit Complete was unveiled February 4 at the Joint Meeting of the Biophysical Society and the International Biophysics Congress in Long Beach, CA.

“Incorporating Holo-Tweezers into biomedical imaging is a very exciting development,” said Gary Stacey, Vice President of Technology at Haemonetics. “The ‘tractor beams’ of science fiction are now a research reality.”

Many biological researchers desire techniques like cell arraying and targeted transfection. In cell arraying multiple cells are patterned on a coverslip for cell signaling experiments with Holo-Tweezers. In targeted transfection Holo-Tweezers are used to simultaneously photoporate cells and create locally high concentrations of DNA, increasing the efficiency of expression in the specifically chosen cells. The HOTkit Complete was developed specifically to meet these scientific needs.

“Many scientists wish to incorporate HOT into their existing research equipment. The HOTkit Complete allows scientists to add the functionality of Holo-Tweezers into their established, sophisticated imaging systems,” explained Ken Bradley, Vice President of Arryx.

HOT technology is based on optical trapping which works by using light to create microscopic “tweezers” that can manipulate particles in the microscopic field of view. What makes Arryx’ Holo-Tweezers exceptional is that instead of being limited to a stationary or single beam, the power of holography allows the user to create hundreds of traps to grab and move multiple cells and particles in three dimensions with point and click mouse control. The LabRyx software on the HOT workstation further extends the power of the Holo-Tweezers concept by automating the efficient creation of traps and controlling the microscope for applications such as morphology-based flow sorting and particle recognition and isolation.

Previous HOT products available from Arryx have been either stand-alone solutions or simple beam steering packages for manipulating the microscopic organisms and particles studied in biology, physics, and nanotechnology. The HOTkit Complete Holo-Tweezers Solution integrates all of the core components necessary for a biologically optimized tweezing system -- the Spatial Light Modulator (SLM), Collimated Fiber Laser, CCD Camera, and HOT Workstation with LabRyx software -- into a complete package which can be incorporated into virtually any research grade microscope or imaging modality.

“We have taken great care to design our HOT systems in a way that doesn’t interfere with the normal operation of the microscope,” Mr. Bradley continued. “The HOTkit Complete, like the stand-alone BioRyx(R) 200, uses infrared light to avoid compromising fluorescence, DIC, or phase contrast imaging, while at the same time preventing damage to cells by using a non-injurious wavelength.”

About Arryx

Arryx, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Haemonetics Corporation, implements its proprietary holographic optical trapping (HOT) technology for optically controlled measurement and manipulation in biological and biomedical research as well as in the physical and material sciences. Arryx offers both stand-alone, turnkey solutions for Holo-Tweezers, as well as kit-based packages for the implementation of HOT.

About Haemonetics

Haemonetics is a global healthcare company dedicated to providing innovative blood management solutions for its customers. Together, its devices and consumables, IT products, and consulting services deliver a suite of business solutions to help customers improve clinical outcomes and reduce the cost of healthcare for blood collectors, hospitals, and patients around the world. Its technologies address important medical markets: blood and plasma component collection, the surgical suite, and hospital transfusion services. As part of the Haemonetics group of companies, Arryx is using HOT technology to develop blood screening technology. To learn more about Haemonetics, visit its web site at http://www.haemonetics.com.

http://www.arryx.com/resources.htmlhttp://www.physics.nyu.edu/grierlab/hot.htmlcmauer@arryx.comhttp://www.arryx.comfallon@haemonetics.com

CONTACT: Sales and Marketing: Christopher Mauer, Director, Sales &
Marketing of Arryx, Inc., +1-312-533-0328, cmauer@arryx.com; or Julie
Fallon, +1-781-356-9517, +1-617-320-2401, fallon@haemonetics.com, for
Arryx, Inc.

Web site: http://www.arryx.com/
http://www.haemonetics.com/

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