Arrayjet Rolls out Consumables; Plans to Launch Services by Year End
Arrayjet, a 10-year-old, Roslin, UK-based provider of instruments for microarray production, will now also provide optimized slides and buffers for use with its systems. The privately held company also hopes to begin producing arrays for customers by the end of this year.
The new offerings come at a time when array tool vendors like Arrayjet are looking to capture more of their customers' spending in the growing protein array market.
Sales and Marketing Executive Marisa Gonzalez told BioArray News that Arrayjet's customers previously used their own slides and buffers, but that the company has found there is a "benefit if we offer something that has been optimized by us."
Gonzalez made her remarks during Select Biosciences' Advances in Microarray Technology meeting, held in Dublin, Ireland, last month.
Specifically, Arrayjet is now offering JetStar slides coated with aldehydesilane, aminosilane, epoxysilane, and nitrocellulose to customers, as well as JetStar protein printing buffer and optimum system buffer, for use with its instruments. In addition to the new slides and buffers, Arrayjet also recently introduced its JetGuard probe protector, a flexible cover for microtiter plates.
All products are being manufactured by an external partner, Gonzalez said. She declined to elaborate, but said that Arrayjet customers were "very keen" for such an offering.
While Arrayjet begins selling consumables, it is also preparing up to offer services through its facility in Roslin. According to Gonzalez, Arrayjet customers will be able to provide the firm with their projects and receive printed slides as ordered from the firm. Gonzalez added that Arrayjet has already taken on some small projects, and will ramp up to tackle larger projects by year-end.
Arrayjet is partially introducing the new products to take advantage of a growing protein array market. "There definitely are more and more scientists interested in looking at protein microarrays with our technology," Gonzalez said.
Founded in 2000, Arrayjet sells a suite of instruments the Sprint, Marathon, Super-Marathon, and Ultra-Marathon for array production. Gonzalez said in Dublin that the firm has placed 32 systems to date.
