Agilent Technologies has launched the NovoStation Sample Preparation System, an automated platform designed to cut manual work and streamline sample preparation for flow cytometry laboratories.
The system is designed to work with Agilent’s NovoCyte flow cytometers and NovoExpress software, creating a connected, hands-free workflow from sample preparation through data acquisition. The company says the platform will allow scientists to spend less time preparing samples and more time analyzing results.
The launch comes as laboratories face growing demands to process larger numbers of samples and increasingly complex assays while maintaining consistent results across users, instruments and sites.
Manual preparation can create bottlenecks, introduce variability and increase training requirements, particularly in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, contract research, core laboratory and academic environments.
NovoStation automates key preparation steps, including reagent cocktailing and sample washing, and integrates directly with compatible Agilent flow cytometers. The company says the approach can reduce manual variability, improve reproducibility and make it easier for laboratories to standardize workflows across teams and sites.
The efficiency gains were significant in validation studies. Agilent reported that NovoStation reduced hands-on time by more than 90% while maintaining data quality comparable to manual processing.
In one 25-color immunophenotyping workflow involving 30 samples, operator time fell to 7.9 minutes from 85.5 minutes using manual processing. In a separate kappa/lambda light chain assay, hands-on time dropped to 6.8 minutes from 89.4 minutes.
“At Agilent, we are committed to advancing laboratory productivity through end-to-end workflow automation that enables scientists to generate high-quality data with greater confidence," said Knut Wintergerst, vice president and general manager of the Cell and Biomolecular Analysis Division at Agilent.
"NovoStation builds on Agilent's longstanding expertise in flow cytometry and laboratory automation, extending integrated workflow automation to flow cytometry to improve efficiency, consistency, and workflow simplicity, while enabling researchers to focus on scientific innovation.”
