Buffer exchange and sample concentration often consume a significant amount of time and require hands-on attention, diverting focus from more important tasks. Big Tuna, an advanced, fully automated buffer exchange platform is designed for high throughput.
It efficiently handles the formulation, concentration, and purification of proteins or gene therapy vectors, such as AAVs, LNPs, and VLPs. With a setup time of under 15 minutes, users can say goodbye to the tedious and manual sample preparation methods, allowing them to redirect their efforts toward more critical work.
- LNP
- AAV
- VLP
- mRNA and DNA
- Protein
Capabilities
Go big or keep it small
Big Tuna provides two distinct plate-based formats for the simultaneous exchange and concentration of 24 or 96 samples in parallel. Unfilter 96 allows for exchanging as little as 100 μL across a maximum of 96 different samples in a single run. Meanwhile, Unfilter 24 enables the exchange of up to 8 mL for up to 24 samples. Different molecular weight cutoff options are available, ensuring appropriate Unfilter variants for specific needs.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs
Hand it off
Big Tuna uses a unique pressure-based ultrafiltration and diafiltration (UF/DF) process to keep buffer exchange even across the plate. The UF/DF process is gentle on samples and minimizes protein aggregation. Big Tuna also has an acoustic sensor that measures the volume in every well before and after each cycle. This allows Big Tuna to track the exchange rate of each sample and add the exact amount of buffer needed to equalize the exchange rate across the plate.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs
Get concentrated
Dilute samples can be difficult to handle. They are bulky and hard to work with, and they can easily contaminate other samples. Big Tuna can help concentrate up to 24 samples from 48 mL down to 8 mL, which makes them much easier to handle. Big Tuna can also exchange the buffer in samples, so users can get them exactly where they need them.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs
Be a control freak
Buffer exchange does not have to be a wild guess or a time-consuming task. With Big Tuna's software wizard, users can simply drag and drop the samples and buffers into place. Big Tuna will then guide them through the customization process to tailor the run to their specific sample type. The easy setup means users will have more control over their experiment with less hands-on time.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs
Know it all
The samples can be loaded confidently as Big Tuna will provide clear instructions regarding their placement and the required buffer volume. Users can monitor the progress at their convenience, ensuring that they are aware of precisely when the exchange and concentration processes will conclude. Constant buffer exchange monitoring is not needed.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs
Hook up with other fish in the sea
Big Tuna’s SILA-2 API, data import capabilities, and open deck make it easy to integrate with the existing automation. Users can easily connect Big Tuna to other Unchained Labs tools or third-party systems. This makes it possible to have a high-throughput buffer exchange seamlessly integrated with other workflows.
Image Credit: Unchained Labs