ARIA – Bioptechs

Bioptechs has partnered with Fluigent to create the most precise solution for high quality multiplexed imaging.

Precision flow cell imaging system

ARIA from Fluigent

Aria is an integrated microfluidic system to automate the delivery of up to 10 different fluids to one chip or perfusion chamber. It can perform any perfusion protocol. The system is easy to use, compact, and can interact with TTL enabled microscopy systems. It also allows for “stop flow” conditions for studies requiring longer imaging times. Aria automates sequential injection operations that have typically been performed manually and provides more reproducible results with minimum cross contamination.

Save time with Automated injection protocols
Enables performing long-term perfusion studies
Intuitive and easy-to-use: Individual methods can be created, saved, and quickly recalled for a run
Incubation steps and times are reproducible
Reliable results: the number of manual operations is reduced and the software automates most steps from calibration to cleaning
Fits any experimental design
Designed for microscopy room experiments: “dark mode” provides visibility to monitor the study progress.

Aria covers any applications as the volumes injected range from 40µL to hundreds of mL delivered over several days.

To minimize carryover between successive solutions, the tubing can be cleared.

The user is informed of the delivery time of each solution thanks to Aria’s intelligent software. The software also notifies the user of the minimum volume required in each reservoir to run their protocol.

Aria comes with an intuitive software that enables to design protocols in few clicks.

Incubation time, flow rate, volume dispensed, are all parameters that can be easily set by the operator for each step of his protocol.

Protocols are recorded and can be shared among users. Flow rate and pressure are recorded for each experiment.

Aria drastically reduces variability down to 0,5% between experiments compared to 5,1% intra-operator variability and 8,1% inter-operator variability using a pipette.

Contamination free: the sample is delivered at the beginning of the experiment and is not touched during the protocol minimizing contamination risks from manual operations.

Controlled, smooth flow preserves samples compared to traditional pipetting.

Aria can synchronize with various microscopes through the use of TTL signaling. Aria can send and receive TTL signals for example to start an imaging cycle, or to resume the Aria protocol when an imaging cycle is completed.

Aria’s software comes with a dark mode to work in an imaging room. Aria is equipped with LED’S to facilitate use in dark areas.

WHY ARIA?
Applications like DNA hybridization, high resolution spatial transcriptomics, DNA paint, or tissue profiling require high resolution microscopy as they target nanometric structures inside the cells.

For each of these applications, the sample is successively incubated with specific probes to bind to a target inside the cells. Between various probes, a sequence of washing steps is performed to remove the previous probe and avoid contamination with the consecutive one. The power of this technique compared to traditional immunolabeling is that the number of targets per sample is not limited to the four traditional colours of the microscope as DNA can be easily detached from their target as opposed to antibody that remain strongly attached when bounded.
Manually changing solutions from washing buffers to probes on the microscope comes with some challenges:

a touch of a pipette tip can displace the dish and recorded positions
samples can be flushed away during pipetting
the sample can get contaminated
liquid can spill over the microscope
errors in the sequence of solutions due to the number of steps

In addition, successive solution replacement can be long (up to 4-5 days for an experiment), tedious and requires the physical presence of the scientist.

Aria is the only instrument that can automate the delivery of up to 10 different solutions to a flow cell. Aria is the perfect compromise between manual pipetting and all-in-one system that are dedicated to one specific application, integrate a microscope, specific chip type and a given set of solutions: Any protocol with multiple solution delivery can be automated, saving the scientist both time and reducing variability between experiments compared to manual procedures.

Aria is straightforward and ready to use. No specific training is required, and no time is lost trouble shooting incidents or manually priming solutions before the experiment as is the case with home-made systems.
Compared to fully integrated systems that are bound to one chip type and a set of solutions for a given application, Aria offers flexibility. Aria can automate different applications in one lab as it is compatible with any chip and any type of reagent. Aria is transportable and can be easily moved between microscopes.
Aria is a cost-effective alternative to an all-in-one system. It is perfect to investigate and set all the parameters to fully optimize imaging protocols.