Transforming epigenetics testing with multichannel pipettes

Genknowme, a start-up specialising in epigenetics research, has integrated multichannel pipettes from Integra Biosciences into its liquid handling workflows. These liquid handling solutions will enable the lab to provide fast epigenetic assessments that will support healthcare professionals in suggesting lifestyle changes to improve their patients’ quality of life.

Genknowme, in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded to investigate how environmental and behavioural factors can reversibly modify gene expression. The company has developed a unique blood test that provides a comprehensive, personalised epigenetic health assessment indicating a person’s biological age, which can be used to inform preventative lifestyle changes for healthier aging.

The team acquired two 8 channel VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipettes – one 12.5 μl and one125 μl – to streamline its liquid handling protocols and minimise human error. Dr Laurence Chapatte, Chief Technology Officer at Genknowme, explained: “Epigenetics research can be a complex and time-consuming process, so we are always looking for ways to increase our throughput for faster and more accurate results. We incorporated VOYAGER pipettes into our laboratory to allow transfer of multiple samples at once between different labware formats, minimising the number of liquid handling steps in our workflows. This gives us a competitive advantage over similar companies – by improving our efficiency and quality – and we can also program our protocols onto the pipettes, which helps with consistency and saves us additional time.”

The group is also planning to introduce automation into the lab in the near future by purchasing an ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot, which can be combined with VOYAGER pipettes to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of routine pipetting tasks. Introducing automation into the laboratory will further reduce the team’s hands-on time, freeing them up to focus on incorporating different biomarkers – such as those indicating stress – into the existing testing panel. “This emerging area of science holds immense potential for a new era of medicine focused on holistic, personalised and preventative care. We hope to make epigenetics testing affordable and accessible for a larger population, and INTEGRA’s solutions will help us to achieve this goal,” Laurence concluded.

More information online