SpinScan Microarray Scanner

The SpinScan Microarray Scanner from Caduceus Biotechnology is based on a modified optical picking head, similar to well-established DVD technology, and tailored for the molecular diagnostic market. It is the only reader capable of reading six slides simultaneously. Moreover, the platform is easily scalable by simply increasing the rotation speed for scanning, along with the corresponding upgrade in detection capability. It is an open system capable of detecting DNA, peptides, proteins, antibodies, and cell chips.

Comparison with the competition

The table below shows how the dual-wavelength SpinScan HC-BS01 compares to some of the competition.

Specification	Agilent (G2565CA)	Axon (GenePix 4000B)	CapitalBio (LuxScan 10K)	HC-BS01
Resolution	2-10 μm	5-100 μm	5-40 μm	2-40 μm
Scanning Method	X-Y	X-Y	X-Y	Spin Scanning
Dyes	Cy3 & Cy5	Cy3 & Cy5	Cy3 & Cy5	Cy3 & Cy5
Laser Wavelength	635/532 nm	635/532 nm	635/532 nm	635/532 nm
Slide Size	1” x 3”	1” x 3”	1” x 3”	1” x 3”
Chips per Run	1	1	1	6
Automatic Focusing	Yes	No	No	Yes
Scan Time (per slide)	20 min (2 μm)	6.5 min (10 μm)	8 min (10 μm)	< 4min (@ 10 μm)
Sensitivity	0.05 (fluro/μm²)	0.1(fluro/μm²)	0.1(fluro/μm²)	< 0.2 (fluro/μm²)
Dimensions (WxHxD)	90 x 65 x 63.5 cm	34 x 20 x 44 cm	54 x 36 x 22 cm	52 x 34 x 22 cm
Weight	56.8 kg	20 kg	40 kg	23.5 kg
End-User Price (USD)	83,000	79,000	43,000	44,000*

* Price for units sold in the US. Prices in other countries may vary.

Yes, the SpinScan has lower sensitivity than the others; this can be compensated by higher dye concentrations and longer exposure times. And it equals or exceeds the other specifications, even for systems which cost almost twice as much.

User-friendly software

A simple-to-use, yet powerful, analysis programme reads 16-bit TIFF and GAL files, and lets you position multi-block circular arrays of fluorescent spots. The Spot Viewer shows red/green intensity at the mouse position. Image brightness and contrast are adjustable for viewing, but do not change the quantitative results. Scatter plots, M-A plots, and histograms of captured fluorescence can be displayed.

Find your arrays

The SpinScan microarray scanner provides an open system for all standard 1in x 3in slides. Before scanning, samples should be labelled with any fluorophores compatible with green (532nm) and red (635nm) excitation wavelengths.