The introduction of next-generation microfluidic chips and improvements to Refeyn’s microfluidic system—as well as a new protein calibration standard—will save users time, while ensuring reproducibility across experiments and labs, and supporting a broader range of applications.
To enhance the rapid dilution of highly concentrated samples and improve insight into low-affinity and transient biomolecular interactions, several updates have been made to Refeyn’s MassFluidix HC microfluidics system. A key addition to this system is a 2nd-generation microfluidic chip that now enables mass photometry measurements in five channels and features even faster sample dilution—under 37 milliseconds. Usage is simplified with a channel redesign that removes the need for a bubble trap and introduces luer connectors that enable easy connection of tubing to the chip. These ready-to-use chips are also now individually packaged, allowing customers to open just one at a time as needed.
Further improving ease-of-use of the MassFluidix HC, software integration now means that the rapid dilution system can be readily operated directly via Refeyn’s Acquiremass photometer control software. A new automatic microfluidic chip channel detection feature within this software also simplifies workflows by ensuring correct positioning of the chip for each measurement.
The upgraded system’s rapid dilution allows the characterization of samples at high concentration. This is particularly useful as a quality check for techniques that require higher concentrations, such as cryoEM and crystallography, as well as for detecting and determining stoichiometry for weak affinity protein-protein interactions. This has implications for traditionally difficult-to-characterize sample types, such as PROTACs and multi-component complexes; in addition to more common applications, such as antibody-receptor binding, and as an orthogonal technique to other binding characterization techniques.