Unchained Labs’ Lil' Tuna is the first fully automated, plate-based, benchtop buffer exchange system. Lil' Tuna packs the best of previous Unchained systems into one simple, compact, high-throughput buffer exchange platform perfect for every lab, at every scale.
Buffer exchange and sample concentration are some of the most time-consuming, manual steps standing between researchers and the science they want to do. Traditional approaches using dialysis, centrifugation or cartridge-based filtration require constant intervention and are super hard to automate when going into screening mode. Teams using these methods are forced to micromanage a step that demands way too much of their attention and throttles throughput.
Lil' Tuna uses the same exact pressure-based UF/DF approach and consumables as Big Tuna and Unagi—processing 96- or 24-well plates for maximum throughput, handling one-off samples on the fly, and delivering recoveries ≥96%. For labs all-in on automation, Lil' Tuna fits right in with API software, automation-friendly template importing and a sample stage designed for easy robotic access. It integrates directly with Stuntman, Unchained's AI-driven automation platform, for seamless handoff into formulation screening, stability characterization and other downstream workflows.