DTU plans to purchase an instrument is for flow-induced dispersion analysis (FIDA) to measure sizes of biomolecules, complexes and aggregates.
The instrument allows to precisely measure diffusion coefficients and particle sizes, and allows to study biomolecular interactions and assembly and aggregation phenomena, such as amyloid fibril formation and liquid-liquid phase separation. The instrument consists of a long thin glass capillary through which the solution to be studied is pushed by an applied pressure, a fluorescence detector at the end of the capillary, as well as an autosampler that can be loaded with two 96 well plates. Therefore the instrument is very suitable for high throughput experiments.
There are currently only two instruments on the market that allow to measure sizes of biomolecules and biomolecular complexes through quantification of the diffusion coefficient, and which are not based on light scattering, but diffusion inside microfluidic channels. The FIDA 1 and the Fluidity One-M. the Fluidity One-M has a limited size range (<20 nm), whereas the FIDA 1 can measure up to micrometer sized particles. Furthermore the FIDA 1 has a range of unique features, such as:
-Fully flexible pressure control that allows to fine-tune the flow rates and adapt it to any type of sample.
-Possibility to inject complex sequences of biomolecule solutions and study their reaction inside the instrument.
-Integrated autosampler for up to 2 x 96-well plates.
-2 independent temperature controls for autosampler and measurement chamber respectively.
Based on these unique characteristics, we have developed a range of methods (see e.g. Stender et al., Nat. Comm. 2021 and many more in preparation), that can only be implemented on the FIDA 1 instrument (and not at all on the Fluidity One-M). These methods are the most important pillar for the ERC grant from which this will be paid. We have already one such instrument in the lab (belonging to another research group), and now we need to buy a second one, as we have reached the ab-solute capacity limit of the one instrument that we have. Therefore, there is no alternative to this instrument and DTU intends to award the contract to Fida Biosystems ApS.