1. Centro & Centro XS³ LB 960

2. 6 models Centro Basic upgradeable
Centro Research 2 injectors (10 – 100 µl) and waste pump
Centro HTS 3 injectors and waste pump, 96&384 well robot access, robot software, Mikrowin Adv. II
Centro Phago 3 injectors and waste pump, 96 well, temperature control
Centro XS³ Basic upgradeable
Centro XS³ Reportergene 2 Injectors and waste pump, ready-to-use DLR files

3. Centro models & options

4. Features Up to 3 injectors (10 – 100 µL)
Measurement of 96 & 384 well microplates
Shaking
Robot Accessibility
Small footprint
Software with calculation possibilities and GLP features, e.g. control history
Heating (Centro only)

5. Centro XS³: Differences to Centro
PMT located directly above well: better efficiency
all in pre-measurement positions
slightly higher housing (~10 mm)
ambient temperature only
higher tolerance for varying plate heights: +/- 0.6 mm
Better and more stable alignment of PMT level and
plate level
96 or 384 wells: change of cone

6. Centro XS³ optics
new more direct optics

7. ! Injectors Inj. #3 is not in measurement position any more
all „slow“ flash-type assays still possible, e.g. DLR (2 sec delay between injection and reading!), single luciferase, ATP, etc. !

8. Performance features Sensitivity (Centro XS³) Sensitivity (Centro)
~1.1 attomol ATP (per well)
Celsis SensiLux ATP kit
white opaque 96 well plates Berthold
~1.3 zmol Firefly (per well) ~ 1200 molecules
Promega DLR kit
Sensitivity (Centro)
~4.1 attomol ATP (per well)
~1.96 zmol Firefly (per well) ~ 800 molecules

9. Crosstalk:
< 3 x 10-5
white opaque 96 well plate Berthold
< 2 x 10-6
Black opaque 96 well plate Berthold
Dynamic range: > 6 decades

10. Method for Calculation of Detection Limits
3 x Standard Deviation (Bkg)
Signal (Std) – Signal (Bkg) x
Concentration (Std)
Std: signal about 100 times greater than background

11. Detection Limit
stable background is extremely important: 3 x standard deviation
read a whole empty (or just reagent without analyte) plate to determine mean and SD of background
read 1 sample with known concentration (or dilution series)
calculate

12. Detection Limit

13. Sensitivity: Background Issues
Background of an assay is usually all components of an assay; only the analyte is missing
Reagents have usually a high intrinsic background; sometimes 100 – 1000 x instrument background
So far all data for detection limit were derived with reagent background - the superior performance of BT instruments was compromised by those numbers
Competition obviously used background values without reagent
We are now in the process of reviewing / re-doing all measurements in respect of taking plain instrument background data for calculation

14. Sensitivity
Comparison Centro - Veritas

15. Sensitivity calculated detection limit: Centro 312.7 pM
Veritas pM

16. Testplates for instruments comparison
Other test plates
e.g. Harta, BDS
Berthold Technologies
testplate
Orion
Veritas
Centro
IMPORTANT:
comparison with other test plates than BT one discriminates Centro due to optical configuration

17. Instrument Comparisons
Centro
XS³
Orion
Victor
Lumi Star
Lumino skan
Lucy
Veritas
ATP amol
Lucif. zmol
4.1
1.96
1.1
1.3 20 80 50
1 (?)
20-30 6 3
Dead vol.
800
5x600
5x1500
1200
5x1200
crosstalk
10-6
10-5
10-4 ?
Waste pump Y n
Inj. vol.
prec.
10-100
99%
10-250
5-350
98.5%
5-250
1-1000
95%
25-500
25-250
99%?
Inj. 4 2
Plate format
96 op.384
96/384
24-384
24-384*
24-384** 96
Temp. contr. N
Cell inj.
*insertion of spacers **manual adjustment

18. Centro XS³ is the direct answer to Veritas/Glomax
2 injectors
direct & highly efficient optics
96 well
plus:
kinetics/repeated function
extended calculation functions
Additional injector available
384 well plate possibility

19. BDS Orion II Competiton PerkinElmer Victor Light Turner Veritas
BMG LumiStar
Labsystems Ascent
Beckman Lucy III
Dynex MLX

20. Competiton Orion II
pricing: ~ 20 k€ some cases 14 k€ with 2 injectors!
syringe injectors are difficult to completely empty: residues of „old“ liquids
20 amol ATP per well
usually unstable background

21. Competiton Victor Light
pricing: < 15 k€
syringe injectors in separate box
dead volume 1.5 ml
not usable for fast kinetics (Acridinium ester)
questionable use for Aequorin assays (timing; malicious to cells)
80 amol ATP per well*
high crosstalk
Workout necessary for any data reduction (increased cost)

22. Competiton Victor Light
PKI brochure: 20 pM (glow ATPLite)
=20 fmol / ml
=4 fmol per well (200 µl)
comparison Centro: 4 amol per well !!
comparison Centro XS³: exp. 1 amol per well!!! (flash Sensilux)

23. Competiton Turner Veritas
pricing: 16 kUS$ (Jan2004) w/ 2 inj.
2 syringe injectors (min. 25 µL)
to unload and clean the sytems tips have to be released and manually placed into waste container
Injector tips are too close causing cross- contamination (suspending droplets)
dead volume ~ 1.5 mL
injectors can not be completely emptied
black residues remain on plate after reading

24. Competiton Turner Veritas 2
dynamic range (9 decades) only via photon counting & current mode combination: takes ~ 3 sec instead of 1 sec
96 well only
injector access only by opening cover
currently no kinetics possible
no temp control available
software is primitive (DDE to EXCEL)
no sophisticated calculation possible
no user access (no 21 CFR part 11)
runs only with US Windows OS

25. Competiton BMG LumiStar
pricing: ~ 15 k€
3 syringe injectors
dynamic range (8 decades) with gain adjustment only
Current mode of PMT
lower sensitivity (~ 20 times less)

26. Comp. Labsystems Ascent
pricing: ~ k€ with 1 inj. & LIA software
3 syringe injectors
Current mode of PMT
lower sensitivity (~ 20 times less)

27. Comparison Asys Lucy =Beckman / =Anthos / =Mediator pricing: ???
2 syringe injectors
Current mode of PMT
lower sensitivity
sales through Asys will not be successful
Lucy production is said to be stopped

28. Competiton Dynex MLX pricing: 15 – 20 k€
3 syringe injectors: 5 µL increments only
Current mode of PMT
computer integrated (replacement problems after short periods of time)
only 96 well plates
limited sales force

29. Centro Selection guide

30. Message to take away WE ARE THE EXPERTS!
We offer the best luminometers
Best performance:
Sensitivity
Crosstalk
Injector accuracy & precision
Highest flexibility:
Hardware
Software
WE ARE THE EXPERTS!