GATC Blog - GATC Biotech

PacBio workshop for the GATC team

03.08.2011,

17:59 Uhr

Tough studying time on a hot summer afternoon: Ralph and Tobi from Pacific Biosciences trained the global sales team in all technical, scientific and sales aspects of the SMRT technology while doing several test runs on the instrument. They gave the team a very deep insight into the PacBio and revealed quite some valuable tips and hints. Had they been secrets so far?

Thanks for the trust, coaches!

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PacBio RS passed acceptance tests

29.07.2011,

13:38 Uhr

| by Kerstin Stangier

Our PacBio RS has passed the acceptance tests. As promised by Terry Pizzie from Pacific Biosciences, the installation of our Single Molecule Sequencer has been completed successfully within 4 weeks after delivery! We have integrated the PacBio RS into the sequencing pipeline of GATC’s labs in Constance. It is now officially joining all leading sequencing technology platforms! Yeah!

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Operation PacBio RS - Mission accomplished

28.06.2011,

17:21 Uhr

| by Elke Decker

Our PacBio RS arrived today at 8 am sharp. And we started the Facebook livestream of this event the same time, allowing the world to watch the arrival of Europe’s first PacBio RS for commercial sequencing services.

Three forwarding experts from Saxony wearing red T-shirts saying “Schenker Special” did a really fantastic job. This Schenker A-Team arrived late last night and was specialized in the professional transport of really heavy and really expensive goods. While we were hyperventilating when our PacBio was about to be unloaded, they stayed completely cool. We learned that they normally move equipment in the value of a couple of million Euros. To them, the transport job in Konstanz was a mere snack between breakfast and lunch. At least, the Pacific Biosciences team was sweating, too – and this was not due to the extremely warm summer morning. Terry Pizzie told us that it was the first time that the machine was lifted via a forklift and not, as usual, via a hydraulic ramp. Well, we did it the European way.

At 10.30 am the PacBio had already arrived at its final destination in the lab. At 12 am it had its first admirers: Journalists from Europe and Asia visiting GATC Biotech during their press tour in Germany.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

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PacBio What else?

04.06.2011,

14:48 Uhr

| by Kerstin Stangier

As Elke already mentioned, we went to Heidelberg...to meet not only the PacBio team, but also some potential customers.

In fact, it was just great to see the PacBio people "face to face", some of them I only knew from the phone or by email so far.

Beside the fantastic talk by Eric Schadt (CSO, Pacific Biosciences) showing some scientific questions which can be answered by using the new PacBio, we also prepared an outline for a fantastic project we will do together (no, we will not sequence EHEC).

We will keep you informed … and cross our fingers that no vulcano will thwart our plans!

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Meeting the PacBio team in Heidelberg

03.06.2011,

14:32 Uhr

| by Elke Decker

A six hours drive for a one hour meeting. Whatever it took - Kerstin and I spontaneously decided to drove up to Heidelberg on May 26, because we had the great chance to meet some of the PacBio team: Glenn Farrell, Martha Trela, Terry Pizzie, Deepak Singh, Eric Schadt and Ralph Vogelsang.

This team is just terrific. They are like a big family and they immediately adopted Kerstin and me. Terrie introduced us to the others by saying “This is GATC – our new best friends.”

When asking Glenn whether the delivery data of June 28 for our PacBio is really really really confirmed, he replied: “Nothing can stop us to ship it to you that day - except volcanic ashes from Island.” Yeah, nothing but nature will be able interfere. And - the volcano Grimsvötn has stopped spitting in the air.

As there will be a group of international journalists visiting GATC in Constance the very same day, we joked about whether we could wrap the machine is some special foil for an impressive “out of space” effect when opening the wooden crate. How about a high gloss foil with a hightech silver touch? Perhaps we should deliver it to the lab with a transport helicopter instead of a truck? Third Generation Sequencing from heaven ....

So, stay tuned to watch our livestream on Facebook on June 28. It’ll be worth watching.

PS: For all who do not know it yet: Our PacBio RS is still the very first one installed in the labs of a commercial sequencing service provider in Europe.

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Operation PacBio RS

27.05.2011,

17:24 Uhr

| by Elke Decker

The arrival of GATC’s – our – PacBio RS on June 28, 2011, will be remembered as a modern military operation.

Strategically planned and organized, precisely executed up to the nanosecond – and observed by an impressive number of European journalists plus a livestream on Facebook!

Normal people would get nervous.

Tobias Ost, Senior Field Applications Specialist of Pacific Biosciences, recently visited GATC Biotech in Constance for a site inspection and preparedness test: Nitrogen generator and compressor? Check. HVAC? Check. Hubble adapter? Check. UPS? Check. Floor flatness test? Check. Vibration test? Check. IT system? Check.

The biggest challenge will be to get the 800kg machine into the 2nd floor. One bottleneck remains to be overcome: GATC's Door-to-Nowhere (a perfect name given by Tobias). The PacBio will have to be lifted lengthwise on a hydraulic ramp to get it through a width of 142 cm. Third Generation Strategic Planning is underway. Done by our CTO, Thoms Pohl, himself.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

PS: For all who do not know it yet: Our PacBio RS is the very first one installed in the labs of a commercial sequencing service provider in Europe.