Molecular Devices launches automated QPix FLEX Microbial Colony Picking System

Molecular Devices, LLC., a leading high-performance life science solutions provider, today launched the QPix® FLEX™ Microbial Colony Picking System. Building on the company's 20-year legacy developing colony pickers, the QPix FLEX system automates and streamlines multi-step microbial screening workflow, reducing manual labor and saving valuable time. Thanks to its small footprint—designed to fit easily on a lab bench or in constrained spaces like an anaerobic chamber—it supports an extensive range of research areas, from microbial strain engineering to microbiome research, while ensuring complete sample tracking and traceability for reliable results.

From plating and streaking to colony picking, liquid handling, and cherry picking, QPix FLEX automates every step in your microbial screening workflow. Image Credit: Molecular Devices, LLC

This multifunctional, integrated platform streamlines microbiology workflows and boosts productivity with advanced multimodal imaging and high-efficiency picking, making it ideal for small labs or challenging microbes,"

Mary Duseau, President of Molecular Devices

"It reflects our commitment to enabling all scientists—regardless of lab size—to innovate faster, scale up more confidently, and achieve scientific breakthroughs in synthetic biology, microbiome research, and beyond."

The QPix FLEX reflects our commitment to enabling all scientists—regardless of lab size—to innovate faster, scale up more confidently, and achieve scientific breakthroughs in synthetic biology, microbiome research, and beyond.

For scientists working in protein engineering and microbiome, traditional colony picking remains a bottleneck, often requiring hours of tedious manual labor and risking contamination or tracking errors. As projects scale and timelines tighten, researchers struggle with fragmented workflows, cramped lab spaces, and data integrity challenges. The QPix FLEX system removes these roadblocks, empowering researchers to automate their workflows without sacrificing precision, sterility, or traceability.

QPix FLEX Microbial Colony Picking System key features and benefits

• Compact Design, Big Impact: Ideal for labs with limited space, fitting effortlessly on the benchtop or inside hypoxic or anaerobic chambers. Its configurable deck and modular architecture grow with research needs.
• Precision Picking with Phenotypic Insight: Advanced imaging and ultrasonic agar sensing deliver near-perfect picking accuracy, enabling detailed colony analysis by morphology and color for smarter downstream screening.
• Built-In Sterility and Traceability: Integrated UV decontamination, ultrasonic tip washing, and optional HEPA filtration reduce contamination risk. Complete barcode-based sample tracking ensures data integrity at every step.
• End-to-End Workflow Automation: Combines plating, streaking, colony picking, and hit picking in a single instrument, reducing hands-on time and error-prone manual steps while accelerating screening throughput.

To experience firsthand how the QPix FLEX system can enhance experimental flexibility, streamline workflows, and ensure reliable results for scientists across biotechnology and microbiome research, stop by booth 215 at the Global Synthetic Biology Conference in San Jose, Calif., May 5-8, 2025, or stand 401 at the SLAS Europe 2025 Conference and Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, May 20-22, 2025.