Netherlands - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) - Automated Specimen Sorter - Naturalis

Naturalis needs a system to automatically sort specimens (<2,5 mm) in liquid. The contract includes the turnkey delivery of the system, and necessary supplies (e.g. flowcells), support, and maintenance for a period of 4-5 years and possibly longer. 1 automated specimen sorter, including 5 years of support and maintenance Background Naturalis is building a large-scale research infrastructure for biodiversity monitoring through environmental DNA. This will allow, for the first time, a near-real time view of the state of biodiversity in the Netherlands. The project is called eDentity, and should be available in 2028. This infrastructure was made possible by a €18.573.838 subsidy from the Applied Research Facilities funding program by the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate. The eDentity infrastructure will allow for the analysis of large amounts of biological samples (soil, water, air filters, etc) through standard procedures. It aims to facilitate all steps of the analysis, from sampling to data analysis, quickly and at low cost, for a maximum of 250.000 eDNA metabarcoding samples per year. Besides setting up a metabarcoding facility, Naturalis will implement a process for large-scale automated sample sorting of community bulk samples, enabling identification of individual specimens in complex samples. Automated sample processing Sample triage and sorting limits both the assessment of community composition and building of reference databases because it currently relies on labour-intensive work by skilled persons. In marine benthic monitoring this can result in up to two years delay between sampling and reporting. An approach integrating image recognition and, where needed, additional techniques (e.g. X-ray, hyperspectral imaging, UV imaging, etc.) will make this process more efficient and allow identification of specimens that cannot immediately be linked to vouchers in the reference database. This component will be able to process a complete range of sample types, including: passive open trap samples (terrestrial), attractant trap samples (terrestrial), soil cores, marine samples, and aquatic samples. The biological specimens in these samples are sorted by size or other physical features and quantified. The different fractions of the sample then enter the DNA sequencing component. For macro-organisms, image recognition tools are used to separate known from unknown specimens. Representatives of the latter then enter the DNA pipeline for identification, while another subset is added to the specimen collections. This contract As part of the automated sample processing line Naturalis needs a system capable of sorting specimens in liquid. The system must meet the following requirements: The system is capable of analyzing and sorting specimens with a size of up to 1.5 mm; The system includes the required peripheral equipment for proper functioning (e.g. air compressors); The system analyzes particles based on shape, excitation (488nm blue, 561nm yellow and potentially 405nm for UV detection) or other properties; The system uses a minimum of 70% EtOH as sheath fluid; The system is capable of dispensing into 96-wells (flat bottom) plates and tubes with a diameter of maximum 10 mm; During the sorting process particles must remain completely intact; The Biosorter is a benchtop type instrument which fits on a bench of 65cm deep, and supports regular connection to 220V. The instruments fits in the elevator (90cm gap size doors, 200cm depth); The system can be connected to an IP network using an RJ45 connector supporting the TCP/IP protocol; The system has the ability to copy/move data and run data to another storage location within the IP network, either using the SMB protocol, the NFS protocol or a S3 API. In case of S3 API support, this should include compatibility with non-AWS S3 compatible object storage systems. The system has the ability to automate the copying of the above mentioned data using a scheduled task or an API call; The system can be connected to laboratory automation options, e.g. barcode scanner and/or stacking instrument.