A pipette masterpiece celebrates its 60th birthday
60 years ago, Eppendorf launched the world’s first industrially manufactured piston-stroke pipette, changing laboratory work forever.
In 1961, Eppendorf introduced the »Marburg Pipette « - a completely new instrument for handling liquids in the laboratory at that time. The Marburg pipette already had the same basic elements that characterize modern piston- stroke pipettes: a spring-loaded piston that stops precisely at a set volume level, and a removable pipette tip made of plastic. This innovation made it possible to pipette liquids in the microliter range easily, reliably and safely for the very first time. Together with the first Eppendorf Tube (»Eppi «), a microliter centrifuge, and a thermomixer, the Marburg pipette formed the Eppendorf microliter system - a revolutionary toolset that paved the way for modern clinical analysis and molecular biology research. But the story does not end here. Over the past six decades, Eppendorf’s commitment to providing the best liquid handling solutions has repeatedly led to innovative designs that have made laboratory work ever more efficient, safe, and generally better. Today, Eppendorf customers can choose from a wide range of instruments, consumables and services to meet their liquid handling needs and further drive the efficiency of their research. ® ®
Pipettes no longer suck
Until the 1950s, scientists pipetted liquids by aspirating them into thin glass tubes by mouth - an unreliable and sometimes even dangerous technique. Frustrated by the inadequacies of mouth-pipetting, German physician Heinrich Schnitger constructed a “device for the rapid and accurate pipetting of small quantities of liquid” using a converted tuberculin syringe and applied for a patent in 1958. Eppendorf was the first to recognize its importance and further developed it into the »Marburg Pipette « by 1961.
Ready, set, pipette!
The global dissemination of pipettes picked up speed between 1961 and the 1980s, bringing with it new challenges and new developments. For example, the microplate gradually gained acceptance for various assays and analyses, and the single-channel pipette proved to be a bottleneck for efficient dispensing. The solution: multi- channel pipettes, such as the Titerman pipette launched by Eppendorf in 1993. With the ability to dispense up to 12 reagents simultaneously, the Titerman was the optimal complement to the microplate.
Think of your thumbs: the ergonomics of pipettes
Eppendorf considered clever ergonomic design as early as the 1970s, and always had the user in mind when developing new products. With the introduction of the Eppendorf PhysioCare Concept ® in 2003, the company anchored a holistic ergonomics concept in product development. A result of this time are also the first electronic pipettes, which contribute to safer work with revolutionary speed, accuracy and precision to this day.
The future of pipettes is now
Demand for innovative laboratory designs is increasing as the fast and reliable processing of high workloads becomes more and more important. One example is high-throughput analysis, where automated pipetting systems such as the epMotion ® systems from Eppendorf are used. Another component is the increasing digitalization of laboratories, where networked pipettes will play an important role in saving more time, reducing repetitive tasks and providing more accurate results.
Health and Welfare (MOHW), and the MFDS with a cumulative funding planned up-until the year 2025. The joint medical device R&D project will support R&D along with regulatory assistance to accelerate global/local market penetration.
“The first of its kind for the medical device industry of Korea includes a large-scale national
R&D project with a budget of $885 million over its 6-year timeframe presents great opportunities and challenges for both academia and industry” said
Prof. Kim Beop-Min, CEO, Korea Medical Device Development Fund.
Accordingly, KMDF will assist in developing practical medical devices throughout their technology development, manufacturing stages, clinical testing, approval process and also until commercialisation. KMDF will also form a network of cooperation between companies, academia, institutions and hospitals to develop state-of-the-art medical devices and technologies.
“KMDF develops market-friendly medical devices by establishing a sustainable, life-cycle medical device R&D platform, Life-cycle management system, a supporting system that increases the efficiency of R&D and maximises performance through the sustainable support” added Prof. Kim.
The South Korean government has focused on digital health as a key growth sector emphasising on the areas such as healthcare related Big Data, Health IT, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and 3D printing. Country is attracting more active innovation to its medical device arena and adopting novel technologies. Despite the global pandemic crisis South Korea’s medical device industry is evolving with possibilities of digital transformation and active innovations as a value addition to improve patient outcomes.