Symphony^® > Advantages of the Symphony^® and Symphony Quartet™

Extreme Versatility
With the Symphony or Symphony Quartet, different reaction times and protocols can be varied for each step of the synthesis, allowing the instrument to be used for simultaneous production of completely independent compounds at different scales.

For example, compounds of differing lengths can be synthesized simultaneously at different scales. Synthesis on any of the channels can start or stop at any time, regardless of whether syntheses are in progress on other channels. Custom Peptide Synthesis Houses and Core laboratories will find this useful for serving the needs of multiple clients. The Symphony and Symphony Quartet can operate as if it were 12 or 4 separate single-channel synthesizers respectively.

Fast Multiplex Operation
The speed of Symphony allows 12 reaction vessels to produce compounds faster and in numbers comparable to other synthesizers using many more reaction vessels. When synthesizing 12-mers, for example, it is possible to produce 48 different synthetic compounds in a 48-hour period. The difference with Symphony is that the first dozen compounds are complete in 12 hours, the next dozen after 24 hours, and so on, rather than having to run for the entire 48 hours before any products are complete.

The core of the Symphony is an innovative highly-reliable, patented multiplexing matrix valve system that permits reagents to be transferred to different reaction vessels (RVs) without cross-contamination. For example, as Solvent 1 is transferred to RV1, the matrix valve block can be directing Solvent 2 to RV2, Solvent 5 to RV3, any one of 20 reagents to RV4, nitrogen to RV5 for mixing and Solvent 6 to RV6 for cleavage; all simultaneously, without interference. Couplings in the reaction vessels proceed independent of each other; each according to its own unique program and protocol.

The Symphony Quartet performs in a similar manner, but with four reaction vessels.

Low Coupling Cost
Reagents for synthesis are dispensed from common reservoirs specific to each reagent. Bulk reagents can be used to prepare solutions for the 20 reagent reservoirs, contributing to low reagent cost. The fact that reaction vessels are agitated during coupling enables the synthesis of longer compounds and allows the solution to be only moderately concentrated, permitting easy dissolution of reagents.

Variable Scales
The Symphony and Symphony Quartet offer a variable range of synthesis scales from 0.005 mM to 0.35 mM per channel. This allows for the economical synthesis of either small (milligram) or large (near gram) quantities of compounds.

Automated Cleavage
Automated cleavage delivers the product compound from each synthesis directly to a centrifuge tube in a vented compartment, ready for further work-up and purification.

Easily Customized Protocols
Control software runs on an IBM-compatible PC and allows sequences to be created directly or imported from other programs. Partial sequences can be cut and pasted to appropriate channels, then edited as desired. Each channel is controlled independently, and custom coupling protocols can be programmed channel-by-channel and residue-by-residue.