MUNICH, Germany (May 15, 2008) – The Advalytix products team of Olympus introduces the CellEvator mixer, which uses proprietary surface acoustic wave mixing technology to enhance sample mixing during cell sorting. The CellEvator is a drop-in replacement for the built-in mechanical sample mixer in Becton Dickinson’s market-leading FACSAriaTM cell sorting system. It will be on exhibit at the 24th Annual International Congress of the International Society of Analytical Cytology, Booth 41, May 17-21, in Budapest, Hungary. “Inefficient mixing during cell sorting leads to numerous problems, including drop off of cell event rates and clogging, even cell necrosis,” said Ted Giehl, flow operator at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “CellEvator is going to be a genuine asset to sorting on the Aria, especially for long sorts of rare cells, fragile or large cells,” added Richard Konz, Director, Flow Cytometry Core Facility UMass Medical School. CellEvator is the latest addition to Advalytix’s suite of solutions for flow cytometry. It induces surface waves into the sample from the bottom of the sample tube, preventing cells from settling and reducing the likelihood of cell adhesion. The technology is non-invasive, and has no moving parts, allowing virtually maintenance-free operation. And, unlike vortex mixing, SAW creates no air bubbles and mixes in a vertical direction – ideal to offset settlement. CellEvator is programmable to vary mixing intensity, as well as the length of an initial mixing burst. SAW waves have been shown to have no adverse effect on cell viability. About Advalytix Advalytix, a product group within Olympus Life Science Research Europa GmbH, serves as the worldwide center of competence within Olympus for cell-based molecular biology products focusing on the miniaturization of diagnostic and biological tests for research and development. The product portfolio combines imaging technologies, such as microscopy, with nucleic acid analysis to offer turnkey systems that include both instruments and reagents. The product portfolio for both life science research and diagnostics is being expanded continuously.