Q&A with Irish Life Sciences

At diaago, our broad range of suppliers allows us to provide what you need for your lab, when you need it. We thought it would be fun to take a deeper dive into how these innovators brainstorm, create, and do what they do everyday to make your next discovery possible.

We reached out to Irish Life Sciences to learn about product demand, COVID chaos in the biotech industry, and their recently launched 2.2-mL square well 'U' bottom plate.

How has COVID affected Irish Life Sciences priorities as far as product development and demand?

We found that there was very high demand for 2.2mL square well, 2.0mL round well and 1.0mL round well low-profile plates resulting in our tooling investment being focused on additional tooling and new products to satisfy that demand. We have introduced 6 new molds since November last year. The downside for us is that launching our range of Assay plates has been put back until later this year.

In a chaotic year, what’s something about the industry that has surprised you or you truly didn’t expect?

The sheer scale of requirements caused by COVID and the long lead times of some of our competitors has surprised me the most. Thankfully, as we mold our own products in class 8 cleanrooms, we have been able to respond quickly to most enquiries for the 2.0mL and 1.0mL plates.

You recently launched the 2.2-mL square well 'U' bottom plate. What types of applications would benefit from using a ‘U’ bottom plate over other plates you offer?

The new 2.2mL square well ‘U’ bottom is part of our next generation of high throughput tooling using a medical grade polymer. As with the new 2.2mL square well ‘Pyramid’ bottom plate, we have worked extensively with system integrators to ensure the well bottoms offer a good contact surface with heater/shaker blocks.

As COVID restrictions open up little by little, what are you most looking forward to for ILS moving forward?

I think one of the things we have missed most is seeing customers. We try hard to meet customer expectations and being able to meet with them and understand their requirements really helps. We’re even looking forward to exhibitions and very much looking forward to SLAS in Boston next year.