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Molecular Devices Launches Automated QPix FLEX Microbial Colony Picking System

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Reengineering the way microbial colonies are picked, plated, and analyzed, with over 95% efficiency and nearly 100% accuracy.

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Molecular Devices, LLC., a leading high-performance life science solutions provider, today launched the QPix® FLEX™ Microbial Colony Picking System. Building on the company’s 20-year legacy developing colony pickers, the QPix FLEX system automates and streamlines multi-step microbial screening workflow, reducing manual labor and saving valuable time. Thanks to its small footprint—designed to fit easily on a lab bench or in constrained spaces like an anaerobic chamber—it supports an extensive range of research areas, from microbial strain engineering to microbiome research, while ensuring complete sample tracking and traceability for reliable results.

The QPix FLEX reflects our commitment to enabling all scientists—regardless of lab size—to innovate faster, scale up more confidently, and achieve scientific breakthroughs in synthetic biology, microbiome research, and beyond.

“This multifunctional, integrated platform streamlines microbiology workflows and boosts productivity with advanced multimodal imaging and high-efficiency picking, making it ideal for small labs or challenging microbes,” said Mary Duseau, President of Molecular Devices. “It reflects our commitment to enabling all scientists—regardless of lab size—to innovate faster, scale up more confidently, and achieve scientific breakthroughs in synthetic biology, microbiome research, and beyond.”

For scientists working in protein engineering and microbiome, traditional colony picking remains a bottleneck, often requiring hours of tedious manual labor and risking contamination or tracking errors. As projects scale and timelines tighten, researchers struggle with fragmented workflows, cramped lab spaces, and data integrity challenges. The QPix FLEX system removes these roadblocks, empowering researchers to automate their workflows without sacrificing precision, sterility, or traceability.

QPix FLEX Microbial Colony Picking System Key Features and Benefits

Compact Design, Big Impact: Ideal for labs with limited space, fitting effortlessly on the benchtop or inside hypoxic or anaerobic chambers. Its configurable deck and modular architecture grow with research needs.Precision Picking with Phenotypic Insight: Advanced imaging and ultrasonic agar sensing deliver near-perfect picking accuracy, enabling detailed colony analysis by morphology and color for smarter downstream screening.Built-In Sterility and Traceability: Integrated UV decontamination, ultrasonic tip washing, and optional HEPA filtration reduce contamination risk. Complete barcode-based sample tracking ensures data integrity at every step.End-to-End Workflow Automation: Combines plating, streaking, colony picking, and hit picking in a single instrument, reducing hands-on time and error-prone manual steps while accelerating screening throughput.

To experience firsthand how the QPix FLEX system can enhance experimental flexibility, streamline workflows, and ensure reliable results for scientists across biotechnology and microbiome research, stop by booth 215 at the Global Synthetic Biology Conference in San Jose, Calif., May 5-8, 2025, or stand 401 at the SLAS Europe 2025 Conference and Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, May 20-22, 2025. Learn more here.

About Molecular Devices, LLC.

Molecular Devices is one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems, software and consumables for life science research, pharmaceutical and biotherapeutic development. Included within a broad product portfolio are platforms for high-throughput screening, genomic and cellular analysis, colony selection and microplate detection. These leading-edge products enable scientists to improve productivity and effectiveness, ultimately accelerating research and the discovery of new therapeutics. Molecular Devices is committed to the continual development of innovative solutions for life science applications. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with offices around the globe. For more information, please visit www.moleculardevices.com.

Media Contact

Amy Smith, Molecular Devices, 1 4083344699, amy.smith@moldev.com, www.moleculardevices.com

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SOURCE Molecular Devices

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Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quotecom-announces-new-senior-leadership-additions-302749492.html

SOURCE Quote.com

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Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

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SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

 

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/young-voices-across-oceans-telling-chinas-story-fiji-special-showcases-gdi-achievements-302750267.html

SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

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Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

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Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-PlaceSelf-Driving Product ChangeoverSelf-Driving Batch OptimizationSelf-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laminar-wins-gold-2026-edison-award-for-physical-ai-that-powers-the-self-driving-factory-302749392.html

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