Automated nucleic acid extraction is only as fast as the slowest step in the run -and in many genetic testing laboratories, that step isn’t the extraction chemistry itself but the downtime around it: manually prefilling plates, waiting for reagents to reach temperature, or reconfiguring an instrument between sample types. Revvity’s chemagic Neo was built specifically to close that gap, with an integrated 8-channel dispenser and on-deck heating that keep the workflow moving instead of waiting on it.
The Bottleneck Downtime Creates in Genetic Workflows
Genetic testing labs rarely run one assay all day. A single run might call for DNA from blood, RNA from plasma, or circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from a biomarker study -each with its own volume, buffer, and incubation requirements. On many automated platforms, switching between these means manual reagent prep, separate buffer-filling steps, or even reconfiguring the instrument itself. Every one of those steps is downtime: time the instrument isn’t extracting nucleic acids, and time a technician spends on repetitive manual work instead of higher-value tasks.
Inside the chemagic Neo: 8-Channel Dispenser and On-Deck Heating
The chemagic Neo addresses this directly with two integrated features. Its 8-channel dispenser handles reagent and buffer dispensing on-deck, removing the need to manually prefill plates or tubes before a run starts. Its on-deck heating maintains samples and reagents at the correct temperature throughout extraction, so incubation steps that would otherwise introduce waiting time happen automatically, in step with the rest of the protocol.
Together, these features mean a lab can move from loading samples to walking away, with the instrument itself handling the reagent handling and temperature control that used to require manual intervention between runs.
Flexibility Built Into Every Run
Beyond eliminating manual steps, the chemagic Neo is built around flexible, cartridge-based automation that adapts to the samples rather than forcing the samples to adapt to the instrument. It scales from a single sample up to a full plate, and handles small studies through to high-throughput projects, without splitting batches or switching to a different instrument. Labs can change sample types and batch sizes run to run, using the same platform rather than maintaining separate systems for different extraction needs.
This matters most in labs where assay diversity is growing -where this week’s run might be viral nucleic acids, and next week’s might be DNA from buffy coats or plasma, all on the same instrument, without retraining or revalidating a new system.
From HMW DNA to cfDNA: One Platform, Many Applications
The chemagic Neo’s magnetic bead technology is designed to deliver high yields of ultrapure nucleic acids across a wide range of applications. For labs working with high-molecular-weight (HMW) DNA, the platform supports extraction suitable for long-read sequencing, where DNA fragment integrity directly affects read length and data quality. For cfDNA biomarker research, it supports the lower-input, higher-sensitivity extraction that circulating free DNA work demands. And for pathogen research, it brings the same automated, contamination-conscious workflow to viral nucleic acid extraction.
Note: as with Revvity’s other chemagic instruments, the chemagic Neo is intended for research use only and is not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Keeping Genetic Workflows Moving
For a genetic testing laboratory, the real cost of automation bottlenecks isn’t just the delay of one run -it’s the cumulative effect of downtime across every run, every day. By building reagent dispensing and temperature control directly into the deck, the chemagic Neo is designed to remove exactly those gaps, so a lab’s genetic workflows keep moving instead of waiting on manual steps between them.
At The Science Support, we help genomics and molecular diagnostics laboratories across Greece bring automated nucleic acid extraction platforms like the chemagic Neo into their workflow. Get in touch with our team to discuss how it could fit into your lab’s extraction needs.