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    firefly for Public Health Laboratories

    From outbreak response to routine surveillance, firefly gives public health and reference laboratories walk-away liquid handling that scales with demand without adding headcount or lab space.

    0.5 – 125 µL

    Pipetting range

    96 / 384

    Well formats supported

    Walk-away

    NGS & PCR setup with firefly+

    Compact Benchtop

    Footprint that fits existing labs

    Built for the pressures public health labs actually face

    • Testing volumes that spike overnight during an outbreak

    • Recruitment and retention gaps in laboratory science roles

    • Budgets set years ahead of the next public health emergency

    • Accreditation requirements that demand full audit trails

    • Multiple sites that need to run the same validated method

    Surveillance and surge testing don't run on a fixed schedule

    Public health and reference laboratories carry a mandate commercial labs don't: they have to be ready for both the routine and the emergency, often with the same headcount and the same bench space. Manual liquid handling makes that mandate expensive to meet - every surge in testing demand becomes a staffing problem, and every new assay becomes a validation project.

    firefly is a compact, walk-away liquid handling platform that automates the repetitive pipetting, dispensing and thermal cycling steps behind genomic surveillance, molecular diagnostics and laboratory-developed tests - so your scientists spend their time on results, not repetition.

    firefly will enable laboratories to remain agile and adaptive as NGS-based LDTs become more prevalent.

    How firefly fits into your lab

    One platform, three steps, applied across every use case below - no matter which sample type or assay you're running. 

    1

    Accession & prepare

    Load full or partial plates straight from accessioned samples - firefly's flexible column loading means low-volume or irregular batches don't break the run. 
    2

    Automate the method

    Build protocols visually, no code required, or pull a pre-validated method from firefly's peer-to-peer protocol network. firefly+ adds an integrated thermocycler for fully hands-free PCR and NGS library prep. 
    3

    Report & respond

    Full version management and user-level audit trails keep every run traceable - so results move to reporting and public health action faster.
    Genomic Surveillance
    Genomic Surveillance

    Pathogen surveillance & outbreak investigation

    Automate NGS library preparation for whole-genome sequencing so genomic epidemiology and variant tracking keep pace with case counts, not the other way round. A range of pre-validated protocols such as NEBNext Ultra II and Illumina DNA Prep shorten method development

    Explore genomics applications

    Surge Testing
    Surge Testing

    High-throughput molecular diagnostics

    Absorb testing spikes - seasonal or emergency - without adding automation engineers to the payroll. firefly+'s integrated on-deck thermocycler runs complete PCR and qPCR setup-to-cycling hands-free, in 96- or 384-well format.

    See PCR & qPCR workflows

    Regulated Testing
    Regulated Testing

    Laboratory-developed tests for emerging threats

    firefly for LDT gives clinical and public health labs the tools to rapidly develop and deploy LDTs with powerful features such as user-access-control and audit trails that regulated environments require.

    Ask about firefly for LDT

    Environmental Surveillance
    Environmental Surveillance

    Wastewater & environmental sample processing

    Environmental samples arrive with inconsistent volumes and matrices. firefly's 0.5–125 µL range and non-contact dispensing keep prep consistent ahead of PCR-based pathogen detection, even across mixed batch sizes.

    Sample Lifecycle
    Sample Lifecycle

    Accessioning & long-term biobanking

    Pair firefly's automated prep with arktic automated -80°C storage and lab2lab inter-instrument transport to move samples between accessioning, testing and archive - critical for reference labs coordinating across multiple sites.

    Explore sample management

    Network Labs
    Network Labs

    Shared methods across a lab network

    State, regional and reference lab networks need every site running the same validated method. firefly's cloud-based, peer-to-peer protocol network lets labs share and adopt validated protocols instead of re-developing them site by site.

    FEATURED PLATFORM

    firefly & firefly+

    firefly-1
    firefly® & firefly+
    All-in-one, compact liquid handling platform

    An all-in-one, compact liquid handling platform that combines pipetting, non-contact dispensing, incubating and shaking - with firefly+ adding a fully integrated thermocycler for complete walk-away PCR and NGS library prep.

    Typical applications
    Public Health Labs
    Key Specifications
    • 0.5 µL – 125 µL
    • 96- and 384-well
    • 3 or 6 dragonfly tip options, any combination
    • Pipetting, dispensing, incubating, shaking
    • Inheco On-Deck Thermal Cycler (ODTC®), 96- or 384-well
    • Visual, no-code builder; author on any PC
    • Log-in access control, full version management, audit trails
    • Cloud-based peer-to-peer protocol sharing network
    Explore firefly

    What labs say after they walk away

    To have all of this functionality on this footprint is just crazy!

    One of its most impressive features is the ease of programming; you don't need to be an automation engineer to operate it effectively.

    The firefly has all the capabilities to run my single cell workflows - I can rely on it to easily automate all my pipetting/dispensing steps and it significantly reduces the hands-on time required for my protocols.

    The pressures public health labs are managing right now

    Workforce shortages
    Workforce shortages

    Recruitment and retention gaps in laboratory science make it harder to staff up for every new demand.

    Walk-away automation + no-code protocols

    Fixed, multi-year budgets
    Fixed, multi-year budgets

    Funding is set ahead of the next emergency, leaving little room for new capital equipment mid-cycle.

    One compact platform instead of several instruments

    Surge capacity
    Surge capacity

    Testing demand can multiply overnight during an outbreak or emergency response.

    firefly+ hands-free PCR & NGS setup

    Reagent & supply efficiency
    Reagent & supply efficiency

    Supply chain disruption during high-demand periods makes reagent efficiency a operational priority, not just a cost one.

    Non-contact, low-volume dispensing

    Accreditation & audit readiness
    Accreditation & audit readiness

    Regulated and accredited environments need every run to be traceable to an individual user and protocol version.

    Access control + full version management

    Multi-site coordination
    Multi-site coordination

    Regional and reference lab networks need consistent methods across every site they run.

    Cloud-based protocol sharing network

    Matching the platform to the workflow

    Use Case Primary Platform Supporting Capability
    Pathogen genomic surveillance firefly / firefly+ Pre-validated NGS library prep protocols; peer-to-peer network
    Surge molecular diagnostics (PCR/qPCR) firefly+ Integrated ODTC thermocycler for hands-free cycling
    Laboratory-developed tests firefly for LDT Access control, audit trails, reliance validation support
    Environmental & wastewater surveillance firefly 0.5–125 µL range across variable sample matrices
    Accessioning & biobanking firefly + arktic Automated -80°C storage; lab2lab inter-site transport

    Explore other relevant products from our portfolio

    Workflow Stage Task SPT Labtech Product Key Capability
    Reagent Dispensing Detection reagents, substrates, enzymes, buffers across all wells of 96-, 384-, or 1,536-well plates

    dragonfly discovery

     

    		 Non-contact positive displacement; 200 nL–4 mL; <5% error at 1 µL; handles all liquid classes including DMSO, aqueous, glycerol, cell- or bead-suspensions and basal membrane extracts
    Concentration Gradients Defining and dispensing linear and n-fold reagent concentration matrices for assay optimization

    dragonfly discovery

    		dragonfly designer software: intuitive gradient definition, replicate layout, automatic volume calculation, CSV import
    Cell Seeding Dispensing cell suspensions at defined densities for cell-based assay development  
    dragonfly discovery
    		Non-contact gentle dispensing preserves cell viability; AFR keeps cells in constant circulation for consistent seeding density across all wells; compatible with viscous media
    Compound Addition Adding test compounds at defined concentrations from DMSO compound stocks
    mosquito HV
     
    mosquito LV
    		25 nL–5 µL positive displacement; disposable micropipettes guarantee zero carry-over; DMSO-compatible; <0.3 µL dead volume
    Serial Dilutions Generating dose-response dilution series for IC₅₀/EC₅₀ determination

    mosquito HV
     
    mosquito LV

    		Accurate, viscosity-agnostic serial dilutions from concentrated DMSO stocks; consistent volumes across all dilution points
    Assay-Ready Plate Prep Reformatting compound plates from 96-well library stocks to 384- or 1,536-well assay plates
    mosquito HV
     
    mosquito LV
    		96→384→1,536 reformatting in under 1.5 minutes; direct mother-to-daughter plate replication; integrated seal piercing
    Hit Cherry-Picking Selecting and reformatting confirmed hits for follow-up profiling and SAR studies
    mosquito X1
    		Single-channel programmable access to any well across multiple deck positions; 25 nL–5 µL
    General Plate Prep Standard curve preparation, sample reformatting, plate replication
    <p>apricot S3</p>
     
    <p>apricot PP5</p>
    		Flexible multi-channel; interchangeable 96/384 core; accessible to every team member; no coding required

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    firefly includes log-in access control and full version management, giving every protocol run a user-level audit trail. Labs running firefly for LDT also get dedicated reliance® service support through assay validation, which many regulated and accredited labs use as part of their compliance process.

    firefly handles pipetting, non-contact dispensing, incubating and shaking on a compact benchtop footprint. firefly+ adds an integrated Inheco On-Deck Thermal Cycler, so PCR and NGS library prep can run start-to-finish without manual handoff - the difference that matters most when testing volumes spike.

    Yes. firefly's 0.5–125 µL pipetting range and flexible, partial-plate column loading are designed to handle inconsistent sample volumes and batch sizes without requiring a separate protocol for every variation.

    firefly runs on a cloud-based, peer-to-peer protocol network, so labs can share and adopt validated protocols directly rather than redeveloping the same method at every site.

    SPT Labtech's reliance® service provides dedicated support for protocol development, taking labs from initial assay setup through to sustainable, high-throughput operation.

    No. Protocols are built through a visual, no-code interface that can be authored on any PC, which is part of why firefly is positioned for labs that don't have automation specialists on staff.

    References
    1. SPT Labtech, "firefly for LDT" - https://www.sptlabtech.com/firefly-ldt-registered-interest

    See firefly running your workflow

    Bring your own protocol, sample type or turnaround-time target - we'll show you what walk-away looks like for your lab.

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