Customer stories
Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences
The Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences brings together basic research in natural sciences and medicine. Researchers are using the VACUU·PURE 10C screw pump in a new chemistry laboratory. The powerful device supplies two chemical synthesis hoods simultaneously. In this interview, Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius, leader of the research group for chromatin labeling and imaging, shares their experience.
What research are you doing?
Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius: My research group is located in the Department of NanoBiophotonics headed by director prof. Stefan W. Hell – the 2014 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. We are dedicated to interdisciplinary projects employing chemical synthesis, biological knowledge and advanced microscopy methods. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art microscopes which are used for super-resolution imaging of biomolecules. Our research group is synthesizing fluorescent dyes and probes for imaging biological structures in living cells.
One of our objectives is the generation of biocompatible fluorescent probes suitable for super-resolution microscopy. We pay particular attention to the creation of fluorescent probes which can highlight structures located in the nucleus of cell. We would like to find the way of imaging dynamics of the genetic material (chromatin) and apply the knowledge gained to diagnostics of diseases.
What is your experience with vacuum technology so far?
Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius: Our department has been using VACUUBRAND products for a long time. We have some vacuum pumps that are more than 10 years old and still working. We are very satisfied with all the products and the reliable service. That's why we recently chose VACUUBRAND again. Now we are testing the VACUU·PURE screw pump for our new chemistry lab.
The powerful VACUU·PURE® 10C screw pump supplies two fume hoods simultaneously in the lab of Dr. Lukinavičius.
Why did you choose VACUU·PURE?
Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius: We have purchased this new vacuum technology to be used in the chemical synthesis hood for the tasks which require vacuum below 1 mbar. This includes evaporation of residual solvents and the distillation of liquids with high boiling points.
For us, the most important features of VACUU·PURE are reliability and low maintenance costs. The system is oil-free, so no maintenance is required. We were able to connect two chemical synthesis hoods to one single VACUU·PURE system. This allows us to save space and operation costs. The pump is powerful enough to be used for two hoods simultaneously.
How satisfied are you with VACUU·PURE?
Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius: My group members are happy with VACUU·PURE because it is very simple to operate. It is also a quiet system and produces little heat during usage.
The biggest advantage over previous devices is the reduction in maintenance costs. Since the pump is oil-free, it does not need any oil changes. It runs for several hours every day and sometimes overnight. We have been using VACUU·PURE for about half a year without any problems. We hope that it will support us reliably for a very long time, just like other VACUUBRAND products.
We thank Dr. Gražvydas Lukinavičius and the Max Planck Institute for the interview.
