1Box integrated molecular biology reactions and purification by molecular weight in microplate format
The 1Box platform integrates biosynthetic reactions, downstream purification, molecular weight analysis, and quantitation into a single microplate consumable. Using electrophoresis instead of mechanical liquid handling, it processes 96 samples in parallel, consolidating 20+ workflow steps into 2 and reducing processing time from over 360 minutes to about 30 minutes while eliminating separate QC instrumentation. Applications include NGS library purification, protein analysis, and affinity-based biomarker detection.
Overview
The 1Box platform is a lab-in-a-microplate system that miniaturizes and automates biological sample preparation by combining biosynthetic reactions, purification, molecular weight analysis, and quantitation within a single, modular consumable. It replaces fragmented, multi-instrument workflows with a compact, autonomous device capable of processing 96 samples in parallel. The platform consolidates 20+ manual or robot-assisted steps into 2 steps, achieving 10-20x reductions in labor, data management effort, plastic usage, and reagent waste. A typical purification process that requires over 360 minutes is completed in approximately 30 minutes — with built-in QC analysis that removes the need for separate analytical instrumentation.
Technical specifications
Key capabilities:
- Analytical or preparative electrophoresis in ready-to-use 96-well microplate format
- Molecular weight analysis of proteins, nucleic acids, viral materials, or cellular materials — comparable to Agilent TapeStation for nucleic acids and SDS-PAGE for proteins
- Purification of reaction products (PCR, NGS libraries, in vitro transcription/translation) using user-defined molecular weight windows
- Affinity-based biomarker detection: 10-100 antibodies or probes are immobilized as bands in the electrophoresis matrix; fluorescently labeled crude samples (e.g., cell lysates) bind to their targets as they migrate through (proof of concept demonstrated)
- Compatible with any analyte amenable to electrophoresis: molecules, macromolecules, virions, and cells
Planned development roadmap:
- Optimization of SDS- and Native-PAGE chemistries for synthetic biology and protein applications, including tagged or generalized fluorescent labeling of protein mixtures (approximately 6 months)
- Purification buffer optimization to maximize downstream biological activity of purified materials, validated through enzyme activity assays (approximately 6 months, overlapping with chemistry work)
- Software API development for integration with existing data infrastructure and laboratory robots (approximately 6-12 months)
Technology readiness level
The platform has demonstrated proof of concept for affinity-based biomarker detection. Development is ongoing across three parallel workstreams: separation and purification chemistry optimization, buffer formulation to preserve biological activity, and software integration. The technology has been recognized as a finalist for the 2025 SLAS Ignite Award, reflecting its industry relevance and novelty.
About Axor Biosystems
Axor Biosystems is a Seattle-based life sciences company that has developed the 1Box platform, a revolutionary lab-in-a-microplate system designed to automate and miniaturize biological sample preparation. By utilizing advanced electrical fields rather than mechanical processes, the system integrates biosynthetic reactions, downstream purifications, molecular weight analysis, and quantitation within a single, modular microplate format. This technology enables researchers to process up to 96 samples in parallel with significantly higher resolution and consistency. The system's design eliminates the need for fragmented, multi-instrument workflows, replacing complex setups with a compact, autonomous device that offers interoperability across diverse applications including NGS, synthetic biology, and biomarker detection.
This platform addresses critical bottlenecks in high-throughput data generation, where current methods are often expensive, slow, and labor-intensive. By delivering up to a 100-fold improvement in efficiency, Axor Biosystems provides life science organizations and researchers with a cost-effective solution that reduces turnaround times, capital expenditures, and waste. The 1Box platform is particularly relevant for accelerating breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of complex conditions such as cancer, dementia, and genetic diseases, supporting the increased demand for high-quality biological datasets required by AI and machine learning-driven biology. The company's technology has been recognized in industry competitions, including being named a finalist for the 2025 SLAS Ignite Award.
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