Objective Biotechnology, a pioneer in nextgeneration research tools, today announced the commercial launch of the Autoinjector, the first fully automated robotic system for microinjection in genetic research. Developed in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, the system was validated in a GENETICS study showing its speed, accuracy, and broad utility across model organisms.
Microinjection is an essential but slow step in genetic research, traditionally requiring technicians to manually align and inject each embryo with precision. The Autoinjector transforms this process by combining computer vision and machine learning, delivering consistent, high-precision injections up to four times faster than manual methods—while reducing training time from months to weeks.
The Autoinjector also enables entirely new high-throughput experiments that aren't feasible by hand. In the study published in GENETICS, researchers used it to inject over 20,000 uniquely barcoded DNA plasmids into 1,700 Drosophila embryos in just two days—generating more than 400 unique transgenic lines and, for the first time, allowing scientists to measure how many independent germline integrations occurred per embryo. The study also demonstrated that the Autoinjector significantly improved vitrification rates and post-thaw survival of zebrafish, outperforming traditional manual injection.
“The system has already demonstrated success in gene editing and transgenesis experiments across both insect and vertebrate models at multiple early-access sites,” said James Grabau, CEO of Objective Biotechnology. “The Autoinjector is designed to remove a stubborn and persistent bottleneck in the process of generating transgenic models in a variety of species and applications.”
“The Autoinjector comes pre-loaded with injection protocols for commonly used model organisms such as Drosophila and zebrafish, and it can be fully customized for emerging or non-model species,” said Daryl Gohl, Chief Scientific Officer of Objective Biotechnology. “This flexibility makes the Autoinjector particularly valuable for labs working across multiple species, providing them with the ability to streamline both basic and applied genetic research.”