Editorial Article
Friday November 20, 2009
by Caitlin Smith
When you want to do an important task carefully, it’s best to slow down, right? Not if you’re an automated instrument that handles liquid samples in a lab. Research is demanding faster liquid handling systems, especially for screening applications. Yet accuracy and accessibility must be preserved. “Probably the most exciting development occurring today is that there are cost-effective, flexible, and easy-to-use automated liquid handling systems being developed...to meet the needs of researchers in every type of lab performing the most common and repetitive of biological and chemical applications,” says Jamie Grossi, product manager for automation at Eppendorf North America. Here are some new offerings to consider.
Multi-function systems
Some labs may need automated liquid handling systems with multiple functions. BMG Labtech’s new PHERAstar FS is a multimode microplate reader designed for high-throughput screening (HTS). Its features include an “ultra-fast UV/Vis spectrometer for absorbance measurements (220-1000 nm in 1 sec/well), advanced bottom reading for cell-based assays, and a dedicated UV-laser for all TR-FRET based assays,” says Michael Fejtl, international sales and marketing specialist at BMG LABTECH. “For HTS assays that require liquid handling, two on-board reagent injectors that can simultaneously inject and read allow for the precise measurement of fast kinetic assays like calcium, luciferase, and ion channels.” The PHERAstar FS integrates with robotic platforms, or BMG Labtech's 50-plate Stacker, for HTS automated liquid handling. For cell-based assays, BMG also offers the NOVOstar, a microplate reader that holds one reagent plate and one sample plate for screening up to 384 analytes per run. NOVOstar includes “an integrated pipettor system used for plate-to-plate and tube-to-plate liquid transfer, integrated onboard injectors, and up to three additional reagent stations,” says Fejtl.
Looking forward, low-volume HTS systems are likely to become more widely used—for example, acoustic-coupled non-contact dispensing systems. “Now, low volumes can be dispensed with less variation, allowing for lower overall reaction volumes, which in turn saves money on reagent costs,” Fejtl says. “This new development in liquid handling also means that HTS assays and detection equipment must evolve to decrease variation at smaller volumes. BMG LABTECH met this challenge with its next generation HTS reader, the PHERAstar FS.”
BioTek Instruments is also combining features in their EL406T Combination Microplate Washer Dispenser for 96-, 384-, and 1536-well microplates. This washer has a dispenser that includes both a peristaltic reagent pumping system and two syringe drive dispensers. “This means that researchers are no longer limited to choosing one technology, and assay efficiency and productivity are increased,” says Jason Greene, product manager at BioTek Instruments. “Peristaltic and syringe dispensing technologies each have their unique advantages, but researchers were previously limited to choosing one technology over another. Now they can have the best of both worlds.” BioTek’s BioStackT Microplate Stacker aids in automation of long liquid handling protocols.
Instruments that help you use them
Eppendorf’s epMotion line of automated pipetting systems is designed to automate liquid handling work in an accessible format. “We offer standard on all systems a patented optical sensor, which senses what type of pipette tips are on the worktable so that customers don’t begin a procedure with the wrong tip type,” says Grossi. “It senses the volume of liquid that is in each tube or well of a plate, and calculates if there is enough liquid to run the procedure, and scans the labware located on the worktable to confirm that the right pieces of labware, as defined in the procedure, are placed in the correct locations.”
Tecan also offers tools to make their automated liquid handling systems, such as the Freedom EVO®, easier to use. Their TouchTools Suite™ and Instant Pipetting™ make the system more accessible to people of all experience levels, with easy touchscreen interface controls. “This reduces the dependency of laboratories on technical support personnel specialized in automation systems, which were previously essential for maintaining correct operation of complex instruments,” says Wendy Lauber, director of product management for BioPharma at Tecan. Tecan also offers an iPhone application called Freedom EVO® Remote, which allows remote instrument monitoring. “This is useful not only for the operator that is running a system, but also for lab managers needing an overview of their instruments,” says Lauber. “Remote monitoring can be particularly useful if the instrument is in a clean room, biosafety cabinet, or cold room, and laboratory access is difficult or could risk assay contamination.”
No matter what the level of hands-free automation you need for your liquid handling system, you are likely to find something in today’s technology to serve you accurately and accessibly.