Countless laboratory techniques employ hand-held pipet controllers for aspirating and dispensing liquids using graduated serological pipets. Cell culture labs, especially, depend on pipet controllers for performing routine operations such as plating and feeding cells. A main drawback of conventional pipet controllers is that they often cause researchers to adopt an unnatural posture when working, which can lead to back pain or repetitive strain injuries. Additionally, skill and attention are required to ensure pipetting is both accurate and consistent. The ali-Q™2 pipet controller from VistaLab™ Technologies addresses many common challenges of manual pipetting with its unique 2-in-1 capability that provides both conventional and repeat pipetting in a single system. Designed with user comfort and ease of operation in mind, the ali-Q™2 represents a one-stop solution for all serological pipetting needs.
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In this podcast, Cherrie Sherman, a postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, shares pipetting best practices and explains why she recommends the ali-Q™2.
Hand-held pipet controllers support a broad range of laboratory operations and are heavily used in cell culture labs for the myriad activities necessary to maintain, propagate, and conduct experiments with cells. These include aliquoting reagents for media prep, feeding and plating cultures, and transferring cells to specialized vials for cryopreservation, all of which are essential yet highly repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Using a conventional pipet controller to perform these types of activities often causes researchers to adopt an uncomfortable position, such as leaning to one side to see the graduations more clearly on a serological pipet or holding wrists at an awkward angle. Working like this, particularly for extended periods of time, frequently leads to arm, shoulder, or neck strain and should be avoided to prevent long-term damage.
As well as being linked to repetitive strain injuries, manual serological pipetting has a high associated risk of error. This is because the operator must carefully observe the graduation marks for accurate dispensing, which can easily result in mistakes being made if the dispense volume over-shoots or is incorrectly calculated due to a lapse in concentration. Manual pipetting is also prone to inter-operator variability since it is a subjective procedure; depending on the angle at which the serological pipet is held and the experience of the operator, the position of the meniscus may be judged differently. Although positive displacement repeat pipettors can provide greater accuracy and relative speed compared to conventional pipet controllers, the cost of the pipettor plus the necessary tips often prohibits their use.
The ali-Q™2 pipet controller is the only 2-in-1 product that allows for both conventional and repeat pipetting with serological pipets. Using internal pressure sensors and computer-controlled valves to determine the volume of air flow required for each aliquot, the ali-Q™2 eliminates the need to observe the lines on the serological pipet during repeat pipetting operations. Instead, users are able to multi-dispense any volume up to 5 mL with just the push of a button—something no other commercially available pipet controller can do. This enables faster, easier, more accurate aliquoting with consistent reproducibility for improved workflow efficiencies.
To use the ali-Q™2 for repeat pipetting, operators simply dial in the required multi-dispense volume, aspirate the chosen liquid, then press and hold the dispense button for the entire duration of each aliquot. When the LED blinks green, the button can be released and the ali-Q™2 is ready for the next dispense operation. As well as improving the accuracy of repeat pipetting operations, the ali-Q™2 provides a more ergonomic solution with its body shape designed for a comfortable hold and its balanced lightweight structure. Along with the ali-Q™2’s unique technology, this eliminates arm, shoulder, or neck strain that can occur as operators struggle to watch the meniscus. Furthermore, ease of pipetting with the ali-Q™2 is enhanced by best-in-class touch sensitivity for the aspirate and dispense buttons used for routine pipetting operations.
A further advantage of the ali-Q™2 is its compatibility with all brands and sizes of serological pipet. Importantly, as well as allowing for its easy integration into existing workflows, this circumvents the obligation to use dedicated tips such as are required for positive displacement repeat pipettors. For maximum accuracy and performance, VistaLab™ Technologies recommends using Wobble-not™ serological pipets that have a two-tier plug end design to decrease dripping. It is also advised that operators always select the lowest volume pipet suitable for the application in question.
Currently, the ali-Q™2 range comprises three models, all with on-board calibration: the original ali-Q™2 (with fixed high aliquoting speed), plus models that offer a fixed low (ali-Q™2 LS) or variable (ali-Q™2 VS) aliquoting speed. These competitively priced pipet controllers are designed to support a diverse range of applications, with the optional slow dispense speed of the ali-Q™2 LS and ali-Q™2 VS being especially beneficial for work with delicate or easily displaced cell types.
To learn more about the ali-Q™2 and how it enables faster, more accurate pipetting while maximizing user comfort, visit vistalab.com/ali-q2 and vistalab.com/category/ali-q