Sample preparation for expression studies on gene chips involves numerous steps. The procedure is time consuming and prone to errors. As a solution to this problem, HAMILTON now offers an automated system based on the MICROLAB STAR liquid handling robot. Samples from tissue are processed without manual involvement until labelled cRNA is ready for hybridization.
Tests of the protocol showed consistent cDNA and cRNA yields. Various tissue samples resulted in an average cDNA yield over 48 samples of 1.2µg in an elution volume of 25µl. The average cRNA yield over all samples was 58µg, well above the required amount of 26µg for hybridization on Affymetrix GeneChips®.
The system consists of a MICROLAB STAR liquid handling robot and integrated peripherals for incubation, agitation, analysis, etc. The complete system remains compact, due to the efficient integration of third party equipment with the built-in robotic plate handler.
The flexible and scalable system allows the automation of other genomics applications such as PCR set-up, PCR reactions and PCR clean-up on the same instrument.
GeneChips® is a registered trademark of Affymetrix, Santa Clara/CA, USA.