Echo® 550 Liquid Handler

Serial microsampling of animals reduces the overall number of animals sampled and euthanized for toxicology studies. Traditional composite studies in mice can require up to 700 μL of blood for each time point in a pharmacokinetic study. A draw of 700 μL from a mouse would require the animal to be euthanized and often require the use of addition “satellite” animals to complete the study. Thus, in a 9-point time course analysis of mouse plasma, nine mice would be sacrificed. In response to programs like the EU 3Rs initiative to reduce the use of animals in research researchers have turned to microsampling as an alternative to composite studies. With advances in bioanalytical techniques drug levels can be determined from samples of 20 μL or less. This small sample volume or microsample enables reduces the dependency on satellite animals to complete a study. Additionally, microsampling is faster and less stressful than traditional composite studies.

This application note demonstrates the use of an HTRF methyltransferase assay to assess the methyl transferase activity of histone modifying protein SET7/9. The EPIgeneous Methyltransferase Assay kit from Cisbio is used, however the assay is miniaturized to reduce the volume of assay reagents, using Labcyte’s Echo liquid handler and BMG LABTECH’s PHERAstar FS microplate reader. This article shows how miniaturization of assays using precise instrumentation can reduce the cost of reagents but still provide excellent experimental data.

To enable the transfer of large quantities of fluid using acoustic liquid handling, Labcyte is developing a companion consumable, the multi-well Reagent Reservoir (RES). This study characterizes fluid transfer from a RES prototype for volumes on the scale of nano- to microliters per destination well. Additionally, to demonstrate the combined performance capabilities of the RES and the Echo® 525, a 2-fold dilution quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was performed.

Recently identified associations between variants of cancer genes and drug resistance increase the value for comprehensive drug sensitivity and resistance testing in combination with molecular profiling of cancer cells. This application note discusses the implementation of miniaturized drug sensitivity and resistance testing, at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Finland (FIMM), with assay-ready plates produced by the Echo liquid handler.

RT-qPCR has been increasingly utilized by researchers to quantify mRNA levels. Its widespread use has been limited by an often laborious multi-step process and high reagent cost. Recent advances in non-contact reagent dispensing and next generation one step lysis reagents are enabling scientists to generate high throughput data at a much faster rate. This application note, from LabCyte Inc., describes the automation of three complementary tools to generate high throughout RT-qPCR data; the Echo liquid handler, RealTime Ready cell lysis reagents, and the Access workstation.

This application note describes the advantages of the Echo® liquid handler which enables low volume genotyping reactions in a 384-well format with as little as 500 nL total reaction volume. Precise and accurate drop placement eliminates cross-contamination, while offering the flexibility to transfer from any well of a source plate to any well of a destination plate.

Read this poster to learn more about a chemiluminescent assay format enabling the screening of large numbers of small molecules or hybridoma supernatants in a one-step, no-wash format making it both user-friendly and HTS-compatible. The Labcyte Echo®Liquid Handler for acoustic, non-contact compound and assay reagent dispensing is used alongside industry leading equipment.

Dr. Jonathan Wingfield, Principal Scientist at AstraZeneca, discusses the development of acoustic mass spectrometry technology for high-throughput screening. Utilizing acoustic liquid transfer technology to create sampling system for mass spectrometry saves time and cost, and allows direct following of substrate product conversion, allowing rapid high-throughput screening of millions of compounds.

This video describes how acoustic liquid dispensing, using the Labcyte Echo® 550, is being used at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute and is helping to accelerate compound screening. Learn how the technology reduces the volume of compound needed for each experiment, thus enabling compounds to last longer and more data to be produced. The Institute hopes to use acoustic dispensing to help develop compounds that can be used as a start-point to design new targeted therapies for use in a personalized medicine setting.

Dr Chris Bakal, Team Leader at The Institute of Cancer Research, UK, discusses his research on cancer cell proliferation and signaling and how the lab utilizes automation technology for miniaturization and high throughput screening of complex cell assays.

AstraZeneca’s acoustic mass spectroscopy project provides higher quality screening results and reduced costs. This combination of technology increases accessibility of ultra high-throughput screening and encourages collaboration between academia and industrial partners.

Linda Lee, senior research scientist at C4 Therapeutics, describes how lab equipment reviews help to accelerate scientific progress

State-of-the-art software supports laboratories working in regulated environments

We hear from Steve Rees, AstraZeneca, and Dr. Allan Jordan, Cancer Research UK, about the latest advancements in high-content screening for drug discovery