Pipettes and Serial Dilutions Have Dramatic Negative Effects on Biological Assays
20 Feb 2015Liquid handling and dilution processes profoundly influence estimates of biological activity. This study compared tip-based serial dilution and dispensing versus acoustic dispensing with direct dilution. Published data show results differ by orders of magnitude with no correlation or ranking of datasets. In short, tip-based dispensing processes are an important source of error in high-throughput screening. These findings have far-reaching implications in biological research.
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Echo® 500 Series Liquid Handlers
The Echo® liquid handler revolutionizes liquid handling with acoustic energy. Sound waves eject precisely sized droplets from a source onto a microplate, slide or other surface suspended above the source. This product does not use tips, pin tools or nozzles—completely eliminating contact between the instrument and the liquid. The Echo liquid handler provides powerful benefits: Tipless transfer, resulting in dramatic cost savings Improved information about sample integrity and improved transfer quality through measurement of DMSO hydration level Elimination of the need for calibration through Dynamic Fluid Analysis™ technology, a patented Labcyte process Elimination of cross-contamination, carryover or leachates through non-contact transfer Accurate, precise movement of nanoliter-scale quantities, enabling assay miniaturization and further reducing costs Better results through direct dilution of compounds, an improvement over serial dilution methods Greatly simplified assay development and dilution processes through the flexibility to transfer any volume of liquid from any well to any other well