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Since Artel uncovered the need for verification of aspiration and dis- pense in automated analysis systems, several firms have addressed the need with different technologies. Stratec Biomedical (Birkinfield, Germany) introduced the Tholos VMI-100, which uses the pressure in the well resulting from addition of a fixed volume of gas. All 384 wells in the plate can be scanned in less than 2 min. This allows postaspirate and dispense verification for each well without regard to geometry, material well shape, etc. One can scan a virgin plate, perform several dispense and aspirate operations, and then check the final volume to verify execution of the protocol. Control and reporting are via an RS232 communication port.
SLAS exhibition More so than any other meeting, the exhibition at SLAS is the real focus
of most attendees, reflecting their practical nature. After all, automation usually implements existing and verified laboratory protocols.
In liquid handling, size matters Automation technology is size dependent, and applications usually
determine the size. For example, clinical trials usually use multimilliliter samples in phlebotomy tubes. Screening for drug leads and structure activity relationships run in plates with 384 to 1536 or more wells. Liquid handlers are challenged to deliver aliquots in the µL, nL, and now even pL range. Current air-driven pipets have an operating sweet spot for over the range of 1 µL and larger. For the nL range, acoustic dispensing seems to be the technology of choice. For pL, printer technology is showing promise.
Liquid handlers for microliters and larger The NIMBUS 384 from Hamilton (Reno, NV) is a compact multichannel
workstation for liquid transfers in 1536-, 384-, or 96-well formats. Volumes are programmable from 0.5 µL to 50 µL. The deck has room for 12 plate positions. Software control is intuitive and complies with 21 CFR Part 11.
BioMicroLab (Concord, CA) introduced the upgraded XL200 vial han- dling platform that includes liquid handling over the range of 5–1000 µL. The platform is the nucleus for supporting modules such as the AL LabelPro, which prints and applies machine-readable 1-D labels to sample tubes. The HS series 2-D barcode reader systems quickly read and process the barcodes on the bottom of vials. Operations are verified by weight-based sample transfer.
Andreas Kuoni, founder of Kawator (Beil, Switzerland), gave me a tour of the new multichannel OEM pipettor. It is designed to provide accurate and precise liquid handling for inclusion in applications-specific analyzers. Liquids are individually dispensed from each of the eight channels over a range of 0.5 µL–5 mL. Inboard vacuum and pressure control are used to control liquid flow to avoid daughter drops.
Liquid handlers for nanoliters The Vantage Automated Pipettor from Hamilton provides contact-free
pipetting with the NanoPulse™ technology over a volume range of 100 nL–1 mL. Hamilton expects that most Vantage systems will also use the optional logistics module that provides plate shuttling and tip
replacement. Cameras have been added for traceability and detection of non-barcoded labware.
Seyonic (Neuchatel, Switzerland) introduced the Nanoliter Pipette with an eight-channel head and integrated flow sensor to manipulate liquid volumes in the range of 25 nL–10 µL. Liquids with a viscosity of 0.5–5 cP are dispensed without contact and daughter drops. Each of the eight tips is individually controlled. Precision varies with liquid dispensed. For volumes less than 50 nL, the %CV is smaller than 10%. Above 50 nL, it is less than 5%. This unit is designed to provide the liquid handling function to breadboards and OEM instruments.
Acoustic dispensing A joint poster from Artel and EDC Biosystems (Fremont, CA) showed
that EDC’s AT S-100 Acoustic Transfer System delivers drops with user- selectable volumes of 1–10 nL. They note that the drop size is independent of drop order in the series. Artel’s MVS calibration protocol was used to measure drop precision. CVs for volumes delivered were in the 1–3% range for 10 nL and higher water and DMSO.
Liquid handlers for picoliters As the scale moves down in volume from µL to nL and then to pL, the tech-
nology changes from air-driven to acoustic dispensing of individual drops in the size of 1–50 nL. For larger volumes, one simply adds more drops.
Labcyte Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) is the acknowledged market leader. The company’s success has attracted competition. Poly-Pico Ltd. (Galway, Ireland) introduced an acoustic dispenser that deposits the liquid down- ward, in contrast to Labcyte’s spitting upward. The basic technology is similar to inkjet printing with drops in the pL to low-nL range. A small plastic disposable cartridge contains the fluid in a reservoir. This is placed in the small print head, which responds to calibrated computer control.
Liquid handler workstations As noted for the last two years, the market for generic liquid handlers is
well served and mature. At last year’s meeting in Orlando, FL, there were about 70 offerings. Product differentiation was obscure. As with many mature markets, the response is to repackage generics into focused applications-specific products. This facilitates product differentiation and adds value for scientists who only are interested in using the tool, not advancing the design. Some examples are below.
DNA and RNA workstation PerkinElmer (PE) (Shelton, CT) introduced the JANUS® chemagic au- tomated nucleic acid workstation, which improves yield four times and doubles throughput compared to other protocols. The JANUS uses mag- netic beads to capture and manipulate the analytes in anticipation of sequencing or amplification. PE’s AlphaLISA® immunoassay kits provide proven protocols for many assays, including insulin, leptin, C-peptide, and FGF21.
The NIMBUS PCR workstation was one of several introductions in the Hamilton booth. The workstation uses Hamilton’s PCR module to amplify
AMERICAN LABORATORY • 6 • JUNE/JULY 2014
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