Automation
Figure 21
DNA normalisation option for PerkinElmer’s JANUS® automated workstation
CELF™ can handle any combination of 100mm dishes and/or 6, 12, 24 well plates with a six-posi- tion plate hotel inside the incubator. Not only does CELF™ passage cells, it can also schedule addition of reagents, such as drug treatment. CELF™ has a HEPA filter system ensuring a class 100 environ- ment during operation. CELF™ provides an auto- mated reservoir for heating and cooling reagents, accommodating six standard 50ml conical tubes for easy storage. The temperature is accurately controlled by a peltier system for heating (to 37˚C) and cooling (to 4˚C). CELF™ has an accurate pipetting system controlled by a syringe pump, employing 5ml disposable tip for liquid handling. The level of reagents is automatically monitored by an ultrasonic liquid level detector installed in the robotic arm. A patented microscope system for multipoint imaging was installed in CELF™ for monitoring cell conditions, containing two motorised stages for rotating a dish and auto- focusing. Captured images can be saved on to an external USB drive (Figure 20).
Accurate quantification and normalisation of genomic DNA samples and next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries is critical for successful sequencing results, especially when multiplexing samples in the sequencer. To improve the quality and throughput of this tedious and error-prone process, PerkinElmer (
www.perkinelmer.com) is pleased to offer a new version of its DNA Normalisation Option for the JANUS® Automated Workstation. This software module runs within the WinPREP® software on JANUS to streamline the process of normalising nucleic acid samples prior to NGS and other high-value analy- ses. JANUS can quickly prepare assay plates for analysis by the EnSpire® Multimode Reader (or
38
other analysers). JANUS delivers the plate to EnSpire, directs reading of the plate, and then cap- tures the assay results. Exception handling options allow customers to triage samples based on quan- tity and quality as determined by the assay results. The program calculates the correct volumes for each sample, then rapidly and precisely executes the many pipetting steps required to prepare sam- ples of equal concentration. The powerful multi- tasking capabilities of JANUS enable preparation of 96 normalised samples in 10 minutes or less once quantitation data is captured. The platform is designed to be flexible with respect to input data; it can normalise samples based on assay results from other plate readers as well as technologies such as qPCR or the Caliper LabChip GXII, allow- ing customers to utilise their preferred instrument for nucleic acid quantitation (Figure 21).
The Maxwell® 16 Instrument from Promega (
www.promega.com) is a small, compact benchtop system that extracts high-quality DNA, RNA, viral total nucleic acid or recombinant proteins from up to 16 samples in 30-45 minutes. The Maxwell® 16 uses a novel paramagnetic particle processing tech- nology. This eliminates liquid transfer which sig- nificantly reduces splashing, aerosols and other sources of contamination. The Maxwell® 16 Instrument is preprogrammed with purification protocols. This, combined with kits containing prefilled reagent cartridges, maximise simplicity and convenience. Add samples or lysate directly to the prefilled reagent cartridges, press start and walk away. The latest innovation is an RNA purifi- cation procedure from cells and tissue. The new Maxwell® 16 simplyRNA Purification kits have minimal lysate handling and no centrifugation before automated purification on the Maxwell®
Drug Discovery World Winter 2011/12
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80