Platforms for 1536 well automation

1

I was wondering what liquid handling platforms people are using with 1536 well plates, and if they there are any problems with using the multi probe heads (96 or 384).

Thanks
Adam

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2

I have heard of folks using the Echo for this level of throughput - https://www.beckman.com/liquid-handlers/echo-acoustic-technology

3

Hi,

We have successfully used the 384 head of an Hamilton Starlet. Just need to make sure the head is aligned properly. If that helps

Regards,

4

The firefly claims to do it.

5

I used a Bravo and a HighRes Prime to aliquot from 384 to 1536 plates. The trick on the Bravo is to use the spring-loaded plate nests that position the plates into the corner every time.

We were making Echo plates, so I never tried to pipette out of the 1536 plate.

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6

If you are ok with a single output plate platform then I would consider liquid dispensers. The echo’s been mentioned already but there are others here that I’ve used in the past.

There’s the dragonfly discovery

The Certus Flex

The I.DOT

Mantis and Tempest from Formulatrix

They come in various forms of “heads”, the I.DOT has a probe inside that uses air pressure to control dispenses, the dragonfly uses disposable tips, the Certus Flex has autoclavable micro valve channels and the Formulatrix devices use a microdiaphragm pump to dispense discrete volumes with their chips.

I prefer liquid dispensers over liquid handlers (Hamiltons, Tecans etc.) for experiments using 384 and 1536 because of the speed and accuracy.

7

Thanks for the info, would you be able to tell me which of the plate holders you are using with the starlet.

8

Thanks for the information, just out of curiosity do you prefer one platform over another particularly for speed or reliability. We are looking at doing these liquid transfers (384 to 1536) on at a reasonable scale (50-100 plates a day). Do you have your bravo integrated to a benchcel?

9

Thanks, Ill have a look into this.

10

My previous colleague mentioned that the Echo would have troubles with the throughput for the assay that we are using. We require a set of molecules stamped from 384 well plates into a 1536, so we are looking at 384 channel pipetting ideally.

11

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately we are looking for something that is higher throughput stamping tool rather than most of the other platforms. Although the mantis would be very useful for adding the positive controls.

12

The Certus seems awesome but the cost :cry:

13

But, it’s the cheapest one out of all the devices I listed, unless you go for the 4-chip slot Mantis.

14

Then maybe something like the Viaflo from Integra would work if it’s just stamping and high throughput.

15

We currently use the viaflo 384 to transfer from 4 x 384 well source plates to multiple 1536 well plates. Whilst it’s a brilliant piece of kit, it does require someone to be sat at it for the whole time due to limited deck positions and having to manually switch a toggle to switch between the upper and lower rows due to no built in movement for th y axis.

Can thoroughly recommend the welljet dispensers also, cheap work well and reasonably priced cassettes.

16

The welljet dispenser looks similar to the Tempest. How many different liquids can it dispense?

17

I’m not sure I would say I prefer Bravo or Prime. VWorks and Solution are pretty different software. Prime is much newer and addresses many of the shortcomings of the Bravo. Both are robust and reliable. Prime might be marginally faster due to “tray-pooling” and the integrated storage and robot arm.

Our Bravo is integrated on a BioCel (from back when Agilent was doing custom integrations). We use a Liconic for storage and a DDR for the robot arm. It’s a screening system, so there are lots of other devices.

Without knowing what the assay is, I think I would try to adjust the workflow to tolerate using an Echo for transferring compounds to 1536 assay plates. Just my 2 cents.

If you want to hear more about our workflow and scale feel free to DM me.

18

It’s more of a bulk reagent dispenser but they have replaced the multidrops in the lab. Technically you can put up to 16 different reagents in at once, each channel doesn’t have access to the whole plate and the volumes will have to be the same unless you use multiple runs.

But for ELISA experiments and adding PCR master mixes it functions well.