Basic High Throughput Screening Equipment, Part three

In this final entry in our series, we'll take a look at liquid handling equipment and miscellaneous tools.

LIQUID HANDLING EQUIPMENT

There is a huge diversity in the number of liquid handling equipment options that are available today. Most well known are the hand-held manual pipettes, so we'll skip going into detail about those. Worth noting are advanced automated pipette setups. Automated setups are scalable to a lab's needs, and the measurements and recording equipment used are incredibly helpful in replicating exact conditions for each new set of assays.

Popular liquid handling setups are numerous, so we'll take some time here to examine the most popular. Solenoid valve-based liquid dispensers use pressurized fluids, robotic equipment and a swift valve to quickly deliver material to microplates. Simultaneous dispersion is possible with this system, and it is best suited for detection reagents, cell media and buffers. Peristaltic pump-based dispensers use pumps, flexible tubing and rollers to move fluids. Cassettes (which house tubing, tension adjustment, tips, plastic housing and adjustment screws) used in the pump-based dispersion process are interchangeable and prized for their out-of-the-box accuracy. Unfortunately, their expensive replacement cost make this a costly option.

Pintools are usually only used for low-volume, fixed microplate transfers, such as moving compounds to the microplate arrangement from the library. Pintools are reusable, but they do need to be washed and dried before every use. Configurable and customizable, these see a variety of applications. Acoustic dispensers utilize concentrated sound energy in bursts that dispense 1-10 nL droplets without direct contact. These are notable for their accuracy and quickness, as well as a lack of contamination risks. The acoustic dispenser is able to effect separate concentration levels from a single stock. This is an incredibly versatile and configurable tool. However, it is known as one of the most expensive options, and its speed is often negatively contrasted against that of the pintool.

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS

Hoods, Freezers and Incubators

Available in a wide variety of sizes, styles and setups, it's best to base selection of this equipment on both high throughput equipment demands as well as general laboratory needs. Here again, you should speak with any vendors and engineers or scientists with previous high throughput equipment experience for advice and direction.

Other Equipment Considerations

Once the basic high throughput screening equipment has been set up in the lab, it's a good idea to update safety measures and look into additional equipment. Specialized tools, such as pH meters, electronic balances and spectrophotometers, that will complement currently installed high throughput equipment are recommended. Again, speak with your vendor for further direction.