High content screening (HCS) is becoming an accepted platform in academic and industry screening labs and does require slightly different logistics for execution. To automate our stand alone HCS microscopes, namely an alpha IN Cell Analyzer 3000 (INCA3000) originally a Praelux unit hooked to a Hudson Plate Crane with a maximum capacity of 50 plates per run; and the IN Cell Analyzer 2000 (INCA2000) where up to 320 plates could be fed per run using the Thermo Fisher Scientific Orbitor, we opted for a 4 meter linear track system harboring both microscopes, plate washer, bulk dispensers, and a high capacity incubator allowing us to perform both live and fixed cell based assays while accessing both microscopes on deck. Considerations in design were given to the integration of the alpha INCA3000, a new gripper concept to access the onboard nest, and peripheral locations on deck to ensure a self reliant system capable of achieving higher throughput. The resulting system, referred to as Hestia, has been fully operational since the New Year, has an onboard capacity of 504 plates, and harbors the only fully automated alpha INCA3000 unit in the World.
Prior to the Automated Liquids Processing System (ALPS) project, generation and maintenance of high-throughput (HTS) library and concentration-response sets was a labor intensive, batch-based process with multiple distinct operations. Because processes relied on a manual presence to move plates between workstations in separate laboratories, production was limited to core employee hours and humidity control was not feasible. Operations preceding plate-toplate transfers included but were not necessarily limited to centrifugation, unsealing/piercing, and labeling. Source plates were manually centrifuged to ensure liquids did not cling to seal material and to mitigate air bubbles prior to transfer. Individually, source compound plates were manually unsealed if in a 96/384 fixed-well plate format. Alternately, source 96/384 punch tube plates were pierced singly using a Remp Universal Plate Piercer (Brooks Automation, Inc., Chelmsford, MA). If pretransfer DMSO dilution was required, plates were manually loaded onto broadcast dispensers equipped with stacking capability (Zoom MV; Titertek Instruments, Huntsville, AL). Likewise, if destination plates were part of a dilution series set, DMSO was also dispensed using the Zoom MV. Destination plates, if not prelabeled with a barcode by the manufacturer, were manually stacked onto a CyBi-Print 458777J LAXXX10.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.