cell-based assay solutions at Innovadyne Technologies
Effective use of cell-based assays for high-throughput screening requires that cell dispenses be fast, precise, free of contamination, reliable, and successfully deliver viable cells and difficult-to-dispense cell media. Traditional and flow-through liquid handlers can be destructive to live cells, and have problems with contamination and clogging of flow paths.
Innovadyne's Nanodrop platform for cell dispensing performs fast cell dispensing without the stressing of the cells that occurs with flow-through solenoid or peristaltic technologies. It has no moving parts in the dispense path that can damage cells, and the remote placement of solenoids cushions the pressure pulse impact on cells. The Nanodrop II has dispensed sensitive cell lines, such as MV 411 Leukemia, with no loss of viability. Cell plating and dosing can be performed on a single platform, and the dosing can be performed over a dynamic range of five orders of magnitude, with volumes of 50 nL - 500 µL. The result is significantly improved cell viability, increased throughput for sample processing, and reduced volume of reagents.
In the application note "High-Precision Dispensing of Live Cells in a 1536-Well Format", developed in collaboration with DiscoveRx Corp. (Fremont, CA), we dispensed CHO-K1 cells at a density of 1000 cells/well into 1536-well Greiner plates using a Nanodrop II. (2 µL of cells and 2 µL CellTiter-Glo reagent were added to each well). The cell viability of hand-pipetted cells and cells dispensed by the Nanodrop was comparable to within about 5%. Whole-plate Cv's were in the range of 3.5% to 4.5%.
Whole-Plate Cv’s for CHO-K1 Cell Dispensing
Condition | 12 psi | 20 psi |
PBS suspension | 4.5%, 4.1% | 3.6%, 3.8% |
F12K media | 4.1%, 4.3% | - |
Fast aspiration*/PBS suspension | 4.2%, 4.3% | - |
In the application note "Cell Media Dispensing using the Nanodrop", successful dispensing of three types of cell culture media (F-12K, F-12K with 1% FBS, and F-12K with 1% BSA) was demonstrated at two dispense volumes (1 µL and 3 µL) into a total of 18 plates, with Cv values at 4% or below for all plates.
Features (all platforms)
Valve-free fluid path greatly reduces stress to cells
Remote placement of solenoid cushions pressure pulse impact on cells
Wide range of pressure settings to minimize shear
Cell plating and dosing possible on a single platform
Easy to maintain and clean
In use at major pharma and biotech companies, who confirm good cell viability with Nanodrop platforms (contact us for references)
Flexible aspirate and dispense settings
User defined syringe speeds and pressure set points
Ability to clean nozzles between runs
Low-dead volumes
Large dynamic volume range: 100 nL-40 uL
96, 384, 1536, 3456 plates (including low-profile and deep well)
User-friendly software
Simple to integrate with drivers available from most integrators
Platforms
Item |
Description |
Plate Positions |
8-Tip Head |
16-Tip Head |
96-Tip Head |
Syringe Channels |
1,4, or 8-Tip Additions to all Wells |
11638 |
2 |
Yes |
- |
- |
8 |
Yes |
|
12056 |
1 or 2 |
- |
Yes |
- |
16 |
Yes |
|
11164 |
5 |
Yes |
- |
Yes |
16 |
Yes |
|
12027 |
5 |
Yes |
- |
Yes |
104 |
Yes |
Software
Item |
Description |
11727 |
|
10591 |
Nanodrop GUI (for Nanodrop only) |
Accessories
Item |
Description |
11193 |
|
11731 |
|
|
Wide-bore tip set (200 µm) (all platforms) |
Specifications
Return-To-Spot Accuracy | 0.1 mm |
Aspiration Range, 8-Tip Head | 0.1-500µL |
Dispensing Range (8-Tip Non-Contact) | 0.1-40µL |
Dispensing Range (96-Tip) | Screenmaker: 0.1-125µL |
Dispensing Precision, 8-Tip Head | CV<10% at 100nL, CV<7% at 200nL, CV<5% at 1µL |
Dispensing Precision, 96-Tip Head | CV<15% at 100nL, CV<10% at 200nL, CV<5% at 1µL |
Dispensing Accuracy, 8-Tip Head | ±10% at 100nL, ±7% at 200nL, ±5% at >1 µL |
Dispensing Accuracy, 96-Tip Head | Screenmaker: ±10% at 100-500nL, ±5% at >1 500nL |
Dead Volume, 8-Tip head | 1.5µL/channel at 1µL across 384-well plate |
Dead Volume, 96-Tip head | <1µL/channel |
Syringe Capacity | 500, 1000µL |
