Automated washers

Although this procedure may sound complicated to some organic chemists, and in fact details need to be consulted, antibodies can be raised to almost any compound of interest. Moreover, simple automated equipment comprising a plate washer and plate absorbance reader is all that is necessary. About 1,000 ee determinations are possible per day, precision amounting to 9%.102... 

Beckman Robotic Biomek 1000 automated laboratory The Biomek 1000 integrates the work formerly done by four instruments sample preparation system, diluter/dispenser, plate washer and a spectrometer finish. In can handle assays such as radio-immunoassays (RIA), fluorescence immunoassays (FIA), enzyme immunoassays EIA and enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA). 

COS-7 or CHO cells (for initial transfection screening) or cells of therapeutic interest (e.g., dendritic cells and various cancer cells) at a confluence of 50%, grown in 96-well culture plates, were placed into the robot by the robotic conveyor. In a fully automated process, the robot removes the lid from the cell culture microtiter plate, dispenses lipoplexes into the wells (triplicates), replaces the lid and returns the plate to the incubator. After four hours, the cells are automatically retrieved, the cell monolayers are carefully washed using a special drop mode of the integrated plate washer, fresh medium is added, and the cells are incubated for further 42 hours before harvesting. 

More fully automated glassware washers are available in cabinet... 

As a recently developed technology, a novel automation concept has been presented which is based on a mover, a stacking device, and a reader or washer (Twister, Zymark). In comparison to the above mentioned systems, assays based on the Twister concept are only semi-automated. The outstanding benefit is the simplification of feeding, handling, set-up, as well as the small laboratory space... 

Products/technologies These include Microtiter Plastics (plates, strips, accessories) Microtiter plate coating systems Microtiter detection reader systems, automated Microtiter plate immunoassay processing systems (such as the Dias immunoassay system) Microtiter plate washers and Revelation software. 

Microplate EIA have also been automated. These systems consist in microplate carriers, dilution and dispenser devices for multiple samples, washers and shakers, photometer (through-the-plate reading) and a processor for multiple reading (desk-top calculator or microcomputer interfaced with the measuring equipment). Compared to other systems, EIA requires less sophisticated equipment for reliable results, available from various commercial sources. 

Vials must be thoroughly washed, dried, sterilized, and depyrogenated. They should be handled in a clean room to minimize contamination by particulate matter. Washing is normally done in automated vial washers using purified water, filtered oil-free air, and a final rinse of WFI. 

An Automated Aqueous Rotary Washer for the Metal Finishing Industry U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1992, EPA/600/SR-92/188. 

For practical reasons, the matrix of choice for immunoassays is typically serum. The plate washers or automated systems used during sample analysis easily clog when plasma is used, which then has the potential to impact the validity of the result. Flowever, protein analytes, including cytokines that are identified as labile and prone to degradation in serum, would preferentially be collected in plasma. When collecting citrated plasma, it is wise to clearly identify the salt form of citrate (Na, K, Li) so that it is transparent what the comparable matrix should be for QC preparation. 

The ELISA experiment can be broken down into a series of four basic steps dispensing, incubation, washing and reading. The number of individual steps, the order in which they are performed, and the number of repetitions will vary depending on the specific protocol. As such, ELISA is readily amenable to automation. Commercial microplate-based devices have been developed to accomplish the following basic steps (1) automatic plate washers, (2) liquid handlers or microplate dispensers, (3) plate stacks (ambient) or automated incubators, and (4) microplate readers. 

A new ampoule/vial washer, to allow cleaning as a single automated process. 

A typical closed-loop system (Fig. 4.77) is best described as a continuous-batch oil separator. It has dual compartments holding caustic wash solution, each equipped with an oil roll skimmer and separated by a waste tank. Piping leads from each compartment to a series of washers and back to a pump. Automated valves control flow from the punp to one of the two compartments. 

In step 3 we use an automated plate washer (Skatron EMBLA). This washer must be well maintained to ensure uniform and reproducible volumes of media remaining in the wells prior to addition of compounds or agonists. To minimize clogging of the cannulas, we purge the system with water and leave the cannulas immersed in water between uses. 

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