Achieving greater workflow efficiencies to improve assay development and screening

Achieving greater workflow efficiencies is a target we all understand. But how do you scale up without losing quality or overburdening your teams? One option is to add automation, but designing the optimal process is paramount.

Watch this on-demand webinar to hear how SPT Labtech’s dragonfly^® discovery liquid handling platform has empowered scientists at Merck to support more projects through use as an assay robot, as well as in assay development.

You will also find out how you can implement the dragonfly discovery platform to improve the throughput and efficiency of your drug discovery process.

Read on for highlights from the Q&A discussion at the end of the live webinar or register to watch the full webinar on-demand:

Q: Have you ever tried cell-dispensing with the dragonfly discovery?

CM: Yes, I do perform cell-dispensing with the dragonfly, one of my weekly assays is a cell-based assay using CHO cell. Within this assay I use the dragonfly to add 50 microliters per well to a 3D 4-well plate. All my data looks good, so there are no problems with dispensing cells.

Q: Are the reservoir limitations you mentioned now overcome with the dragonfly auto-feed reservoir?

CM: Yes, the reservoirs can only hold 10 mL max, but the auto-feed will help with this.

Q: Are you considering replacing the BioRaptrs on the Thermo workcell you use with the dragonfly?

SM: Regarding the BioRaptr, most people know that they're pretty much end-of-life, therefore we're able to keep them going for a while. But we have been looking for a replacement which is one of the reasons we purchased a dragonfly. Other than the assay development, we do think it looks like the dragonfly can be used on our integrated systems too. But this will require the auto-feed, so we will also be purchasing the auto-feed. This way we can put it through all the tests needed to make sure that it can perform as well as the BioRaptr. As for pipetting, we already know that the dragonfly can perform well.

Q: How do you perform volume verification? What accuracy and precision do you require for your assays?

CM: I run compounds in the cell-based assay and biochemical assay and compare the EC50 values to historical data to make sure these assays are working well with the dragonfly. That's how I perform volume verification.

SM: You can also use the Artel as well. Although we haven’t performed volume verification with this specific system because we're focused on using the bioassays to make comparisons. When you compare bioassays, it gives the same results. Therefore, we're not too concerned about the accuracy because it is very accurate. But I would recommend using the Artel system if you know how.

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