BioTek Instruments and Global Cell Solutions Collaborate at LabAutomation2010

BioTek Instruments, Inc. and Global Cell Solutions, Inc. announce a formal collaboration for the coming year at LabAutomation 2010. The poster Automation of a Microplate Cell-based Assay to Measure Activity of the Histamine H1 G Protein-coupled Receptor Using a Novel 3-D Cell Culture Technique is the first in a series of collaborative publications detailing the use of BioTek’s microplate instrumentation for various cell-based assays.

The application poster details the use of BioTek’s MicroFlo™ Select Dispenser, Precision™ Automated Microplate Pipetting System and Synergy™ 4 Multi-Mode Microplate Reader with a novel 3-D cell culture method and FRET-based assay to measure activity of a Histamine H1 G protein-coupled Receptor. BioTek used the BioLevitator™ and GEM™ technologies to provide transformed cell types.

BioTek’s MicroFlo™ Select and Precision will be at booth 151 along with the successor to Synergy™ 4 and latest microplate technology — the Synergy™ H4 Hybrid Microplate Reader. The new Synergy™ H4 combines high-performance filter-based detection and flexible monochromator-based detection in one compact instrument. This unique hybrid of both technologies provides for endless flexibility in current and future microplate-based assay choice.

This collaboration is an opportunity to explore new paradigms for cell-based assay workflows and microplate-based screening of 3-D cell cultures. “Customers are using BioTek’s plate readers for cell-based assays to an increasing extent,” explains Peter Banks, Scientific Director at BioTek Instruments. “We are particularly interested in collaborating with companies that provide novel enabling technologies such as the BioLevitator and GEM technologies for improving cell-based assay workflows. Being able to dispense cells directly into the assay without enzymatic detachment offers a unique workflow advantage and potential benefits to cell health and assay performance.”

Future studies will include primary cell lines as well as kinase screening, ADME/Tox and live cell assays. The BioLevitator is a compact culture device that reduces operating costs while improving consistency and simplifying handling. The BioLevitator utilizes the GEM technology, a magnetic culture particle that enables users to pipette transformed, primary and stem cells directly from culture to assay without enzymatic detachment and replating.

Looking forward to the new applications, Uday Gupta, President & CEO of GCS, commented, “We are thrilled to work with BioTek in validating popular cell-based assays using the GEM and BioLevitator. The newly released 3D-CellHOST™ will integrate the BioLevitator on the Hamilton STAR workstation to create a seamless automated workflow for unifying cell culture and cell-based assays.”