MPI Berlin chooses Tecan to automate high throughput peptide mass fingerprinting

Research scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have developed an automated, high throughput sample preparation protocol for peptide mass fingerprinting, using a Tecan Te-MO™ pipetting robot, integrated within a Tecan liquid handling workstation.

The preparation of samples is a critical limiting factor in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, but Dr Niklas Gustavsson and colleagues have used the Te-MO to achieve a simple, robust and reproducible method of sample preparation, reliably and in a highly automated manner.

The Te-MO pipetting head dispenses the samples from eight 96-well microplates to two MALDI sample plates, each with 384 sample positions, and handles all washing stages automatically. To achieve high sensitivity, impurities such as salts and buffer components must be washed away efficiently with minimal loss of analytes. The Te-MO washes the samples including an effective rinsing process, to reduce pipette tip consumption and minimize cross contamination. Comparisons between pairs of replicate MALDI sample plates have demonstrated the high reproducibility of robotic handling by the Te-MO.