Nanoliter High-Throughput Screening with the PHERAstar FS

BMG LABTECH’s PHERAstar FS has the ability to reliably measure not only 1536-well microplates, but also 3456-well plates in primary and secondary cell-based HTS assays.

Technological advancements provide the perfect platform to reliably measure smaller volumes. Its advanced optical focusing system has a resolution of hundredths of a nanometer, allowing for precise signal measurements from the top and bottom of the microplate. The direct-optic bottom reading has increased sensitivity for smaller volume and for cell-based assays due to an innovation in optical design. Furthermore, two separate high performance lasers allow for extremely fast and ultra-sensitive measurements in AlphaScreen® and time-resolved fluorescence assays such as HTRF®.

BMG LABTECH and Labcyte presented a new nanoHTSplatform at the SLAS2012, incorporating next generation instrumentation and software for nanoliter-scale high-throughput screening. Using Labcyte’s Echo® to precisely dispense nanoliters of reagents into 1536- and 3456-well microplates, measurements taken with the PHERAstar FS show that assay integrity is maintained when miniaturizing different HTS platforms. This new fully automated nanoHTS platform can screen more compounds faster while lowering the average screening costs.