Many labs turn to automation to increase throughput, lower costs, and reduce operator-related errors. Transferring a manual, bench-top assay to an automated platform, however, is often more complicated than expected. As part of this challenge, laboratories often rely on pipetting precision alone to assess and mitigate assay variability. However, both the accuracy and precision of the liquid handler need to be considered. In addition to liquid handler calibrations, optimizing a liquid handler to dispense non-deal solution is a critical component to successfully automating an assay. We will discuss our approach to liquid class optimization by evaluating liquid dispense precision and accuracy. We will also demonstrate how liquid dispense variability affects assay results.
Nathaniel Hentz, Artel/Analis