What Is an Automated Pipetting System?
Pipetting is the process of measuring and dispensing a fixed amount of a liquid (sample, medicine, etc.). It is also called an automated liquid dispensing system, automated pipetting system, or dispensing workstation. PerkinElmer, Tecan, Eppendorf, Beckman Coulter, and other companies have released such systems.
Some are preset with protocols suitable for certain ELISA kits and nucleic acid purification kits, while others can be used with a high degree of freedom by setting the volume of liquid to be collected (in some cases, the protocol itself can be programmed by the user).
Applications of Automated Pipetting Systems
Automated pipetting systems are used to process a large number of specimens, to save time and labor in simple tasks such as sample dispensing, and to avoid human error. They are used in a wide range of fields, including research, food, clinical (medical and laboratory), and drug discovery.
Specific Examples of Use
- Dispensing reagents to plates
- Transfer of samples
- Exchange of culture media
- Plate size change (replacing samples from 96-well plates to 384-well plates)
- High-speed pipetting
- Preparation of dilution series
- Plate (sample) replication, etc.
Principle of Automated Pipetting Systems
Automated pipetting systems are composed of three major components: a liquid handling section that transfers a fixed amount of reagent or sample to microplate wells, a transport section that moves nozzle heads, pipettors, and plates, and a computer that controls the movement of these components.
In automated pipetting systems, the liquid handling section is particularly important for product performance and, like the manual pipettor, it is marked with “accuracy” and “reproducibility” values.
The dispensing operation is based on a computer-programmed protocol, in which a liquid collection head weighs a predetermined amount of reagent into a predetermined plate (position) or tube.
The grade of the instrument varies depending on the number of pipettors available (for pipettor type instruments), the number of reagents that can be recognized simultaneously, the presence or absence of a heating mechanism, and the presence or absence of expandability. Some products have optical sensors to detect various lab ware, reagents, and chips, and monitoring systems to prevent malfunctions.