Gilson UK has revealed how the biotechnology unit of the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre has reduced PCR setup costs by using the Innovadyne Nanodrop II and Nanodrop Express liquid handlers from Idex.
These instruments can aspirate and dispense both samples and reagents across a range of biological applications.
The Nanodrop has a wide dynamic volume range from 50nl to 500ul, allowing procedures to utilise both small and large volumes without compromising accuracy or precision.
Because of the combination of syringes and micro-solenoid valves, samples are isolated, providing a valve-free fluid pathway that eliminates cross-contamination concerns.
The Nanodrop is said to reduce sample volumes for DNA sequencing reactions, which provides significant cost savings.
The company said it increases the accuracy and precision of pipetting applications, removing human error, and automatically prepares hundreds of samples for analysis while releasing users to interpret results.
The instrument has pipetted a range of solutions including glycerols, growth media containing antibiotics, lysis buffer and ethanol-based washes.
The biotechnology unit of the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in Hertford uses a Nanodrop II with two-plate stage and eight probes.
It is currently processing hundreds of fosmid library samples.
The research centre anticipates reducing its sample volumes, resulting in cost savings as fewer reagents will be used.
Future applications also include quantification of gene expression and SNP analysis.
The research centre is benefitting from the Nanodrop's features, including: wide dynamic volume range from 50nl to 500ul; two-plate stage for plate-to-plate transfers, sapphire-lined washable tips, which eliminate cross contamination; and intuitive software.
