Serial dilutions

Precise pipetting of serial dilutions is a prerequisite for accurate cell viability and drug susceptibility assays. Performing serial dilutions by hand is however a tedious and error prone task. Automating it with the ASSIST PLUS ensures that critical parameters – such as pipetting heights and mixing speeds – remain consistent for excellent results. If required, tips can be exchanged after every transfer to minimize the risk of carryover.

PCR set-up

Precise pipetting of low volumes is a daily challenge in PCR. Often, samples must be transferred from tubes to plates, a process that can be sped up by using the ASSIST PLUS with a VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing electronic pipette. Even complex pipetting patterns can be easily automated with the intuitive VIALAB software.

Example of an RT-PCR set-up application note for COVID-19 testing

ELISAs

The repetitive addition and removal of reagents for ELISAs is a time-consuming process. Automating it on the ASSIST PLUS helps to free up staff time and increase the reproducibility of the results.

Example of an ELISA application note

Next generation sequencing

The library preparation process involves repeated purification steps with magnetic beads. The ASSIST PLUS work deck can accommodate three different labware items, including plates, various tube racks and INTEGRA reservoirs. Magnetic stands in standard microplate formats can also be incorporated onto the instrument to allow automated pipetting for highly repetitive purification processes, complemented by very low dead volume multichannel reservoirs that minimize reagent waste and reduce costs.

Cell culture

Sterile working conditions are essential for cell culture applications, and the compact ASSIST PLUS fits into any biosafety cabinet. Combined with a VOYAGER pipette, it allows preparation of 12 to 384 well cell culture plates, using very slow and constant pipetting speeds to avoid shearing, and enables seeding of spheroids for 3D cell culture to be reliably performed.