Scaling up screening

Researchers at the Health Innovations Research Institute (HIRi) at RMIT University are using VIAFLO II electronic pipettes from INTEGRA Biosciences, in conjunction with a VIAFLO ASSIST pipetting platform, to scale up their screening of venoms and small compounds.

The HIRi is an RMIT initiative that seeks to address key health issues facing Australia in the 21st century, with research programs that examine how the human body functions at a molecular and cellular level. This research is targeted to provide innovative therapeutic strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Australia and around the world.

“We approached INTEGRA’s Australian distributor (BioTools) for a solution to scale up our screening of venoms and small compounds in both 96- and 384-well plates,” said HIRi researcher Bill Darby. “Following a demonstration, we found that the VIAFLO ASSIST pipetting assistant met our required criteria of a cost-effective and easy-to-use pipetting solution, which led us to purchase the ASSIST and 3 VIAFLO II multichannel pipettes.

“Since its introduction, the system has been running perfectly and we have been able to achieve the scaling up we required. The ASSIST has delivered more accurate and precise pipetting results that have improved our assay results. Another significant benefit is that the ASSIST is very compact and easily fits in our lab hood. We have also found that the versatility of the VIAFLO II pipettes has proven especially useful for handling complicated layouts in 384-well plates.”

Image caption: The VIAFLO ASSIST pipetting platform.