Abstract Description

Mechanized, pre-programmed, automated processes in the lab are employed to improve productivity and are often considered to produce higher-quality experimental systems than those prepared by personnel. Automated liquid handlers (ALHs) perform aspirating and dispensing tasks within the biomedical industry, especially for the preparation of assay kits and other forms of diagnostics, and thus contributing towards bio-based technologies and the bioeconomy, to bring the lab to life. The application of ALHs to the various assays and experiments is an obstacle which constrains their implementation, and necessitates efforts to standardize them and improve compatibility. This study reports on the practicalities of utilizing a commercial ALH – a BioDot AD3220™ – for the production of several assay kits aimed to be utilised within the laboratory. Kits constructed using the ALH were compared to kits manufactured and assembled by researchers, in parallel. An initial study was conducted to calibrate the BioDot dispensing using absorbance- (using bromophenol blue), image- and gravimetric-based validation. Subsequently, this ALH was used to create a paper-based chemosensor (ninhydrin-based detection of free proline), as well as a resazurin cell viability assay within a microtiter plate format. ALH- produced kits performed comparably to manually-prepared kits, and could produce high-performance, pre-prepared, kits at high volumes (12 per day). Limitations to use of the ALH were the requirements for dispensing optimization experiments and for compatibility testing when considering individual assay reagents. These findings suggest that although further optimization is required, ALHs can be used to manufacture bespoke kit devices that can automate certain laboratory-confined processes in a flexible manner.