[ccp4bb]: Summary: multi-channel pipettors for crystallization

[Bostjan Kobe <kobe@biosci.uq.edu.au>]

Title: Summary: multi-channel pipettors for crystallization

Dear Bulletin Board,

Below is the summary of the responses to my question about multi-channel pipettors late last year. Perhaps it is not exactly a CCP4 topic, and there were holidays, but I was still hoping for some more. Or is everyone still doing the old 24-well plates, one-by-one drop? Any more comments are still welcome!!!

QUESTION:

At 11:38 +1000 7/1/02, Bostjan Kobe wrote:

> We have been trying to convert to 96-well
> plates and multichannel pipettors for crystallization. We have tried a
> few pipettors (both manual and automatic; Eppendorf, Genex, Biorad)
> with very limited success. Among other, we encounter the following
> problems:
> - The channels are not well aligned with the wells (particularly
> Eppendorf; the tips are too long).
> - The pipettors do not accurately pipette small volumes (0.5-1 ul),
> despite trying many different types of tips.
> - The blowout feature introduces bubbles in drops.
>
> Could people share their experience about using multi-channel
> pipettors and 96-well plates, in particular:
> - What drop size do people use?
> - What brands of pipettors do people recommend?
> Any other information regarding this
> topic will also be very welcome.

ANSWERS:

At 16:11 -0800 18/12/01, Thomas Stout wrote:

> We have observed the same issues with
> multi-channel pipets.  Our
> "solution" has been to use a 12 channel pipettor for
> dispensing
> the well solutions, a repeating pipet for putting protein in the
> mini-wells, and then manually slogging through dispensing
> appropriate
> volumes of ppt soln into each protein drop.  Ultimately, we
> will
> use a robot for these functions and no longer have this
> concern.....
>
> -Tom

At 9:05 +0100 19/12/01, Laurent.Chantalat@aventis.com wrote:

> It might not be exactly what you need but
> TECAN with their Genesis
> workstation (8 needles in // that can pipette .5 µl without
> problem)
> combined with Greiner 96 sitting drop well plate (with 3 micro wells/
> well)
> can do a pretty good job at crystallisation.
>
> bye,
>
> Laurent Chantalat

At 15:43 +0100 19/12/01, Gerlind Sulzenbacher wrote:

> I don't agree completely with Laurent. We
> have a Tecan robot since this summer and tested it extensively.
> It is true, it does a good job, but I don't think you can really get
> down to .5 + 0.5. The problem is mainly that
> the ejection is not strong enough, plastic plates are electrostatic
> and small drops are don't deposited on the plate but
> travel up the outside of the needle. 1.5 + 1.5 works fairly well and
> the alignment of the is not
> Another option in Cartesian, with selenoid valve technology: can do
> nano-drops, but is very expensive. Still to verify if nano-technology
> really works for crystallisation (kinetics might be to fast).
>  
> Gerlind

At 9:50 -0500 19/12/01, Lukacs, Christine {DISC~Nutley} wrote:

> You should check out
> FastDrops, which is being developed with Corning. Here's Armando
> Villasenor's abstract from the ACA:
> Fast Drops: A Speedy
> Approach to Setting Up Protein Crystallization Trials. Armando
> Villaseñor1,
> Ma Sha2, Michelle Browner3. 1,3Roche Bioscience, 3401
> Hillview Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, 2Corning Inc.
> Life Sciences, 45 Nagog Prk, Acton, MA
> 01720.
> Imagine if you could set
> up Hampton Screens I and II against four protein complexes in 1 hour
> without
> using a robot. That's a total of 392 conditions in one
> hour! It is possible using the procedure and materials
> described in this poster. The procedure is simple,
> cost effective and minimized physical strain due to
> repetitive manipulations. This poster shows the
> details of the speedy manual procedure using a
> prototype
> plate described
> below.
> If your needs demand
> faster crystallization set-ups, a high throughput (HT) solution is
> right around the
> corner. We have developed, in collaboration with
> Corning Life Sciences, a prototype 96 well crystallization
> plate that meets the stringent footprint standard for
> SBS (Society For Biomolecular Screening) microplates.
> Our plate will be the first HT crystallization plate
> on the market that is compatible with HT Automation
> Robotics. Crystallography will soon enjoy screening
> rates that are comparable to those currently available
> for High Throughput Drug
> Screening!

Thanks for all who replied!

Happy new Year,

Bostjan

--

Bostjan Kobe
Associate Professor
Wellcome Senior Research Fellow in Medical Science in Australia
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Institute for Molecular Bioscience
University of Queensland
Brisbane, Queensland 4072
Australia
Phone:       +61-7-3365-2132
Fax:     +61-7-3365-4699
E-mail: kobe@biosci.uq.edu.au
URL: http://www.biosci.uq.edu.au/Html/StaffInterests/BK.html
URL: http://www.biosci.uq.edu.au/bk/BKgroup.html