Many a mundane task in a researcher’s life can seem trivial but often have profound influences on the experimental results. One such activity can be transferring and dispensing liquids – manually using single-channel pipettes to transfer samples or reagents. Increasing the number of channels does increase productivity to an extent; however, depending on the scale of any experiment, this can be cumbersome.
The rather alarming concern is the possibility of error due to human intervention. When it comes to dispensing liquids manually, there is bound to be a variation among different users. As a result, researchers are also at risk of cross-contaminating their samples, especially when many of them are involved. This inconsistency in dispensing rhythm and speed considerably reduces the experiment’s efficiency and accuracy. For example, excessive or rough pipetting of protein or nucleic acid solutions degrades sample quality.
It is only the steady hands that can handle the precise pipetting skills. However, considering the large-scale increase in experiments that require small volumes of samples/reagents like qPCR, drug library screening, genomics, and molecular diagnostics, relying only on manual pipetting would be putting all the eggs in one basket.
This is where automation plays a significant role—solving the accuracy and efficiency issue of manual pipetting with the added advantage of speed – it is one of the most valuable inventions for the scientific community. We have the crafty solution for this from the Eppendorf family – the epMotion series. A dynamic liquid handling workstation that would improve reproducibility and precision.
Starting with epMotion® 96 and 96xl all the way to the latest model, epMotion® 5075vt, this series is a godsend to the lab professionals. With unique software, the epMotion series is easy to use with minimal training. In addition, by automating the routine pipetting tasks, the researchers have more time on their hands to explore the results than paying extra attention to the accuracy of their pipetting process.
An exciting application of epMotion is in DNA sequencing. It is a method by which one deciphers the base sequence in nucleic acids. Understanding this opens the door to virtually all biological processes, for example, human disease biology, inheritance, immunology, oncology, and cellular biology. The invention of the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technique massively improved the weaknesses of the 1st generation sequencing technique, e.g., low throughput, scalability, speed, and resolution.
The epMotion® 5075t NGS Solution and epMotion® 5073t NGS Solution are technologies that can make a claim – NGS made easy. Combining automated liquid handling and unique software features, this series makes the labor-intensive process of NGS sample preparation more accurate and eliminates the risk of pipetting errors, thereby providing efficient results in research.
epMotion is available in four different formats with upgradeable options and this gives you the flexibility to tailor the system to your specific applications. The epMotion 96, for example, is a straightforward 96-well multi-channel pipette with parallel piston movements that ensure complete and precise reagent distribution in 96- and 384-well plates. EpMotion 5070 systems are designed for PCR setup, nucleic acid purification, and next-generation sequencing. Finally, the largest epMotion 5075 is a versatile tool for real-time PCR setup, next-generation sequencing, and cell-based assays. Multiple deck positions on the epMotion 5070, 5073, and 5075 systems allow for a wide range of tasks, from routine serial dilutions to complex operations.
Want to see a demo of this unique technology? Register now for PrecisionMed Expo and visit our stand C01 from 24th to 25th May 2022 at Conrad Dubai. To learn more on lab automation and its effect on Precision Medicine, you can also join our Webinar -The Focus on Precision Medicine: A Covid19 Retrospect on May 12th 2022, 4.30 pm GST!
