Overview
The ability to control the fluid dynamics of microplate-based processes has not been possible ... until now. The L-series instruments are designed for high-throughput fluidization (membrane), solvation (compounds), lysis (tissue), degassing (solution), declumping (bead), resuspension (cell) in multiple microplate formats, such as conical, circular, rectangular geometries and densities, such as 24, 96, 384, and 1536 wells.
The instruments are powered by the Covaris Adaptive Focused Acoustic™ (AFA) technology. AFA, a proprietary computer controlled, focused acoustic process based on shock wave physics, delivers controlled, precise, and accurate energy to a fluidic sample for unsurpassed control.
The benefits of AFA-enabled processes are now scaled to the high-throughput and high performance demands of HTS.
- non-contact, isothermal processing
- rapid transfer of non-ionizing energy
- reduced false negatives and false positives with uniform solvation
- improved assay performance; particularly in High Density Plates
What They Do
The AFA-based, L8 system enables active control of microplate process dynamics - independent of well number. As with all Covaris AFA instruments, the broad dynamic range of the technology allows the L8 to perform many steps in bioassay and compound screening applications, from rapid compound dissolution, tissue homogenization, DNA shearing, and cell lysis. The inherent controlled energy transfer enables precise, accurate protocols to be developed. The process is also scalable across different volumes (or masses). In the L8, acoustic energy is focused to a continuous line, applied to all samples in a column and intermediate, contiguous plate material. Consequently, the maximum energy density available to each well is less than that available from traditional Covaris point-focus systems (e.g., S2, E210, C2000). This limits the upper mass/volume of each sample.
Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA) developed by Covaris produces a controlled acoustic field inside a sealed vessel without touching the sample. The patented process is based on computer-controlled, focused acoustic energy technology. Previously, acoustic energy use in microplate applications has been through low frequency probes (sonicators). The known drawbacks with these other systems are due to low frequency, long wavelength, unfocused, and uncontrolled energy output. Consequently, samples with other systems do not receive identical energy during the treatment and often overheat. More importantly, to obtain effective dissolution it is necessary for probe-type systems to physically contact the solution.
AFA harnesses acoustic, mechanical power without any of these drawbacks. Due to the focal nature of the high frequency acoustic transducer, the acoustic energy wavepackets are channelled into the sample through the vessel allowing non-contact, isothermal, controlled mixing.
The Covaris L-series instruments are designed specifically for the rigorous and demanding needs of the advanced chemistry and biology environments.
Benefits include:
- non-contact - samples can remain closed. No delidding/decapping necessary;
- isothermal - AFA can deliver controlled energy ensuring isothermal processes;
- highly efficient - compounds precipitated on addition of aqueous assay buffer can be resolubilised;
- automation - instrument designed with integration capability.
- unparalled speed - as the energy enables simultaneous processing, the time to mix a plate, is in seconds.
Mixing improvements were observed in 384 well plates. In the following example, 1µl of 9.6 nM p-nitrophenol was dispensed into 40µl 0.1 N NaOH and absorbance measured prior to the Covaris treatment. Absorbance was measured after a 30 second Covaris treatment, with resulting CV less than half the pre-treatment value:
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Applications include:
Stock Re-dissolution - Compounds in microplates undergoing repeated freeze-thaw cycles are susceptible to precipitation. Until now it was very difficult to re-solvate these. The AFA process is ideally suited to the re-solution of these compounds quickly and efficiently.
Compound Re-Dissolution in HTS assays - The majority of compound stores worldwide utilize DMSO as the primary solute. Recent studies have shown a large number of compounds precipitate when introduced into the aqueous environment of an HTS assay. The AFA driven L-series now enables re-dissolution of the soluble compounds in a user and automation friendly manner.
Assay Performance - With the advent of higher density microplates such as 384 and 1536 well plates. These higher density plate formats have smaller well volumes resulting in increased surface tension effects of the liquid. The ability to mix these plates is thus very difficult. Studies have shown that the L-series instruments enable high efficiency mixing which results in improved assay data quality.
Model L8
- Plate presented for robot access
- Remote or PC controlled
- A cylindrically focused transducer delivering a uniform line of acoustic energy
- Isothermal processing
- PC configurable acoustic dose parameters
- 390 mm wide, 390 mm deep, and 330 mm high
Specifications:
Hardware: L8 is supplied with a notebook PC. Note: requires a recirculating chiller
Software: The user-friendly, flexible software runs on Windows® XP. Plate mixing tasks are enabled as well as individually addressable columns.
Contact Covaris for further specifications or application inquiries.
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