Bob Corr, Principle Scientist at the DNA and BioFluids Center of Emphasis, explained: “The quantity of DNA required for downstream processing had decreased significantly, from approximately 250μg to 6μg, since the inception of the first generation extraction process. This reduction in volume has allowed us to fully automate sample handling for both DNA extraction and long term whole blood storage using the Freedom EVO platform, and our entire laboratory workflow has been updated to reflect these changes in practice.”
Bob concluded: “Introduction of the second generation extraction protocol has made a huge difference to our overall throughput. Working with lower sample volumes in 96-well microplate format means we now process 96 samples in around 2 hours, compared to 11.5 hours using the old protocol, significantly increasing throughput and reducing both the cost per sample and the volume of biohazardous waste. We are now working with Tecan to implement parallel processing of three microplates using the dynamic scheduling capabilities of Freedom EVOware® Plus, which will increase our capacity to almost 1000 samples a day, more than 10 times the throughput of our old method.”
Photograph: Bob Corr, Principle Scientist at the DNA and BioFluids Center of Emphasis
Tecan Trading AG
