High-throughput, High Content RNAi Screening

Configuration Requirements:

• Small footprint
• Fully integrated system
• Capacity to process 260+ plates in a single run
• Flexible liquid handling supported by single use pipette tips
• Throughput in line with reader capabilities (robotics and liquid handling must not limit throughput)
• Long term incubation capabilities with access to HCS reader offline during incubation periods

RNA interference is a specific, potent, and highly successful approach for studying mammalian gene function. Moreover, high-throughput screening of small interfering RNAs (siRNA) libraries has quickly become an important tool for drug discovery and biomedical research. RNAi screening becomes even more powerful when combined with high content imaging and data analysis techniques as the resulting multiparametric readouts provide greater insight toward the understanding of gene function. For an academic customer, we built a fully integrated RNAi screening system to be deployed in a space restricted environment. Inside the compact explorer^™ G3 workstation enclosure a BioTek^® EL406 microplate washer/dispenser, JANUS^® Mini MDT liquid handling platform with 384-well pipetting head and 2 PlateStak^® units with supply tip boxes were configured around a 6-axis robotic arm. Cell and bulk reagent dispensing is handled by a Thermo Scientific^™ Multidrop^™ Combi dispenser unit. To support their high content plate reading, an Opera^® high throughput imaging reader was integrated via a 4-position turntable adjacent to a 300+ capacity plate::lift^™ plate storage unit. The turntable and plate::lift plate storage unit provides the Opera high throughput imaging reader with ready to read plates (prepared off-line) while the remainder of the system is engaged in liquid handling and/or plate incubation.

With respect to storage and incubation capacity, the application-specific configuration was designed to facilitate screening of a 100,000 well compound library within a single run.