Automated Low-Volume Cell Dispensing and Analysis Using the BioRAPTR FRD™ Microfluidic Workstation and PARADIGM™ Detection Platform for cAMP and Ion Channel Assays

The BioRAPTR FRD™ workstation from Beckman Coulter was used to automate screening assays, including cell dispensing.

The protocols described in this poster were used to generate low-volume cell culture plates, to add agonists for cell stimulation and to dispense reagents for the cell-based assays. Two assays were selected to demonstrate automation in 384- and 1536-well plates.  A GPCR cell-based assay, the cAMP dynamic 2 kit from Cisbio that measures cyclic AMP levels using HTRF® technology was automated in a 1536-well format.  Because ion channel activity is increasingly being tested in screening laboratories, the Fluo-4 NW Calcium Assay Kit from Invitrogen was used to measure the cytosolic Ca2+ signal upon stimulation and was automated in a 384-well format. The detection and analysis were performed using the PARADIGM Detection Platform from Beckman Coulter.

The data in this poster show the accuracy of cellular dispensing and the results obtained from the two screening assays as automated using the BioRAPTR FRD workstation.

Click to enlarge image
Figure 1.  Principle of HTRF cAMP assay

Source

Part No.

Quantity

Description

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

B18492

1

Automated BioRAPTR FRD Workstation with 8-tip Head for 1536-well plates

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

 A41573

1

PARADIGM HTRF configuration 

Source

Part No.

Quantity

Description

Cisbio International

62AM4PEC

1

cAMP HTRF Assay Kit 

Invitrogen

F36206

1

Fluo-4NW Ca2+ Assay Kit