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Aseptic Laboratory Techniques: Plating Methods
Published on: May 11, 2012
Multichannel plating unit for high-throughput plating of cell cultures.
C M Hamilton1, M Anderson, J Lape
1Paradigm Genetics, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-4528, USA. chamilton@paragen.com
Biotechniques
|August 22, 2002
Summary
This study introduces a Multichannel Plating Unit for efficient high-throughput screening. This apparatus streamlines the plating process for gene function studies, saving significant time and resources.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- High-throughput genomic approaches necessitate efficient molecular biology techniques.
- The 96-well format is standard for many genetic manipulations.
- Current methods for plating cultures from 96-well blocks can be labor-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an apparatus for efficient plating of individual cultures from 96-well blocks.
- To reduce the time, materials, and storage space required for high-throughput screening.
- To facilitate rapid plating for gene function and target identification studies.
Main Methods:
- A Multichannel Plating Unit with 12 individual lanes was designed.
- Sterile beads are used to transfer culture aliquots along agar media channels.
- The apparatus is compatible with standard 12-channel pipettors for rapid, simultaneous plating.
Main Results:
- The Multichannel Plating Unit enables rapid plating of 12 cultures simultaneously.
- Plating one 96-well block reduces effort from 96 individual dishes to eight multichannel plates.
- Significant savings in time, materials, and storage space were achieved.
Conclusions:
- The Multichannel Plating Unit offers a significant improvement for high-throughput culture plating.
- This apparatus enhances efficiency in genomic research and target identification.
- The method provides substantial resource optimization for molecular biology laboratories.
