Application and Calibration Based Automated Liquid Handling Bootcamp Training

Knowing which automated liquid handler meets your needs requires becoming familiar with the terminology, capabilities and common uses. This workshop course will introduce you to the technology, terminology and capabilities while allowing you hands on experience on actual automated robotic pipetting liquid handlers. The Basic Liquid Handling bootcamp focusses on optimization techniques where as the Intermediate liquid handling bootcamp foccusses on applications of liquid handling and calibration techniques.

Get much more hands-on time on the instruments development applications such as sample preparations, assay development, reformatting, cherry picking or work lists, and dillutions.

9:00am-5pm EST

Vendor delivery and setup is day before course. Vendors shall please contact for arrangements, shipping, access, and coordination by responding to our vendor logistics form in advance that lists details concerning the event.

Harvard University Medical School, Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, Rm 217, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston MA 02115 USA

 Directions  Parking

COURSE TOPIC

  • Review of Liquid handling terminology, issues and techniques
  • Review of popular Liquid Handling Applications:
  • Reformatting of microtitter plates
  • Serial Dilution
  • Cherry picking or worklist processing
  • Understand high throughput automation and integration options
  • Perform Validation and QC techniques and understand your options and calibration of your equipment
  • Perform following lab exercises
  • Plate reformatting compression
  • Plate reformatting decompression
  • Serial dilution to find your reading range
  • Perform a standard curve aqueous solutions modeled by water solutions colored with scientific dyes
  • Compare to multidye system

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Users may take this course before taking the Basic Liquid Handling Bootcamp however it is recommended that they eventually take the Basic Liquid Handling Bootcamp course. In this course, a review will be conducted of liquid handling and terminology prior to other lecture and hands on materials.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS BIOTEK AND BECKMAN AND SUPPORTERS: USER COMMUNITY, VENDORS, SUPPLIERS, NEW ENGLAND LRIG, NEW JERSEY LRIG, UPSTATE NEW YORK LRIG, AND HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL.

GOALS OF THE COURSE

  • Review the terminology & methods of automated liquid handling
  • Understand integration options to scale up and out
  • Master validation/QC testing techniques & options
  • Learn how to calibrate your instrumentation
  • Learn microplate reformatting and cherry picking
  • Perform a serial dilution with an aqueous liquid class
  • Compare the operation of your real liquid handling robots with a manual gold standard pipette

TENTATIVE GUEST SPEAKER

“Maximizing Microplate Washer Performance to Develop Robust and Reproducible Assays” from Biotek by Jared Amuan, Brian Murphy

Tentative Lab Automation Machines

CONFIRMED EQUIPMENT

  • Tecan Freedom EVO®
  • Agilent Bravo®
  • Hamilton Star®
  • Perkin Elmer Janus®
  • Beckman Biomek3000®
  • SGE eVol® Nanoliter Handheld Pipettor
  • BioTek Epoch Microplate Spectrophotometer ®
  • BioTek EL406 Microplate Washer Dispenser ®
  • Open Biobank Inc. Flexible Microscope Etaluma Lumascope®
  • Automation Trainer ALH Calibration Kit®
  • Corning Scientific and Axygen Supplies
  • NOTE: Various vendors are invited based on user interest and equipment varies by course.

CLASS SCHEDULE

The schedule for the class is as follows to give students ample time to arrive:

  •  7:00am – 9:00pm Vendors and Instructors arrive for set up
  •  9:00am – 12:00pm Students arrive, Networking, Lecture, and demonstrations
  •  12:00 – 1:00pm Lunch break
  •  1:00pm – 2pm First hands-on experiment
  •  2:00pm – 3:00pm Experiments 2 and 3
  •  3:00pm – 3:30pm Optional Break
  •  3:30pm – 5:00pm Remaining hands-on experiments and discussion
  •  5:00pm – 6:00pm Class is over. Tear down and pack. Instruments must be removed by 6pm.

 Please arrive promptly. There will be signs on the first floor foyer directing you to the room location on the 2nd floor Room 217.

 Bathrooms are down the hall from the classroom. Refreshments are on the first floor Cafe near the foyer.

 Lunch will be at the restaurant Elements Cafe near the classroom down on the first floor.

 Parking : Free with some hotels listed such as Longwood Inn. Parking at Harvard Medical School is $25-$33 all day

FOOD

How far is the classroom from the food commons or fast food places and coffee shops? There is a coffee shop serving Starbucks coffee in the conference center on the 1st floor (very close.) The Elements Cafe is also on the first floor of the center, open for lunch. There is a fast food court in the Galleria, about two blocks from the center. Most likely lunch or breakfast will be sponsored at the Elements Cafe because of its close proximity to the class room.

Is there a Starbucks near by the campus or on campus? There is a Starbucks about one block from the conference center on Longwood Ave.

HOTELS

There is a Best Western Hotel ($189 tax included) or the Longwood Inn ($159 tax included). Both are walking distance. They have free WiFi but the Longwood Inn has free parking. For other hotels please enter in hotels.com the address of the event and search.

TRANSPORTATION

Is public transportation from Logan airport accessible to get to the facility? You would have to get the best plan at www.mbta.com – use the rider tool to get from Airport to Longwood stop on Green Line E.

How much time would one allocate to get to the location from the airport by car versus by public transportation? It is subjective to time and traffic for both options. For either option, it could be as quick as a half hour/forty minutes, or could take 1 hour plus. Taxi cab is about $32 one way.

PARKING

Parking spaces in the building is $25-$33 per day.