February 22, 2021

Liquid Handling Performance Testing Made Easy

Key findings

Synthace empowers biologists to routinely monitor the performance of their liquid handlers through easier, faster, and more flexible Artel MVS^® assays
Synthace offers in silico protocol simulation and increases the breadth of Artel MVS^® assays by enabling the use of multiple volumes, liquid classes or plates
Data files are seamlessly transferred between Artel MVS^®plate reader, Synthace and the IDBS Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) for pain-free analysis and visualization
Our routine testing identified two out-of-specification events for different liquid handlers that would have been overlooked by preventative maintenance

Study summary

Monitoring the performance of liquid handlers is crucial but due to the high barrier to entry, most labs do not have the bandwidth to do it frequently and insightfully enough. Here we demonstrated how our Synthace platform empowers scientists to routinely test and monitor the performance of their devices in a way that was not previously possible.

We showed how Synthace complements and expands on the Synthace MVS^® assay, enabling scientists to flexibly and quickly design, plan, and execute accuracy and precision test across multiple liquid handlers. Users can now perform more comprehensive and complex assays, such as those involving multiple volumes, liquid classes, or plates, without relying on automation engineers. Subsequent interface with the IDBS ELN enables analysis and visualization of the liquid handler performance data over time.

Using Synthace as an orchestrator of laboratory execution and information aggregator, we can test our liquid handler performance on a bi-weekly cadence. This allows us to identify any device faults in a timely manner and troubleshoot in an unprecedented fashion.