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A fully automated high-throughput training system for rodents.
Rajesh Poddar
Full Text Available Addressing the neural mechanisms underlying complex learned behaviors requires training animals in well-controlled tasks, an often time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can severely limit the feasibility of such studies. To overcome this constraint, we developed a fully computer-controlled general purpose system for high-throughput training of rodents. By standardizing and automating the implementation of predefined training protocols within the animal's home-cage our system dramatically reduces the efforts involved in animal training while also removing human errors and biases from the process. We deployed this system to train rats in a variety of sensorimotor tasks, achieving learning rates comparable to existing, but more laborious, methods. By incrementally and systematically increasing the difficulty of the task over weeks of training, rats were able to master motor tasks that, in complexity and structure, resemble ones used in primate studies of motor sequence learning. By enabling fully automated training of rodents in a home-cage setting this low-cost and modular system increases the utility of rodents for studying the neural underpinnings of a variety of complex behaviors.
An industrial engineering approach to laboratory automation for high throughput screening
Karl C. Menke
Across the pharmaceutical industry, there are a variety of approaches to laboratory automation for high throughput screening. At Sphinx Pharmaceuticals, the principles of industrial engineering have been applied to systematically identify and develop those automated solutions that provide the greatest value to the scientists engaged in lead generation.
Automated system for combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput characterization of polymeric sensor materials
Kulikov, Valentin
In this thesis, an automated system for combinatorial synthesis and high throughput investigation of electrical properties of conductive polymers is described. The equipment provides a polymerization of defined mixtures of monomers into a thin layer on the addressed work electrodes of a direct electrode array. It is followed by high-throughput screening of current voltage characteristics according to the developed measurement protocol. The electrodes with an interdigital configuration were sp...
Federal Laboratory Consortium — Argonne?s high throughput facility provides highly automated and parallel approaches to material and materials chemistry development. The facility allows scientists...
Automated system for high-throughput protein production using the dialysis cell-free method.
Aoki, Masaaki; Matsuda, Takayoshi; Tomo, Yasuko; Miyata, Yukako; Inoue, Makoto; Kigawa, Takanori; Yokoyama, Shigeyuki
High-throughput protein production systems have become an important issue, because protein production is one of the bottleneck steps in large-scale structural and functional analyses of proteins. We have developed a dialysis reactor and a fully automated system for protein production using the dialysis cell-free synthesis method, which we previously established to produce protein samples on a milligram scale in a high-throughput manner. The dialysis reactor was designed to be suitable for an automated system and has six dialysis cups attached to a flat dialysis membrane. The automated system is based on a Tecan Freedom EVO 200 workstation in a three-arm configuration, and is equipped with shaking incubators, a vacuum module, a robotic centrifuge, a plate heat sealer, and a custom-made tilting carrier for collection of reaction solutions from the flat-bottom cups with dialysis membranes. The consecutive process, from the dialysis cell-free protein synthesis to the partial purification by immobilized metal affinity chromatography on a 96-well filtration plate, was performed within ca. 14h, including 8h of cell-free protein synthesis. The proteins were eluted stepwise in a high concentration using EDTA by centrifugation, while the resin in the filtration plate was washed on the vacuum manifold. The system was validated to be able to simultaneously and automatically produce up to 96 proteins in yields of several milligrams with high well-to-well reliability, sufficient for structural and functional analyses of proteins. The protein samples produced by the automated system have been utilized for NMR screening to judge the protein foldedness and for structure determinations using heteronuclear multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The automated high-throughput protein production system represents an important breakthrough in the structural and functional studies of proteins and has already contributed a massive amount of results in the structural genomics project at the
Automated High Throughput Protein Crystallization Screening at Nanoliter Scale and Protein Structural Study on Lactate Dehydrogenase
Fenglei Li
The purposes of our research were: (1) To develop an economical, easy to use, automated, high throughput system for large scale protein crystallization screening. (2) To develop a new protein crystallization method with high screening efficiency, low protein consumption and complete compatibility with high throughput screening system. (3) To determine the structure of lactate dehydrogenase complexed with NADH by x-ray protein crystallography to study its inherent structural properties. Firstly, we demonstrated large scale protein crystallization screening can be performed in a high throughput manner with low cost, easy operation. The overall system integrates liquid dispensing, crystallization and detection and serves as a whole solution to protein crystallization screening. The system can dispense protein and multiple different precipitants in nanoliter scale and in parallel. A new detection scheme, native fluorescence, has been developed in this system to form a two-detector system with a visible light detector for detecting protein crystallization screening results. This detection scheme has capability of eliminating common false positives by distinguishing protein crystals from inorganic crystals in a high throughput and non-destructive manner. The entire system from liquid dispensing, crystallization to crystal detection is essentially parallel, high throughput and compatible with automation. The system was successfully demonstrated by lysozyme crystallization screening. Secondly, we developed a new crystallization method with high screening efficiency, low protein consumption and compatibility with automation and high throughput. In this crystallization method, a gas permeable membrane is employed to achieve the gentle evaporation required by protein crystallization. Protein consumption is significantly reduced to nanoliter scale for each condition and thus permits exploring more conditions in a phase diagram for given amount of protein. In addition
OptoDyCE: Automated system for high-throughput all-optical dynamic cardiac electrophysiology
Klimas, Aleksandra; Yu, Jinzhu; Ambrosi, Christina M.; Williams, John C.; Bien, Harold; Entcheva, Emilia
In the last two decades, technologies employing stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes (e.g. induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes, iPSC-CMs) require better screening methods to become practical. However, a high-throughput, cost-effective approach for cellular cardiac electrophysiology has not been feasible. Optical techniques for manipulation and recording provide a contactless means of dynamic, high-throughput testing of cells and tissues. Here, we consider the requirements for all-optical electrophysiology for drug testing, and we implement and validate OptoDyCE, a fully automated system for all-optical cardiac electrophysiology. We demonstrate the high-throughput capabilities using multicellular samples in 96-well format by combining optogenetic actuation with simultaneous fast high-resolution optical sensing of voltage or intracellular calcium. The system can also be implemented using iPSC-CMs and other cell-types by delivery of optogenetic drivers, or through the modular use of dedicated light-sensitive somatic cells in conjunction with non-modified cells. OptoDyCE provides a truly modular and dynamic screening system, capable of fully-automated acquisition of high-content information integral for improved discovery and development of new drugs and biologics, as well as providing a means of better understanding of electrical disturbances in the heart.
An Automated, High-Throughput System for GISAXS and GIWAXS measurements of thin films
Schaible, Eric; Jimenez, Jessica; Church, Matthew; Lim, Eunhee; Stewart, Polite; Hexemer, Alexander
Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) are important techniques for characterizing thin films. In order to meet rapidly increasing demand, the SAXSWAXS beamline at the Advanced Light Source (beamline 7.3.3) has implemented a fully automated, high-throughput system to conduct SAXS, GISAXS and GIWAXS measurements. An automated robot arm transfers samples from a holding tray to a measurement stage. Intelligent software aligns each sample in turn, and measures each according to user-defined specifications. Users mail in trays of samples on individually barcoded pucks, and can download and view their data remotely. Data will be pipelined to the NERSC supercomputing facility, and will be available to users via a web portal that facilitates highly parallelized analysis. Support provided by the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP).
An Automated, High-Throughput System for GISAXS and GIWAXS Measurements
Schaible, Eric; Jimenez, Jessica; Lim, Eun Hee; Church, Matthew; Yee, Christina; Stewart, Polite; MacDowell, Alastair; Parkinson, Dula; Domning, Ed; Yang, Lee; Alvarez, Steven; Hexemer, Alexander
Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) are important techniques for characterizing thin films. In order to meet rapidly increasing demand, the SAXSWAXS beamline at the Advanced Light Source (beamline 7.3.3) is implementing a fully automated, high-throughput system to conduct SAXS, GISAXS and GIWAXS measurements. An automated robot arm will transfer samples from a holding tray to a measurement stage. Intelligent software will align each sample in turn, and measure each according to user-defined specifications. Users will be able to mail in trays of samples, and will be able to monitor and control their experiments remotely. Data will be pipelined to the NERSC supercomputing facility, and will be available to users via a web portal that facilitates highly parallelized analysis. Support provided by the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP).
High-throughput automated dissolution method applicable for a wide dose range of controlled release pellets.
Petruševska, Marija; Horvat, Matej; Peternel, Luka; Kristan, Katja
The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the application of an automated high-throughput (HT) dissolution method as a useful screening tool for characterization of controlled release pellets in the formulation development phase. Five controlled release pellet formulations with drug substances exhibiting high or low solubility were chosen to investigate the correlation of the automated HT dissolution method with the conventional dissolution testing. Overall, excellent correlations (R(2 )>( )0.96) between the HT and the conventional dissolution method were obtained. In one case the initial unsatisfactory correlation (R(2 )=( )0.84) and poor method agreement (SD = 12.5) was improved by optimizing the HT dissolution method with design of experiment approach. Here in comparison to initial experimental HT dissolution settings, increased amount of pellets (25% of the capsule filling mass), lower temperature (22 °C) and no shaking resulted in significantly better correlation (R(2 )=( )0.97) and method agreement (SD = 5.3). These results show that such optimization is valuable for the development of HT dissolution methods. In conclusion, the high correlation of dissolution profiles obtained from the conventional and the automated HT dissolution method combined with low within-sample and measurement system variability, justifies the utilization of the automated HT dissolution method during development phase of controlled release pellets. PMID:26552838
Automated Modular High Throughput Exopolysaccharide Screening Platform Coupled with Highly Sensitive Carbohydrate Fingerprint Analysis.
Rühmann, Broder; Schmid, Jochen; Sieber, Volker
Many microorganisms are capable of producing and secreting exopolysaccharides (EPS), which have important implications in medical fields, food applications or in the replacement of petro-based chemicals. We describe an analytical platform to be automated on a liquid handling system that allows the fast and reliable analysis of the type and the amount of EPS produced by microorganisms. It enables the user to identify novel natural microbial exopolysaccharide producers and to analyze the carbohydrate fingerprint of the corresponding polymers within one day in high-throughput (HT). Using this platform, strain collections as well as libraries of strain variants that might be obtained in engineering approaches can be screened. The platform has a modular setup, which allows a separation of the protocol into two major parts. First, there is an automated screening system, which combines different polysaccharide detection modules: a semi-quantitative analysis of viscosity formation via a centrifugation step, an analysis of polymer formation via alcohol precipitation and the determination of the total carbohydrate content via a phenol-sulfuric-acid transformation. Here, it is possible to screen up to 384 strains per run. The second part provides a detailed monosaccharide analysis for all the selected EPS producers identified in the first part by combining two essential modules: the analysis of the complete monomer composition via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra violet and electrospray ionization ion trap detection (UHPLC-UV-ESI-MS) and the determination of pyruvate as a polymer substituent (presence of pyruvate ketal) via enzymatic oxidation that is coupled to a color formation. All the analytical modules of this screening platform can be combined in different ways and adjusted to individual requirements. Additionally, they can all be handled manually or performed with a liquid handling system. Thereby, the screening platform enables a huge
The Stanford Automated Mounter: Enabling High-Throughput Protein Crystal Screening at SSRL
The macromolecular crystallography experiment lends itself perfectly to high-throughput technologies. The initial steps including the expression, purification, and crystallization of protein crystals, along with some of the later steps involving data processing and structure determination have all been automated to the point where some of the last remaining bottlenecks in the process have been crystal mounting, crystal screening, and data collection. At the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, a National User Facility that provides extremely brilliant X-ray photon beams for use in materials science, environmental science, and structural biology research, the incorporation of advanced robotics has enabled crystals to be screened in a true high-throughput fashion, thus dramatically accelerating the final steps. Up to 288 frozen crystals can be mounted by the beamline robot (the Stanford Auto-Mounting System) and screened for diffraction quality in a matter of hours without intervention. The best quality crystals can then be remounted for the collection of complete X-ray diffraction data sets. Furthermore, the entire screening and data collection experiment can be controlled from the experimenter's home laboratory by means of advanced software tools that enable network-based control of the highly automated beamlines.
An Automated High Throughput Proteolysis and Desalting Platform for Quantitative Proteomic Analysis
Albert-Baskar Arul
Full Text Available Proteomics for biomarker validation needs high throughput instrumentation to analyze huge set of clinical samples for quantitative and reproducible analysis at a minimum time without manual experimental errors. Sample preparation, a vital step in proteomics plays a major role in identification and quantification of proteins from biological samples. Tryptic digestion a major check point in sample preparation for mass spectrometry based proteomics needs to be more accurate with rapid processing time. The present study focuses on establishing a high throughput automated online system for proteolytic digestion and desalting of proteins from biological samples quantitatively and qualitatively in a reproducible manner. The present study compares online protein digestion and desalting of BSA with conventional off-line (in-solution method and validated for real time sample for reproducibility. Proteins were identified using SEQUEST data base search engine and the data were quantified using IDEALQ software. The present study shows that the online system capable of handling high throughput samples in 96 well formats carries out protein digestion and peptide desalting efficiently in a reproducible and quantitative manner. Label free quantification showed clear increase of peptide quantities with increase in concentration with much linearity compared to off line method. Hence we would like to suggest that inclusion of this online system in proteomic pipeline will be effective in quantification of proteins in comparative proteomics were the quantification is really very crucial.
A cell-based high-throughput screening assay for radiation susceptibility using automated cell counting
Radiotherapy is one of the mainstays in the treatment for cancer, but its success can be limited due to inherent or acquired resistance. Mechanisms underlying radioresistance in various cancers are poorly understood and available radiosensitizers have shown only modest clinical benefit. There is thus a need to identify new targets and drugs for more effective sensitization of cancer cells to irradiation. Compound and RNA interference high-throughput screening technologies allow comprehensive enterprises to identify new agents and targets for radiosensitization. However, the gold standard assay to investigate radiosensitivity of cancer cells in vitro, the colony formation assay (CFA), is unsuitable for high-throughput screening. We developed a new high-throughput screening method for determining radiation susceptibility. Fast and uniform irradiation of batches up to 30 microplates was achieved using a Perspex container and a clinically employed linear accelerator. The readout was done by automated counting of fluorescently stained nuclei using the Acumen eX3 laser scanning cytometer. Assay performance was compared to that of the CFA and the CellTiter-Blue homogeneous uniform-well cell viability assay. The assay was validated in a whole-genome siRNA library screening setting using PC-3 prostate cancer cells. On 4 different cancer cell lines, the automated cell counting assay produced radiation dose response curves that followed a linear-quadratic equation and that exhibited a better correlation to the results of the CFA than did the cell viability assay. Moreover, the cell counting assay could be used to detect radiosensitization by silencing DNA-PKcs or by adding caffeine. In a high-throughput screening setting, using 4 Gy irradiated and control PC-3 cells, the effects of DNA-PKcs siRNA and non-targeting control siRNA could be clearly discriminated. We developed a simple assay for radiation susceptibility that can be used for high-throughput screening. This will aid
The Protein Maker: an automated system for high-throughput parallel purification
The Protein Maker instrument addresses a critical bottleneck in structural genomics by allowing automated purification and buffer testing of multiple protein targets in parallel with a single instrument. Here, the use of this instrument to (i) purify multiple influenza-virus proteins in parallel for crystallization trials and (ii) identify optimal lysis-buffer conditions prior to large-scale protein purification is described. The Protein Maker is an automated purification system developed by Emerald BioSystems for high-throughput parallel purification of proteins and antibodies. This instrument allows multiple load, wash and elution buffers to be used in parallel along independent lines for up to 24 individual samples. To demonstrate its utility, its use in the purification of five recombinant PB2 C-terminal domains from various subtypes of the influenza A virus is described. Three of these constructs crystallized and one diffracted X-rays to sufficient resolution for structure determination and deposition in the Protein Data Bank. Methods for screening lysis buffers for a cytochrome P450 from a pathogenic fungus prior to upscaling expression and purification are also described. The Protein Maker has become a valuable asset within the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) and hence is a potentially valuable tool for a variety of high-throughput protein-purification applications
Improvement of an automated protein crystal exchange system PAM for high-throughput data collection
A special liquid-nitrogen Dewar with double capacity for the sample-exchange robot has been created at AR-NE3A at the Photon Factory, allowing continuous fully automated data collection. In this work, this new system is described and the stability of its calibration is discussed. Photon Factory Automated Mounting system (PAM) protein crystal exchange systems are available at the following Photon Factory macromolecular beamlines: BL-1A, BL-5A, BL-17A, AR-NW12A and AR-NE3A. The beamline AR-NE3A has been constructed for high-throughput macromolecular crystallography and is dedicated to structure-based drug design. The PAM liquid-nitrogen Dewar can store a maximum of three SSRL cassettes. Therefore, users have to interrupt their experiments and replace the cassettes when using four or more of them during their beam time. As a result of investigation, four or more cassettes were used in AR-NE3A alone. For continuous automated data collection, the size of the liquid-nitrogen Dewar for the AR-NE3A PAM was increased, doubling the capacity. In order to check the calibration with the new Dewar and the cassette stand, calibration experiments were repeatedly performed. Compared with the current system, the parameters of the novel system are shown to be stable
Development of automated high throughput single molecular microfluidic detection platform for signal transduction analysis
Huang, Po-Jung; Baghbani Kordmahale, Sina; Chou, Chao-Kai; Yamaguchi, Hirohito; Hung, Mien-Chie; Kameoka, Jun
Signal transductions including multiple protein post-translational modifications (PTM), protein-protein interactions (PPI), and protein-nucleic acid interaction (PNI) play critical roles for cell proliferation and differentiation that are directly related to the cancer biology. Traditional methods, like mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy require a large amount of sample and long processing time. "microchannel for multiple-parameter analysis of proteins in single-complex (mMAPS)"we proposed can reduce the process time and sample volume because this system is composed by microfluidic channels, fluorescence microscopy, and computerized data analysis. In this paper, we will present an automated mMAPS including integrated microfluidic device, automated stage and electrical relay for high-throughput clinical screening. Based on this result, we estimated that this automated detection system will be able to screen approximately 150 patient samples in a 24-hour period, providing a practical application to analyze tissue samples in a clinical setting.
A high-throughput automated platform for the development of manufacturing cell lines for protein therapeutics.
Shi, Shuangping; Condon, Russ G G; Deng, Liang; Saunders, Jason; Hung, Finn; Tsao, Yung-Shyeng; Liu, Zhong
The fast-growing biopharmaceutical industry demands speedy development of highly efficient and reliable production systems to meet the increasing requirement for drug supplies. The generation of production cell lines has traditionally involved manual operations that are labor-intensive, low-throughput and vulnerable to human errors. We report here an integrated high-throughput and automated platform for development of manufacturing cell lines for the production of protein therapeutics. The combination of BD FACS Aria Cell Sorter, CloneSelect Imager and TECAN Freedom EVO liquid handling system has enabled a high-throughput and more efficient cell line development process. In this operation, production host cells are first transfected with an expression vector carrying the gene of interest (1), followed by the treatment with a selection agent. The stably-transfected cells are then stained with fluorescence-labeled anti-human IgG antibody, and are subsequently subject to flow cytometry analysis (2-4). Highly productive cells are selected based on fluorescence intensity and are isolated by single-cell sorting on a BD FACSAria. Colony formation from single-cell stage was detected microscopically and a series of time-laps digital images are taken by CloneSelect Imager for the documentation of cell line history. After single clones have formed, these clones were screened for productivity by ELISA performed on a TECAN Freedom EVO liquid handling system. Approximately 2,000 - 10,000 clones can be screened per operation cycle with the current system setup. This integrated approach has been used to generate high producing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines for the production of therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) as well as their fusion proteins. With the aid of different types of detecting probes, the method can be used for developing other protein therapeutics or be applied to other production host systems. Comparing to the traditional manual procedure, this automated
High-throughput sample processing and sample management; the functional evolution of classical cytogenetic assay towards automation.
Ramakumar, Adarsh; Subramanian, Uma; Prasanna, Pataje G S
High-throughput individual diagnostic dose assessment is essential for medical management of radiation-exposed subjects after a mass casualty. Cytogenetic assays such as the Dicentric Chromosome Assay (DCA) are recognized as the gold standard by international regulatory authorities. DCA is a multi-step and multi-day bioassay. DCA, as described in the IAEA manual, can be used to assess dose up to 4-6 weeks post-exposure quite accurately but throughput is still a major issue and automation is very essential. The throughput is limited, both in terms of sample preparation as well as analysis of chromosome aberrations. Thus, there is a need to design and develop novel solutions that could utilize extensive laboratory automation for sample preparation, and bioinformatics approaches for chromosome-aberration analysis to overcome throughput issues. We have transitioned the bench-based cytogenetic DCA to a coherent process performing high-throughput automated biodosimetry for individual dose assessment ensuring quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) aspects in accordance with international harmonized protocols. A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is designed, implemented and adapted to manage increased sample processing capacity, develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOP) for robotic instruments, avoid data transcription errors during processing, and automate analysis of chromosome-aberrations using an image analysis platform. Our efforts described in this paper intend to bridge the current technological gaps and enhance the potential application of DCA for a dose-based stratification of subjects following a mass casualty. This paper describes one such potential integrated automated laboratory system and functional evolution of the classical DCA towards increasing critically needed throughput. PMID:26520383
Automated degenerate PCR primer design for high-throughput sequencing improves efficiency of viral sequencing
Li Kelvin
Full Text Available Abstract Background In a high-throughput environment, to PCR amplify and sequence a large set of viral isolates from populations that are potentially heterogeneous and continuously evolving, the use of degenerate PCR primers is an important strategy. Degenerate primers allow for the PCR amplification of a wider range of viral isolates with only one set of pre-mixed primers, thus increasing amplification success rates and minimizing the necessity for genome finishing activities. To successfully select a large set of degenerate PCR primers necessary to tile across an entire viral genome and maximize their success, this process is best performed computationally. Results We have developed a fully automated degenerate PCR primer design system that plays a key role in the J. Craig Venter Institute's (JCVI high-throughput viral sequencing pipeline. A consensus viral genome, or a set of consensus segment sequences in the case of a segmented virus, is specified using IUPAC ambiguity codes in the consensus template sequence to represent the allelic diversity of the target population. PCR primer pairs are then selected computationally to produce a minimal amplicon set capable of tiling across the full length of the specified target region. As part of the tiling process, primer pairs are computationally screened to meet the criteria for successful PCR with one of two described amplification protocols. The actual sequencing success rates for designed primers for measles virus, mumps virus, human parainfluenza virus 1 and 3, human respiratory syncytial virus A and B and human metapneumovirus are described, where >90% of designed primer pairs were able to consistently successfully amplify >75% of the isolates. Conclusions Augmenting our previously developed and published JCVI Primer Design Pipeline, we achieved similarly high sequencing success rates with only minor software modifications. The recommended methodology for the construction of the consensus
Automated Counting of Airborne Asbestos Fibers by a High-Throughput Microscopy (HTM Method
Hwataik Han
Full Text Available Inhalation of airborne asbestos causes serious health problems such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The phase-contrast microscopy (PCM method has been widely used for estimating airborne asbestos concentrations because it does not require complicated processes or high-priced equipment. However, the PCM method is time-consuming and laborious as it is manually performed off-site by an expert. We have developed a high-throughput microscopy (HTM method that can detect fibers distinguishable from other spherical particles in a sample slide by image processing both automatically and quantitatively. A set of parameters for processing and analysis of asbestos fiber images was adjusted for standard asbestos samples with known concentrations. We analyzed sample slides containing airborne asbestos fibers collected at 11 different workplaces following PCM and HTM methods, and found a reasonably good agreement in the asbestos concentration. Image acquisition synchronized with the movement of the robotic sample stages followed by an automated batch processing of a stack of sample images enabled us to count asbestos fibers with greatly reduced time and labors. HTM should be a potential alternative to conventional PCM, moving a step closer to realization of on-site monitoring of asbestos fibers in air.
High concentration (2500 suns), high throughput, automated flash tester with calibrated color balance and intensity control
Ludowise, Michael; Taylor, Sean; Lucow, Ewelina; Chan, Hing
SolFocus has designed and built a flexible and adaptable solar flash tester capable of reaching in excess of 2500x suns flux using a commercially available Xenon flash and power supply. Using calibrated isotype cells and photodetectors, the intensity and color balance of the flash are controlled through software algorithms that compensate for tube aging and thermal drift. The data acquisition system dynamically normalizes each of the 1600 I-V data pairs to the lamp intensity during each flash. Up to 32 cells can be measured simultaneously, with a flash re-cycle time of 3 seconds. The dynamic current range is 100μA to 10A over 0 to 5V. Test ranges are limited by user input through a modern GUI screen. The system is mated to a commercially available probe station tester which allows automated testing of up to 150mm diameter wafers, and is capable of testing a 4000 cell wafer in less than 8 minutes. The core software and optical components are easily adaptable to receiver and full panel testing as well. Data on the calibration and performance of the flash tester, the dynamic range achieved in test, and throughputs obtained during operation are presented.
Automated high-throughput quantification of mitotic spindle positioning from DIC movies of Caenorhabditis embryos.
David Cluet
Full Text Available The mitotic spindle is a microtubule-based structure that elongates to accurately segregate chromosomes during anaphase. Its position within the cell also dictates the future cell cleavage plan, thereby determining daughter cell orientation within a tissue or cell fate adoption for polarized cells. Therefore, the mitotic spindle ensures at the same time proper cell division and developmental precision. Consequently, spindle dynamics is the matter of intensive research. Among the different cellular models that have been explored, the one-cell stage C. elegans embryo has been an essential and powerful system to dissect the molecular and biophysical basis of spindle elongation and positioning. Indeed, in this large and transparent cell, spindle poles (or centrosomes can be easily detected from simple DIC microscopy by human eyes. To perform quantitative and high-throughput analysis of spindle motion, we developed a computer program ACT for Automated-Centrosome-Tracking from DIC movies of C. elegans embryos. We therefore offer an alternative to the image acquisition and processing of transgenic lines expressing fluorescent spindle markers. Consequently, experiments on large sets of cells can be performed with a simple setup using inexpensive microscopes. Moreover, analysis of any mutant or wild-type backgrounds is accessible because laborious rounds of crosses with transgenic lines become unnecessary. Last, our program allows spindle detection in other nematode species, offering the same quality of DIC images but for which techniques of transgenesis are not accessible. Thus, our program also opens the way towards a quantitative evolutionary approach of spindle dynamics. Overall, our computer program is a unique macro for the image- and movie-processing platform ImageJ. It is user-friendly and freely available under an open-source licence. ACT allows batch-wise analysis of large sets of mitosis events. Within 2 minutes, a single movie is processed
An Automated High-throughput Array Microscope for Cancer Cell Mechanics
Cribb, Jeremy A.; Osborne, Lukas D.; Kellie Beicker; Matthew Psioda; Jian Chen; E. Timothy O'Brien; Taylor II, Russell M.; Leandra Vicci; Joe Ping-Lin Hsiao; Chong Shao; Michael Falvo; Ibrahim, Joseph G.; Wood, Kris C.; Blobe, Gerard C.; Richard Superfine
Changes in cellular mechanical properties correlate with the progression of metastatic cancer along the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Few high-throughput methodologies exist that measure cell compliance, which can be used to understand the impact of genetic alterations or to screen the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. We have developed a novel array high-throughput microscope (AHTM) system that combines the convenience of the standard 96-well plate with the ability to image ...
A high sensitivity, high throughput, automated single-cell gel electrophoresis ('Comet') DNA damage assay
A fully automated microscopy machine vision image capture and analysis system for the collection of data from slides of 'comets' has been developed. The novel image processing algorithms employed in delineating the 'comet head' from the 'comet tail' allow us to determine accurately very low levels of damage. In conjunction with calibrated and automated image capture methods, we are able to eliminate operator subjectivity and analyse large numbers of cells (>2500) in a short time (<1 hour). The image processing algorithm is designed to handle particularly difficult nuclei containing a high degree of structure, due to DNA clumping. We also present techniques used to extend the assay's dynamic range by removing interfering background fluorescence and to define a region of interest. If subtle biological variations are to be quantified (e.g. cell cycle dependant damage), then the use of large cell populations is dictated. Under those circumstances, the use of a fully automated system is particularly advantageous providing that the manner in which data is extracted does not introduce any inadvertent bias. In practice, it is essential that the image processing steps are geared towards the correct recognition of an acceptable cell nucleus, i.e. comet 'head'. We acknowledge the financial support of CRUK, Programme Grant C133/A1812 - SP 2195-01/02 and the US Department of Energy Low Dose Radiation Research Program grant DE-FG07-99ER62878
Using Tomoauto: A Protocol for High-throughput Automated Cryo-electron Tomography.
Morado, Dustin R; Hu, Bo; Liu, Jun
Cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) is a powerful three-dimensional (3-D) imaging technique for visualizing macromolecular complexes in their native context at a molecular level. The technique involves initially preserving the sample in its native state by rapidly freezing the specimen in vitreous ice, then collecting a series of micrographs from different angles at high magnification, and finally computationally reconstructing a 3-D density map. The frozen-hydrated specimen is extremely sensitive to the electron beam and so micrographs are collected at very low electron doses to limit the radiation damage. As a result, the raw cryo-tomogram has a very low signal to noise ratio characterized by an intrinsically noisy image. To better visualize subjects of interest, conventional imaging analysis and sub-tomogram averaging in which sub-tomograms of the subject are extracted from the initial tomogram and aligned and averaged are utilized to improve both contrast and resolution. Large datasets of tilt-series are essential to understanding and resolving the complexes at different states, conditions, or mutations as well as obtaining a large enough collection of sub-tomograms for averaging and classification. Collecting and processing this data can be a major obstacle preventing further analysis. Here we describe a high-throughput cryo-ET protocol based on a computer-controlled 300kV cryo-electron microscope, a direct detection device (DDD) camera and a highly effective, semi-automated image-processing pipeline software wrapper library tomoauto developed in-house. This protocol has been effectively utilized to visualize the intact type III secretion system (T3SS) in Shigella flexneri minicells. It can be applicable to any project suitable for cryo-ET. PMID:26863591
Automated SNP Genotype Clustering Algorithm to Improve Data Completeness in High-Throughput SNP Genotyping Datasets from Custom Arrays
Smith, Edward M.; Littrell, Jack; Olivier, Michael
High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms use automated genotype calling algorithms to assign genotypes. While these algorithms work efficiently for individual platforms, they are not compatible with other platforms, and have individual biases that result in missed genotype calls. Here we present data on the use of a second complementary SNP genotype clustering algorithm. The algorithm was originally designed for individual fluorescent SNP genotyping assays, and has been optimized to permit th...
Application of Hadamard spectroscopy to automated structure verification in high-throughput NMR.
Ruan, Ke; Yang, Shengtian; Van Sant, Karey A; Likos, John J
Combined verification using 1-D proton and HSQC has been proved to be quite successful; the acquisition time of HSQC spectra, however, can be limiting in its high-throughput applications. The replacement with Hadamard HSQC can significantly enhance the throughput. We hereby propose a protocol to optimize the grouping of the predicted carbon chemical shifts from the proposed structure and the associated Hadamard frequencies and bandwidths. The resulting Hadamard HSQC spectra compare favorably with their Fourier-transformed counterparts, and have demonstrated to perform equivalently in terms of combined verification, but with several fold enhancement in throughput, as illustrated for 21 commercial available molecules and 16 prototypical drug compounds. Further improvement of the verification accuracy can be achieved by the cross validation from Hadamard TOCSY, which can be acquired without much sacrifice in throughput. PMID:19496061
Automated high-throughput in vitro screening of the acetylcholine esterase inhibiting potential of environmental samples, mixtures and single compounds.
Froment, Jean; Thomas, Kevin V; Tollefsen, Knut Erik
A high-throughput and automated assay for testing the presence of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) inhibiting compounds was developed, validated and applied to screen different types of environmental samples. Automation involved using the assay in 96-well plates and adapting it for the use with an automated workstation. Validation was performed by comparing the results of the automated assay with that of a previously validated and standardised assay for two known AChE inhibitors (paraoxon and dichlorvos). The results show that the assay provides similar concentration-response curves (CRCs) when run according to the manual and automated protocol. Automation of the assay resulted in a reduction in assay run time as well as in intra- and inter-assay variations. High-quality CRCs were obtained for both of the model AChE inhibitors (dichlorvos IC50=120µM and paraoxon IC50=0.56µM) when tested alone. The effect of co-exposure of an equipotent binary mixture of the two chemicals were consistent with predictions of additivity and best described by the concentration addition model for combined toxicity. Extracts of different environmental samples (landfill leachate, wastewater treatment plant effluent, and road tunnel construction run-off) were then screened for AChE inhibiting activity using the automated bioassay, with only landfill leachate shown to contain potential AChE inhibitors. Potential uses and limitations of the assay were discussed based on the present results. PMID:27085000
An Automated High Performance Capillary Liquid Chromatography Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer for High-Throughput Proteomics
We report on a fully automated 9.4 tesla Fourier transform ion resonance cyclotron (FTICR) mass spectrometer coupled to reverse-phase chromatography for high-throughput proteomic studies. Modifications made to the front-end of a commercial FTICR instrument--a dual-ESI-emitter ion source; dual-channel electrodynamic ion funnel; and collisional-cooling, selection and accumulation quadrupoles--significantly improved the sensitivity, dynamic range and mass measurement accuracy of the mass spectrometer. A high-pressure capillary liquid chromatography (LC) system was incorporated with an autosampler that enabled 24 h/day operation. A novel method for accumulating ions in the ICR cell was also developed. Unattended operation of the instrument revealed the exceptional reproducibility (1-5% deviation in elution times for peptides from a bacterial proteome), repeatability (10-20% deviation in detected abundances for peptides from the same aliquot analyzed a few weeks apart) and robustness (high-throughput operation for 5 months without downtime) of the LC/FTICR system. When combined with modulated-ion-energy gated trapping, the internal calibration of FTICR mass spectra decreased dispersion of mass measurement errors for peptide identifications in conjunction with high resolution capillary LC separations to < 5 ppm over a dynamic range for each spectrum of 10 3
Fully Automated Electro Membrane Extraction Autosampler for LC-MS Systems Allowing Soft Extractions for High-Throughput Applications.
Fuchs, David; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Stig; Jensen, Henrik; Rand, Kasper D; Honoré Hansen, Steen; Petersen, Nickolaj Jacob
The current work describes the implementation of electro membrane extraction (EME) into an autosampler for high-throughput analysis of samples by EME-LC-MS. The extraction probe was built into a luer lock adapter connected to a HTC PAL autosampler syringe. As the autosampler drew sample solution, analytes were extracted into the lumen of the extraction probe and transferred to a LC-MS system for further analysis. Various parameters affecting extraction efficacy were investigated including syringe fill strokes, syringe pull up volume, pull up delay and volume in the sample vial. The system was optimized for soft extraction of analytes and high sample throughput. Further, it was demonstrated that by flushing the EME-syringe with acidic wash buffer and reverting the applied electric potential, carry-over between samples can be reduced to below 1%. Performance of the system was characterized (RSD, high extraction speed of EME, a complete analytical workflow of purification, separation, and analysis of sample could be achieved within only 5.5 min. With the developed system large sequences of samples could be analyzed in a completely automated manner. This high degree of automation makes the developed EME-autosampler a powerful tool for a wide range of applications where high-throughput extractions are required before sample analysis. PMID:27237618
High-Throughput Isolation of Giant Viruses in Liquid Medium Using Automated Flow Cytometry and Fluorescence Staining.
Khalil, Jacques Y B; Robert, Stephane; Reteno, Dorine G; Andreani, Julien; Raoult, Didier; La Scola, Bernard
The isolation of giant viruses using amoeba co-culture is tedious and fastidious. Recently, the procedure was successfully associated with a method that detects amoebal lysis on agar plates. However, the procedure remains time-consuming and is limited to protozoa growing on agar. We present here advances for the isolation of giant viruses. A high-throughput automated method based on flow cytometry and fluorescent staining was used to detect the presence of giant viruses in liquid medium. Development was carried out with the Acanthamoeba polyphaga strain widely used in past and current co-culture experiments. The proof of concept was validated with virus suspensions: artificially contaminated samples but also environmental samples from which viruses were previously isolated. After validating the technique, and fortuitously isolating a new Mimivirus, we automated the technique on 96-well plates and tested it on clinical and environmental samples using other protozoa. This allowed us to detect more than 10 strains of previously known species of giant viruses and seven new strains of a new virus lineage. This automated high-throughput method demonstrated significant time saving, and higher sensitivity than older techniques. It thus creates the means to isolate giant viruses at high speed. PMID:26858703
Automated SNP Genotype Clustering Algorithm to Improve Data Completeness in High-Throughput SNP Genotyping Datasets from Custom Arrays
Edward; M.; Smith; Jack; Littrell; Michael; Olivier
High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms use automated genotype calling algo- rithms to assign genotypes. While these algorithms work efficiently for individual platforms, they are not compatible with other platforms, and have individual biases that result in missed genotype calls. Here we present data on the use of a second complementary SNP genotype clustering algorithm. The algorithm was originally designed for individual fluorescent SNP genotyping assays, and has been opti- mized to permit the clustering of large datasets generated from custom-designed Affymetrix SNP panels. In an analysis of data from a 3K array genotyped on 1,560 samples, the additional analysis increased the overall number of genotypes by over 45,000, significantly improving the completeness of the experimental data. This analysis suggests that the use of multiple genotype calling algorithms may be ad- visable in high-throughput SNP genotyping experiments. The software is written in Perl and is available from the corresponding author.
Automated cleaning and pre-processing of immunoglobulin gene sequences from high-throughput sequencing
Miri eMichaeli
Full Text Available High throughput sequencing (HTS yields tens of thousands to millions of sequences that require a large amount of pre-processing work to clean various artifacts. Such cleaning cannot be performed manually. Existing programs are not suitable for immunoglobulin (Ig genes, which are variable and often highly mutated. This paper describes Ig-HTS-Cleaner (Ig High Throughput Sequencing Cleaner, a program containing a simple cleaning procedure that successfully deals with pre-processing of Ig sequences derived from HTS, and Ig-Indel-Identifier (Ig Insertion – Deletion Identifier, a program for identifying legitimate and artifact insertions and/or deletions (indels. Our programs were designed for analyzing Ig gene sequences obtained by 454 sequencing, but they are applicable to all types of sequences and sequencing platforms. Ig-HTS-Cleaner and Ig-Indel-Identifier have been implemented in Java and saved as executable JAR files, supported on Linux and MS Windows. No special requirements are needed in order to run the programs, except for correctly constructing the input files as explained in the text. The programs' performance has been tested and validated on real and simulated data sets.
Towards high-throughput automated targeted femtosecond laser-based transfection of adherent cells
Antkowiak, Maciej; Torres-Mapa, Maria Leilani; Gunn-Moore, Frank; Dholakia, Kishan
Femtosecond laser induced cell membrane poration has proven to be an attractive alternative to the classical methods of drug and gene delivery. It is a selective, sterile, non-contact technique that offers a highly localized operation, low toxicity and consistent performance. However, its broader application still requires the development of robust, high-throughput and user-friendly systems. We present a system capable of unassisted enhanced targeted optoinjection and phototransfection of adherent mammalian cells with a femtosecond laser. We demonstrate the advantages of a dynamic diffractive optical element, namely a spatial light modulator (SLM) for precise three dimensional positioning of the beam. It enables the implementation of a "point-and-shoot" system in which using the software interface a user simply points at the cell and a predefined sequence of precisely positioned doses can be applied. We show that irradiation in three axial positions alleviates the problem of exact beam positioning on the cell membrane and doubles the number of viably optoinjected cells when compared with a single dose. The presented system enables untargeted raster scan irradiation which provides transfection of adherent cells at the throughput of 1 cell per second.
An Automated High-throughput Array Microscope for Cancer Cell Mechanics
Cribb, Jeremy A.; Osborne, Lukas D.; Beicker, Kellie; Psioda, Matthew; Chen, Jian; O'Brien, E. Timothy; Taylor, Russell M., II; Vicci, Leandra; Hsiao, Joe Ping-Lin; Shao, Chong; Falvo, Michael; Ibrahim, Joseph G.; Wood, Kris C.; Blobe, Gerard C.; Superfine, Richard
Changes in cellular mechanical properties correlate with the progression of metastatic cancer along the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Few high-throughput methodologies exist that measure cell compliance, which can be used to understand the impact of genetic alterations or to screen the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. We have developed a novel array high-throughput microscope (AHTM) system that combines the convenience of the standard 96-well plate with the ability to image cultured cells and membrane-bound microbeads in twelve independently-focusing channels simultaneously, visiting all wells in eight steps. We use the AHTM and passive bead rheology techniques to determine the relative compliance of human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPDE) cells, h-TERT transformed HPDE cells (HPNE), and four gain-of-function constructs related to EMT. The AHTM found HPNE, H-ras, Myr-AKT, and Bcl2 transfected cells more compliant relative to controls, consistent with parallel tests using atomic force microscopy and invasion assays, proving the AHTM capable of screening for changes in mechanical phenotype.
High throughput detection of Coxiella burnetii by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation
Kramme Stefanie
Full Text Available Abstract Background Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q-fever, a widespread zoonosis. Due to its high environmental stability and infectivity it is regarded as a category B biological weapon agent. In domestic animals infection remains either asymptomatic or presents as infertility or abortion. Clinical presentation in humans can range from mild flu-like illness to acute pneumonia and hepatitis. Endocarditis represents the most common form of chronic Q-fever. In humans serology is the gold standard for diagnosis but is inadequate for early case detection. In order to serve as a diagnostic tool in an eventual biological weapon attack or in local epidemics we developed a real-time 5'nuclease based PCR assay with an internal control system. To facilitate high-throughput an automated extraction procedure was evaluated. Results To determine the minimum number of copies that are detectable at 95% chance probit analysis was used. Limit of detection in blood was 2,881 copies/ml [95%CI, 2,188–4,745 copies/ml] with a manual extraction procedure and 4,235 copies/ml [95%CI, 3,143–7,428 copies/ml] with a fully automated extraction procedure, respectively. To demonstrate clinical application a total of 72 specimens of animal origin were compared with respect to manual and automated extraction. A strong correlation between both methods was observed rendering both methods suitable. Testing of 247 follow up specimens of animal origin from a local Q-fever epidemic rendered real-time PCR more sensitive than conventional PCR. Conclusion A sensitive and thoroughly evaluated real-time PCR was established. Its high-throughput mode may show a useful approach to rapidly screen samples in local outbreaks for other organisms relevant for humans or animals. Compared to a conventional PCR assay sensitivity of real-time PCR was higher after testing samples from a local Q-fever outbreak.
Automated Sample Preparation for Radiogenic and Non-Traditional Metal Isotopes: Removing an Analytical Barrier for High Sample Throughput
Field, M. Paul; Romaniello, Stephen; Gordon, Gwyneth W.; Anbar, Ariel D.; Herrmann, Achim; Martinez-Boti, Miguel A.; Anagnostou, Eleni; Foster, Gavin L.
MC-ICP-MS has dramatically improved the analytical throughput for high-precision radiogenic and non-traditional isotope ratio measurements, compared to TIMS. The generation of large data sets, however, remains hampered by tedious manual drip chromatography required for sample purification. A new, automated chromatography system reduces the laboratory bottle neck and expands the utility of high-precision isotope analyses in applications where large data sets are required: geochemistry, forensic anthropology, nuclear forensics, medical research and food authentication. We have developed protocols to automate ion exchange purification for several isotopic systems (B, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Pb and U) using the new prepFAST-MC™ (ESI, Nebraska, Omaha). The system is not only inert (all-flouropolymer flow paths), but is also very flexible and can easily facilitate different resins, samples, and reagent types. When programmed, precise and accurate user defined volumes and flow rates are implemented to automatically load samples, wash the column, condition the column and elute fractions. Unattended, the automated, low-pressure ion exchange chromatography system can process up to 60 samples overnight. Excellent reproducibility, reliability, recovery, with low blank and carry over for samples in a variety of different matrices, have been demonstrated to give accurate and precise isotopic ratios within analytical error for several isotopic systems (B, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Pb and U). This illustrates the potential of the new prepFAST-MC™ (ESI, Nebraska, Omaha) as a powerful tool in radiogenic and non-traditional isotope research.
PLAN: a web platform for automating high-throughput BLAST searches and for managing and mining results
Zhao Xuechun
Full Text Available Abstract Background BLAST searches are widely used for sequence alignment. The search results are commonly adopted for various functional and comparative genomics tasks such as annotating unknown sequences, investigating gene models and comparing two sequence sets. Advances in sequencing technologies pose challenges for high-throughput analysis of large-scale sequence data. A number of programs and hardware solutions exist for efficient BLAST searching, but there is a lack of generic software solutions for mining and personalized management of the results. Systematically reviewing the results and identifying information of interest remains tedious and time-consuming. Results Personal BLAST Navigator (PLAN is a versatile web platform that helps users to carry out various personalized pre- and post-BLAST tasks, including: (1 query and target sequence database management, (2 automated high-throughput BLAST searching, (3 indexing and searching of results, (4 filtering results online, (5 managing results of personal interest in favorite categories, (6 automated sequence annotation (such as NCBI NR and ontology-based annotation. PLAN integrates, by default, the Decypher hardware-based BLAST solution provided by Active Motif Inc. with a greatly improved efficiency over conventional BLAST software. BLAST results are visualized by spreadsheets and graphs and are full-text searchable. BLAST results and sequence annotations can be exported, in part or in full, in various formats including Microsoft Excel and FASTA. Sequences and BLAST results are organized in projects, the data publication levels of which are controlled by the registered project owners. In addition, all analytical functions are provided to public users without registration. Conclusion PLAN has proved a valuable addition to the community for automated high-throughput BLAST searches, and, more importantly, for knowledge discovery, management and sharing based on sequence alignment results
Suitability of an open automated nucleic acid extractor for high-throughput plasma HIV-1 RNA quantitation in Gabon (Central Africa)
Liégeois, Florian; Boué, V.; Mouinga-Ondémé, A.; Lékané, D.K.; Mongo, D.; Sica, J.; Rouet, F.
Nucleic acid extraction using the open automated EZ1 (Qiagen) instrument, in combination with the Generic HIV Viral Load assay, gave highly concordant HIV-1 RNA viral load results among 181 Gabonese subjects infected with HIV-1, compared to those obtained when performing a manual extraction. Since people living with HIV-1 are being treated with antiretrovirals in Gabon, this automated extraction technique represents an excellent technical method for high-throughput monitoring of HIV-1 RNA vir...
Upscaling and automation of electrophysiology: toward high throughput screening in ion channel drug discovery
Asmild, Margit; Oswald, Nicholas; Krzywkowski, Karen M;
Effective screening of large compound libraries in ion channel drug discovery requires the development of new electrophysiological techniques with substantially increased throughputs compared to the conventional patch clamp technique. Sophion Bioscience is aiming to meet this challenge by...
Robofurnace: A semi-automated laboratory chemical vapor deposition system for high-throughput nanomaterial synthesis and process discovery
Laboratory research and development on new materials, such as nanostructured thin films, often utilizes manual equipment such as tube furnaces due to its relatively low cost and ease of setup. However, these systems can be prone to inconsistent outcomes due to variations in standard operating procedures and limitations in performance such as heating and cooling rates restrict the parameter space that can be explored. Perhaps more importantly, maximization of research throughput and the successful and efficient translation of materials processing knowledge to production-scale systems, relies on the attainment of consistent outcomes. In response to this need, we present a semi-automated lab-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace system, called "Robofurnace." Robofurnace is an automated CVD system built around a standard tube furnace, which automates sample insertion and removal and uses motion of the furnace to achieve rapid heating and cooling. The system has a 10-sample magazine and motorized transfer arm, which isolates the samples from the lab atmosphere and enables highly repeatable placement of the sample within the tube. The system is designed to enable continuous operation of the CVD reactor, with asynchronous loading/unloading of samples. To demonstrate its performance, Robofurnace is used to develop a rapid CVD recipe for carbon nanotube (CNT) forest growth, achieving a 10-fold improvement in CNT forest mass density compared to a benchmark recipe using a manual tube furnace. In the long run, multiple systems like Robofurnace may be linked to share data among laboratories by methods such as Twitter. Our hope is Robofurnace and like automation will enable machine learning to optimize and discover relationships in complex material synthesis processes
OptoDyCE as an automated system for high-throughput all-optical dynamic cardiac electrophysiology
Klimas, Aleksandra; Ambrosi, Christina M.; Yu, Jinzhu; Williams, John C.; Bien, Harold; Entcheva, Emilia
The improvement of preclinical cardiotoxicity testing, discovery of new ion-channel-targeted drugs, and phenotyping and use of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and other biologics all necessitate high-throughput (HT), cellular-level electrophysiological interrogation tools. Optical techniques for actuation and sensing provide instant parallelism, enabling contactless dynamic HT testing of cells and small-tissue constructs, not affordable by other means. Here we show, computationally and experimentally, the limits of all-optical electrophysiology when applied to drug testing, then implement and validate OptoDyCE, a fully automated system for all-optical cardiac electrophysiology. We validate optical actuation by virally introducing optogenetic drivers in rat and human cardiomyocytes or through the modular use of dedicated light-sensitive somatic 'spark' cells. We show that this automated all-optical approach provides HT means of cellular interrogation, that is, allows for dynamic testing of >600 multicellular samples or compounds per hour, and yields high-content information about the action of a drug over time, space and doses. PMID:27161419
High throughput automated chromatin immunoprecipitation as a platform for drug screening and antibody validation†,‡
Wu, Angela R.; Tiara L A Kawahara; Rapicavoli, Nicole A; van Riggelen, Jan; Shroff, Emelyn H.; Xu, Liwen; Felsher, Dean W.; Chang, Howard Y.; Quake, Stephen R.
Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is an assay for interrogating protein–DNA interactions that is increasingly being used for drug target discovery and screening applications. Currently the complexity of the protocol and the amount of hands-on time required for this assay limits its use to low throughput applications; furthermore, variability in antibody quality poses an additional obstacle in scaling up ChIP for large scale screening purposes. To address these challenges, we report HTChIP,...
Automated high-throughput assessment of prostate biopsy tissue using infrared spectroscopic chemical imaging
Bassan, Paul; Sachdeva, Ashwin; Shanks, Jonathan H.; Brown, Mick D.; Clarke, Noel W.; Gardner, Peter
Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) chemical imaging has been demonstrated as a promising technique to complement histopathological assessment of biomedical tissue samples. Current histopathology practice involves preparing thin tissue sections and staining them using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) after which a histopathologist manually assess the tissue architecture under a visible microscope. Studies have shown that there is disagreement between operators viewing the same tissue suggesting that a complementary technique for verification could improve the robustness of the evaluation, and improve patient care. FT-IR chemical imaging allows the spatial distribution of chemistry to be rapidly imaged at a high (diffraction-limited) spatial resolution where each pixel represents an area of 5.5 × 5.5 μm2 and contains a full infrared spectrum providing a chemical fingerprint which studies have shown contains the diagnostic potential to discriminate between different cell-types, and even the benign or malignant state of prostatic epithelial cells. We report a label-free (i.e. no chemical de-waxing, or staining) method of imaging large pieces of prostate tissue (typically 1 cm × 2 cm) in tens of minutes (at a rate of 0.704 × 0.704 mm2 every 14.5 s) yielding images containing millions of spectra. Due to refractive index matching between sample and surrounding paraffin, minimal signal processing is required to recover spectra with their natural profile as opposed to harsh baseline correction methods, paving the way for future quantitative analysis of biochemical signatures. The quality of the spectral information is demonstrated by building and testing an automated cell-type classifier based upon spectral features.
Automated high-throughput dense matrix protein folding screen using a liquid handling robot combined with microfluidic capillary electrophoresis.
An, Philip; Winters, Dwight; Walker, Kenneth W
Modern molecular genetics technology has made it possible to swiftly sequence, clone and mass-produce recombinant DNA for the purpose of expressing heterologous genes of interest; however, recombinant protein production systems have struggled to keep pace. Mammalian expression systems are typically favored for their ability to produce and secrete proteins in their native state, but bacterial systems benefit from rapid cell line development and robust growth. The primary drawback to prokaryotic expression systems are that recombinant proteins are generally not secreted at high levels or correctly folded, and are often insoluble, necessitating post-expression protein folding to obtain the active product. In order to harness the advantages of prokaryotic expression, high-throughput methods for executing protein folding screens and the subsequent analytics to identify lead conditions are required. Both of these tasks can be accomplished using a Biomek 3000 liquid handling robot to prepare the folding screen and to subsequently prepare the reactions for assessment using Caliper microfluidic capillary electrophoresis. By augmenting a protein folding screen with automation, the primary disadvantage of Escherichia coli expression has been mitigated, namely the labor intensive identification of the required protein folding conditions. Furthermore, a rigorous, quantitative method for identifying optimal protein folding buffer aids in the rapid development of an optimal production process. PMID:26678961
Automation of High-Throughput Crystal Screening and Data Collection at SSRL
A robotic system for auto-mounting crystals from liquid nitrogen is now operational on SSRL beamlines (Cohen et al., J. Appl. Cryst. (2002). 35, 720-726). The system uses a small industrial 4-axis robot with a custom built actuator. Once mounted, automated alignment of the sample loop to the X-ray beam readies the crystal for data collection. After data collection, samples are returned to the cassette. The beamline Dewar accommodates three compact sample cassettes (holding up to 96 samples each). During the past 4 months, the system on beamline 11-1 has been used to screen over 1000 crystals. The system has reduced both screening time and manpower. Integration of the hardware components is accomplished in the Distributed Control System architecture developed at SSRL (McPhillips et al., J. Synchrotron Rad. (2002) 9, 401-406). A crystal-screening interface has been implemented in Blu-Ice. Sample details can be uploaded from an Excel spreadsheet. The JCSG generates these spreadsheets automatically from their tracking database using standard database tools (http://www.jcsg.org). New diffraction image analysis tools are being employed to aid in extracting results. Automation also permits tele-presence. For example, samples have been changed during the night without leaving home and scientists have screened crystals 1600 miles from the beamline. The system developed on beamline 11-1 has been replicated onto 1-5, 9-1, 9-2, and 11-3 and is used by both general users and the JCSG
High-throughput automated home-cage mesoscopic functional imaging of mouse cortex
Murphy, Timothy H.; Boyd, Jamie D.; Bolaños, Federico; Vanni, Matthieu P.; Silasi, Gergely; Haupt, Dirk; LeDue, Jeff M.
Mouse head-fixed behaviour coupled with functional imaging has become a powerful technique in rodent systems neuroscience. However, training mice can be time consuming and is potentially stressful for animals. Here we report a fully automated, open source, self-initiated head-fixation system for mesoscopic functional imaging in mice. The system supports five mice at a time and requires minimal investigator intervention. Using genetically encoded calcium indicator transgenic mice, we longitudinally monitor cortical functional connectivity up to 24 h per day in >7,000 self-initiated and unsupervised imaging sessions up to 90 days. The procedure provides robust assessment of functional cortical maps on the basis of both spontaneous activity and brief sensory stimuli such as light flashes. The approach is scalable to a number of remotely controlled cages that can be assessed within the controlled conditions of dedicated animal facilities. We anticipate that home-cage brain imaging will permit flexible and chronic assessment of mesoscale cortical function. PMID:27291514
High-throughput automated home-cage mesoscopic functional imaging of mouse cortex.
Murphy, Timothy H; Boyd, Jamie D; Bolaños, Federico; Vanni, Matthieu P; Silasi, Gergely; Haupt, Dirk; LeDue, Jeff M
Mouse head-fixed behaviour coupled with functional imaging has become a powerful technique in rodent systems neuroscience. However, training mice can be time consuming and is potentially stressful for animals. Here we report a fully automated, open source, self-initiated head-fixation system for mesoscopic functional imaging in mice. The system supports five mice at a time and requires minimal investigator intervention. Using genetically encoded calcium indicator transgenic mice, we longitudinally monitor cortical functional connectivity up to 24 h per day in >7,000 self-initiated and unsupervised imaging sessions up to 90 days. The procedure provides robust assessment of functional cortical maps on the basis of both spontaneous activity and brief sensory stimuli such as light flashes. The approach is scalable to a number of remotely controlled cages that can be assessed within the controlled conditions of dedicated animal facilities. We anticipate that home-cage brain imaging will permit flexible and chronic assessment of mesoscale cortical function. PMID:27291514
Automated Analysis of Barley Organs Using 3D Laser Scanning: An Approach for High Throughput Phenotyping
Stefan Paulus
Full Text Available Due to the rise of laser scanning the 3D geometry of plant architecture is easy to acquire. Nevertheless, an automated interpretation and, finally, the segmentation into functional groups are still difficult to achieve. Two barley plants were scanned in a time course, and the organs were separated by applying a histogram-based classification algorithm. The leaf organs were represented by meshing algorithms, while the stem organs were parameterized by a least-squares cylinder approximation. We introduced surface feature histograms with an accuracy of 96% for the separation of the barley organs, leaf and stem. This enables growth monitoring in a time course for barley plants. Its reliability was demonstrated by a comparison with manually fitted parameters with a correlation R2 = 0:99 for the leaf area and R2 = 0:98 for the cumulated stem height. A proof of concept has been given for its applicability for the detection of water stress in barley, where the extension growth of an irrigated and a non-irrigated plant has been monitored.
Automated analysis of barley organs using 3D laser scanning: an approach for high throughput phenotyping.
Paulus, Stefan; Dupuis, Jan; Riedel, Sebastian; Kuhlmann, Heiner
Due to the rise of laser scanning the 3D geometry of plant architecture is easy to acquire. Nevertheless, an automated interpretation and, finally, the segmentation into functional groups are still difficult to achieve. Two barley plants were scanned in a time course, and the organs were separated by applying a histogram-based classification algorithm. The leaf organs were represented by meshing algorithms, while the stem organs were parameterized by a least-squares cylinder approximation. We introduced surface feature histograms with an accuracy of 96% for the separation of the barley organs, leaf and stem. This enables growth monitoring in a time course for barley plants. Its reliability was demonstrated by a comparison with manually fitted parameters with a correlation R(2) = 0:99 for the leaf area and R(2) = 0:98 for the cumulated stem height. A proof of concept has been given for its applicability for the detection of water stress in barley, where the extension growth of an irrigated and a non-irrigated plant has been monitored. PMID:25029283
Integrated Automation of High-Throughput Screening and Reverse Phase Protein Array Sample Preparation
Pedersen, Marlene Lemvig; Block, Ines; List, Markus; Christiansen, Helle; Schmidt, Steffen; Mollenhauer, Jan
multiplexing readouts, but this has a natural limitation. High-content screening via image acquisition and analysis allows multiplexing of few parameters, but is connected to substantial time consumption and complex logistics. We report on integration of Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA)-based readouts into...
The HTS barcode checker pipeline, a tool for automated detection of illegally traded species from high-throughput sequencing data
Background Mixtures of internationally traded organic substances can contain parts of species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). These mixtures often raise the suspicion of border control and customs offices, which can lead to confiscation, for example in the case of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). High-throughput sequencing of DNA barcoding markers obtained from such samples provides insight into species constituents of mixtures, but manual cross-referencing of results against the CITES appendices is labor intensive. Matching DNA barcodes against NCBI GenBank using BLAST may yield misleading results both as false positives, due to incorrectly annotated sequences, and false negatives, due to spurious taxonomic re-assignment. Incongruence between the taxonomies of CITES and NCBI GenBank can result in erroneous estimates of illegal trade. Results The HTS barcode checker pipeline is an application for automated processing of sets of 'next generation' barcode sequences to determine whether these contain DNA barcodes obtained from species listed on the CITES appendices. This analytical pipeline builds upon and extends existing open-source applications for BLAST matching against the NCBI GenBank reference database and for taxonomic name reconciliation. In a single operation, reads are converted into taxonomic identifications matched with names on the CITES appendices. By inclusion of a blacklist and additional names databases, the HTS barcode checker pipeline prevents false positives and resolves taxonomic heterogeneity. Conclusions The HTS barcode checker pipeline can detect and correctly identify DNA barcodes of CITES-protected species from reads obtained from TCM samples in just a few minutes. The pipeline facilitates and improves molecular monitoring of trade in endangered species, and can aid in safeguarding these species from extinction in the wild. The HTS barcode checker pipeline is
Detection of Onchocerca volvulus in Latin American black flies for pool screening PCR using high-throughput automated DNA isolation for transmission surveillance.
Rodríguez-Pérez, Mario A; Gopal, Hemavathi; Adeleke, Monsuru Adebayo; De Luna-Santillana, Erick Jesús; Gurrola-Reyes, J Natividad; Guo, Xianwu
The posttreatment entomological surveillance (ES) of onchocerciasis in Latin America requires quite large numbers of flies to be examined for parasite infection to prove that the control strategies have worked and that the infection is on the path of elimination. Here, we report a high-throughput automated DNA isolation of Onchocerca volvulus for PCR using a major Latin American black fly vector of onchocerciasis. The sensitivity and relative effectiveness of silica-coated paramagnetic beads was evaluated in comparison with phenol chloroform (PC) method which is known as the gold standard of DNA extraction for ES in Latin America. The automated method was optimized in the laboratory and validated in the field to detect parasite DNA in Simulium ochraceum sensu lato flies in comparison with PC. The optimization of the automated method showed that it is sensitive to detect O. volvulus with a pool size of 100 flies as compared with PC which utilizes 50 flies pool size. The validation of the automated method in comparison with PC in an endemic community showed that 5/67 and 3/134 heads pools were positive for the two methods, respectively. There was no statistical variation (P < 0.05) in the estimation of transmission indices generated by automated method when compared with PC method. The fact that the automated method is sensitive to pool size up to 100 confers advantage over PC method and can, therefore, be employed in large-scale ES of onchocerciasis transmission in endemic areas of Latin America. PMID:24030195
PLAN: a web platform for automating high-throughput BLAST searches and for managing and mining results
Zhao Xuechun; Dai Xinbin; He Ji
Abstract Background BLAST searches are widely used for sequence alignment. The search results are commonly adopted for various functional and comparative genomics tasks such as annotating unknown sequences, investigating gene models and comparing two sequence sets. Advances in sequencing technologies pose challenges for high-throughput analysis of large-scale sequence data. A number of programs and hardware solutions exist for efficient BLAST searching, but there is a lack of generic software...
The HTS barcode checker pipeline, a tool for automated detection of illegally traded species from high-throughput sequencing data
Lammers, Youri; Peelen, Tamara; Vos, Rutger A.; Gravendeel, Barbara
Background Mixtures of internationally traded organic substances can contain parts of species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). These mixtures often raise the suspicion of border control and customs offices, which can lead to confiscation, for example in the case of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). High-throughput sequencing of DNA barcoding markers obtained from such samples provides insight into species constituent...
High throughput protein production screening
Beernink, Peter T.; Coleman, Matthew A.; Segelke, Brent W.
Methods, compositions, and kits for the cell-free production and analysis of proteins are provided. The invention allows for the production of proteins from prokaryotic sequences or eukaryotic sequences, including human cDNAs using PCR and IVT methods and detecting the proteins through fluorescence or immunoblot techniques. This invention can be used to identify optimized PCR and WT conditions, codon usages and mutations. The methods are readily automated and can be used for high throughput analysis of protein expression levels, interactions, and functional states.
Selection and development of representative simple sequence repeat primers and multiplex SSR sets for high throughput automated genotyping in maize
WANG FengGe; ZHAO JiuRan; DAI JingRui; YI HongMei; KUANG Meng; SUN YanMei; YU XinYan; GUO JingLun; WANG Lu
In the current study, 1900 maize simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers published in MaizeGDB were screened utilizing reference literature, 15 representative Chinese maize inbred lines and 15 Chinese maize hybrids from national regional testing. In total, 500 highly polymorphic primers were identified and used to construct a genetic map. 100 evenly distributed primers, 10 primers per chromosome, were further selected as a set of universal SSR core primers, recommended as preferred primers for general studies. These core primers were then redesigned and used to construct a high throughput multiplex PCR system based on a five-color fluorescence capillary detection system. We report here that two sets of ten-plex PCR combinations have been constructed, each consisting of 10 primers, with one primer per chromosome.
Fully Automated Electro Membrane Extraction Autosampler for LC-MS Systems Allowing Soft Extractions for High-Throughput Applications
Fuchs, David; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Stig; Jensen, Henrik;
, <10%; R(2), 0.994) and finally, the EME-autosampler was used to analyze in vitro conversion of methadone into its main metabolite by rat liver microsomes and for demonstrating the potential of known CYP3A4 inhibitors to prevent metabolism of methadone. By making use of the high extraction speed of EME......The current work describes the implementation of electro membrane extraction (EME) into an autosampler for high-throughput analysis of samples by EME-LC-MS. The extraction probe was built into a luer lock adapter connected to a HTC PAL autosampler syringe. As the autosampler drew sample solution......, analytes were extracted into the lumen of the extraction probe and transferred to a LC-MS system for further analysis. Various parameters affecting extraction efficacy were investigated including syringe fill strokes, syringe pull up volume, pull up delay and volume in the sample vial. The system was...
Qgui: A high-throughput interface for automated setup and analysis of free energy calculations and empirical valence bond simulations in biological systems.
Isaksen, Geir Villy; Andberg, Tor Arne Heim; Åqvist, Johan; Brandsdal, Bjørn Olav
Structural information and activity data has increased rapidly for many protein targets during the last decades. In this paper, we present a high-throughput interface (Qgui) for automated free energy and empirical valence bond (EVB) calculations that use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for conformational sampling. Applications to ligand binding using both the linear interaction energy (LIE) method and the free energy perturbation (FEP) technique are given using the estrogen receptor (ERα) as a model system. Examples of free energy profiles obtained using the EVB method for the rate-limiting step of the enzymatic reaction catalyzed by trypsin are also shown. In addition, we present calculation of high-precision Arrhenius plots to obtain the thermodynamic activation enthalpy and entropy with Qgui from running a large number of EVB simulations. PMID:26080356
Reduced dimensionality (3,2)D NMR experiments and their automated analysis: implications to high-throughput structural studies on proteins.
Reddy, Jithender G; Kumar, Dinesh; Hosur, Ramakrishna V
Protein NMR spectroscopy has expanded dramatically over the last decade into a powerful tool for the study of their structure, dynamics, and interactions. The primary requirement for all such investigations is sequence-specific resonance assignment. The demand now is to obtain this information as rapidly as possible and in all types of protein systems, stable/unstable, soluble/insoluble, small/big, structured/unstructured, and so on. In this context, we introduce here two reduced dimensionality experiments – (3,2)D-hNCOcanH and (3,2)D-hNcoCAnH – which enhance the previously described 2D NMR-based assignment methods quite significantly. Both the experiments can be recorded in just about 2-3 h each and hence would be of immense value for high-throughput structural proteomics and drug discovery research. The applicability of the method has been demonstrated using alpha-helical bovine apo calbindin-D9k P43M mutant (75 aa) protein. Automated assignment of this data using AUTOBA has been presented, which enhances the utility of these experiments. The backbone resonance assignments so derived are utilized to estimate secondary structures and the backbone fold using Web-based algorithms. Taken together, we believe that the method and the protocol proposed here can be used for routine high-throughput structural studies of proteins. PMID:25178811
Automated high-throughput RNAi screening in human cells combined with reporter mRNA transfection to identify novel regulators of translation.
Claudia M Casanova
Full Text Available Proteins that promote angiogenesis, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, are major targets for cancer therapy. Accordingly, proteins that specifically activate expression of factors like VEGF are potential alternative therapeutic targets and may help to combat evasive resistance to angiogenesis inhibitors. VEGF mRNA contains two internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs that enable selective activation of VEGF protein synthesis under hypoxic conditions that trigger angiogenesis. To identify novel regulators of VEGF IRES-driven translation in human cells, we have developed a high-throughput screening approach that combines siRNA treatment with transfection of a VEGF-IRES reporter mRNA. We identified the kinase MAPK3 as a novel positive regulator of VEGF IRES-driven translation and have validated its regulatory effect on endogenous VEGF. Our automated method is scalable and readily adapted for use with other mRNA regulatory elements. Consequently, it should be a generally useful approach for high-throughput identification of novel regulators of mRNA translation.
Automation of High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry-Based Plasma N-Glycome Analysis with Linkage-Specific Sialic Acid Esterification.
Bladergroen, Marco R; Reiding, Karli R; Hipgrave Ederveen, Agnes L; Vreeker, Gerda C M; Clerc, Florent; Holst, Stephanie; Bondt, Albert; Wuhrer, Manfred; van der Burgt, Yuri E M
Glycosylation is a post-translational modification of key importance with heterogeneous structural characteristics. Previously, we have developed a robust, high-throughput MALDI-TOF-MS method for the comprehensive profiling of human plasma N-glycans. In this approach, sialic acid residues are derivatized with linkage-specificity, namely the ethylation of α2,6-linked sialic acid residues with parallel lactone formation of α2,3-linked sialic acids. In the current study, this procedure was used as a starting point for the automation of all steps on a liquid-handling robot system. This resulted in a time-efficient and fully standardized procedure with throughput times of 2.5 h for a first set of 96 samples and approximately 1 h extra for each additional sample plate. The mass analysis of the thus-obtained glycans was highly reproducible in terms of relative quantification, with improved interday repeatability as compared to that of manual processing. PMID:26179816
Yeast Replicator: A High-Throughput Multiplexed Microfluidics Platform for Automated Measurements of Single-Cell Aging
Ping Liu
Full Text Available The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model organism for replicative aging studies; however, conventional lifespan measurement platforms have several limitations. Here, we present a microfluidics platform that facilitates simultaneous lifespan and gene expression measurements of aging yeast cells. Our multiplexed high-throughput platform offers the capability to perform independent lifespan experiments using different yeast strains or growth media. Using this platform in minimal media environments containing glucose, we measured the full lifespan of individual yeast cells in wild-type and canonical gene deletion backgrounds. Compared to glucose, in galactose we observed a 16.8% decrease in replicative lifespan accompanied by an ∼2-fold increase in single-cell oxidative stress levels reported by PSOD1-mCherry. Using PGAL1-YFP to measure the activity of the bistable galactose network, we saw that OFF and ON cells are similar in their lifespan. Our work shows that aging cells are committed to a single phenotypic state throughout their lifespan.
Accurate and Precise in Situ Zircon U-Pb age Dating With High Sample Throughput by Automated LA-SF-ICP-MS
Frei, D.; Gerdes, A.; Schersten, A.; Hollis, J. A.; Martina, F.; Knudsen, C.
Zircon is an ubiquitous mineral in most crystalline rocks as well as clastic sediments. The high resistance to thermal resetting and physical erosion makes zircon an exceptionally useful mineral for precise and accurate dating of thermal geological events. For example, the analysis of the U-Pb ages of detrital zircon grains in clastic sediments is a powerful tool in sedimentary provenance studies. Accurate and precise U-Pb ages of > 100 zircon grains in a sample usually allow to detect all major sedimentary source age components with statistical confidence. U-Pb age dating of detrital zircons is generally the domain of high resolution ion microprobe techniques (high resolution SIMS), where relatively rapid in situ analysis can be achieved. The major limitations of these techniques are sample throughput (about 75 zircon age dates per 24 hours), the very high purchasing and operating costs of the equipment and the need for highly specialised personnel, resulting in high cost. These high costs usually impose uncomfortable restrictions on the number of samples that can be analysed in a provenance study. Here, we present a high sample throughput technique for highly accurate and precise U-Pb dating of zircons by laser ablation magnetic sectorfield inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-SF-ICP-MS). This technique takes advantage of recent progress in laser technology and the introduction of magnetic sectorfield ICP-MS instruments. Based on a ThermoFinnigan Element2 magnetic sctorfield ICP-MS and a New Wave UP 213 laser ablation system, this techniques allows U-Pb dating of zircon grains with precision, accuray and spatial resolution comparable to high resolution SIMS. Because an individual analysis is carried out in less than two minutes and all data is acquired automated in pre-set mode with only minimal operator presence, the sample throughput is an order of magnitude higher compared to high resolution SIMS. Furthermore, the purchasing and operating costs of
Automation and integration of polymerase chain reaction with capillary electrophoresis for high throughput genotyping and disease diagnosis
Zhang, N.
Genotyping is to detect specific loci in the human genome. These loci provide important information for forensic testing, construction of genetic linkage maps, gene related disease diagnosis and pharmacogenetic research. Genotyping is becoming more and more popular after these loci can be easily amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Capillary electrophoresis has its unique advantages for DNA analysis due to its fast heat dissipation and ease of automation. Four projects are described in which genotyping is performed by capillary electrophoresis emphasizing different aspects. First, the author demonstrates a principle to determine the genotype based on capillary electrophoresis system. VNTR polymorphism in the human D1S80 locus was studied. Second, the separation of four short tandem repeat (STR) loci vWF, THO1, TPOX and CSF1PO (CTTv) by using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was studied in achieving high resolution and preventing rehybridization of the DNA fragments. Separation under denaturing, non-denaturing conditions and at elevated temperature was discussed. Third, a 250 {micro}m i.d., 365 {micro}m o.d. fused silica capillary was used as the microreactor for PCR. Fourth, direct PCR from blood was studied to simplify the sample preparation for genotyping to minimum.
Automated mini-column solid-phase extraction cleanup for high-throughput analysis of chemical contaminants in foods by low-pressure gas chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry
This study demonstrated the application of an automated high-throughput mini-cartridge solid-phase extraction (mini-SPE) cleanup for the rapid low-pressure gas chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS) analysis of pesticides and environmental contaminants in QuEChERS extracts of foods. ...
High-throughput screening of cellulase F mutants from multiplexed plasmid sets using an automated plate assay on a functional proteomic robotic workcell
Qureshi Nasib
Full Text Available Abstract Background The field of plasmid-based functional proteomics requires the rapid assay of proteins expressed from plasmid libraries. Automation is essential since large sets of mutant open reading frames are being cloned for evaluation. To date no integrated automated platform is available to carry out the entire process including production of plasmid libraries, expression of cloned genes, and functional testing of expressed proteins. Results We used a functional proteomic assay in a multiplexed setting on an integrated plasmid-based robotic workcell for high-throughput screening of mutants of cellulase F, an endoglucanase from the anaerobic fungus Orpinomyces PC-2. This allowed us to identify plasmids containing optimized clones expressing mutants with improved activity at lower pH. A plasmid library of mutagenized clones of the celF gene with targeted variations in the last four codons was constructed by site-directed PCR mutagenesis and transformed into Escherichia coli. A robotic picker integrated into the workcell was used to inoculate medium in a 96-well deep well plate, combining the transformants into a multiplexed set in each well, and the plate was incubated on the workcell. Plasmids were prepared from the multiplexed culture on the liquid handler component of the workcell and used for in vitro transcription/translation. The multiplexed expressed recombinant proteins were screened for improved activity and stability in an azo-carboxymethylcellulose plate assay. The multiplexed wells containing mutants with improved activity were identified and linked back to the corresponding multiplexed cultures stored in glycerol. Spread plates were prepared from the glycerol stocks and the workcell was used to pick single colonies from the spread plates, prepare plasmid, produce recombinant protein, and assay for activity. The screening assay and subsequent deconvolution of the multiplexed wells resulted in identification of improved Cel
Zhang, Zhaorui; Wu, Si; Stenoien, David L.; Paša-Tolić, Ljiljana
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based high-throughput proteomics is the core technique for large-scale protein characterization. Due to the extreme complexity of proteomes, sophisticated separation techniques and advanced MS instrumentation have been developed to extend coverage and enhance dynamic range and sensitivity. In this review, we discuss the separation and prefractionation techniques applied for large-scale analysis in both bottom-up (i.e., peptide-level) and top-down (i.e., protein-level) proteomics. Different approaches for quantifying peptides or intact proteins, including label-free and stable-isotope-labeling strategies, are also discussed. In addition, we present a brief overview of different types of mass analyzers and fragmentation techniques as well as selected emerging techniques.
Two Methods for High-Throughput NGS Template Preparation for Small and Degraded Clinical Samples Without Automation
Kamberov, E.; Tesmer, T.; Mastronardi, M.; Langmore, John
Clinical samples are difficult to prepare for NGS, because of the small amounts or degraded states of formalin-fixed tissue, plasma, urine, and single-cell DNA. Conventional whole genome amplification methods are too biased for NGS applications, and the existing NGS preparation kits require intermediate purifications and excessive time to prepare hundreds of samples in a day without expensive automation. We have tested two 96-well manual methods to make NGS templates from FFPE tissue, plasma,...
Automated flow-based anion-exchange method for high-throughput isolation and real-time monitoring of RuBisCO in plant extracts.
Suárez, Ruth; Miró, Manuel; Cerdà, Víctor; Perdomo, Juan Alejandro; Galmés, Jeroni
In this work, a miniaturized, completely enclosed multisyringe-flow system is proposed for high-throughput purification of RuBisCO from Triticum aestivum extracts. The automated method capitalizes on the uptake of the target protein at 4°C onto Q-Sepharose Fast Flow strong anion-exchanger packed in a cylindrical microcolumn (105 × 4 mm) followed by a stepwise ionic-strength gradient elution (0-0.8 mol/L NaCl) to eliminate concomitant extract components and retrieve highly purified RuBisCO. The manifold is furnished downstream with a flow-through diode-array UV/vis spectrophotometer for real-time monitoring of the column effluent at the protein-specific wavelength of 280 nm to detect the elution of RuBisCO. Quantitation of RuBisCO and total soluble proteins in the eluate fractions were undertaken using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and the spectrophotometric Bradford assay, respectively. A comprehensive investigation of the effect of distinct concentration gradients on the isolation of RuBisCO and experimental conditions (namely, type of resin, column dimensions and mobile-phase flow rate) upon column capacity and analyte breakthrough was effected. The assembled set-up was aimed to critically ascertain the efficiency of preliminary batchwise pre-treatments of crude plant extracts (viz., polyethylenglycol (PEG) precipitation, ammonium sulphate precipitation and sucrose gradient centrifugation) in terms of RuBisCO purification and absolute recovery prior to automated anion-exchange column separation. Under the optimum physical and chemical conditions, the flow-through column system is able to admit crude plant extracts and gives rise to RuBisCO purification yields better than 75%, which might be increased up to 96 ± 9% with a prior PEG fractionation followed by sucrose gradient step. PMID:21641435
Note: An automated image analysis method for high-throughput classification of surface-bound bacterial cell motions.
Shen, Simon; Syal, Karan; Tao, Nongjian; Wang, Shaopeng
We present a Single-Cell Motion Characterization System (SiCMoCS) to automatically extract bacterial cell morphological features from microscope images and use those features to automatically classify cell motion for rod shaped motile bacterial cells. In some imaging based studies, bacteria cells need to be attached to the surface for time-lapse observation of cellular processes such as cell membrane-protein interactions and membrane elasticity. These studies often generate large volumes of images. Extracting accurate bacterial cell morphology features from these images is critical for quantitative assessment. Using SiCMoCS, we demonstrated simultaneous and automated motion tracking and classification of hundreds of individual cells in an image sequence of several hundred frames. This is a significant improvement from traditional manual and semi-automated approaches to segmenting bacterial cells based on empirical thresholds, and a first attempt to automatically classify bacterial motion types for motile rod shaped bacterial cells, which enables rapid and quantitative analysis of various types of bacterial motion. PMID:26724085
Note: An automated image analysis method for high-throughput classification of surface-bound bacterial cell motions
Shen, Simon; Syal, Karan; Tao, Nongjian; Wang, Shaopeng
We present a Single-Cell Motion Characterization System (SiCMoCS) to automatically extract bacterial cell morphological features from microscope images and use those features to automatically classify cell motion for rod shaped motile bacterial cells. In some imaging based studies, bacteria cells need to be attached to the surface for time-lapse observation of cellular processes such as cell membrane-protein interactions and membrane elasticity. These studies often generate large volumes of images. Extracting accurate bacterial cell morphology features from these images is critical for quantitative assessment. Using SiCMoCS, we demonstrated simultaneous and automated motion tracking and classification of hundreds of individual cells in an image sequence of several hundred frames. This is a significant improvement from traditional manual and semi-automated approaches to segmenting bacterial cells based on empirical thresholds, and a first attempt to automatically classify bacterial motion types for motile rod shaped bacterial cells, which enables rapid and quantitative analysis of various types of bacterial motion.
An automated method for high-throughput protein purification applied to a comparison of His-tag and GST-tag affinity chromatography
Büssow Konrad
Full Text Available Abstract Background Functional Genomics, the systematic characterisation of the functions of an organism's genes, includes the study of the gene products, the proteins. Such studies require methods to express and purify these proteins in a parallel, time and cost effective manner. Results We developed a method for parallel expression and purification of recombinant proteins with a hexahistidine tag (His-tag or glutathione S-transferase (GST-tag from bacterial expression systems. Proteins are expressed in 96-well microplates and are purified by a fully automated procedure on a pipetting robot. Up to 90 microgram purified protein can be obtained from 1 ml microplate cultures. The procedure is readily reproducible and 96 proteins can be purified in approximately three hours. It avoids clearing of crude cellular lysates and the use of magnetic affinity beads and is therefore less expensive than comparable commercial systems. We have used this method to compare purification of a set of human proteins via His-tag or GST-tag. Proteins were expressed as fusions to an N-terminal tandem His- and GST-tag and were purified by metal chelating or glutathione affinity chromatography. The purity of the obtained protein samples was similar, yet His-tag purification resulted in higher yields for some proteins. Conclusion A fully automated, robust and cost effective method was developed for the purification of proteins that can be used to quickly characterise expression clones in high throughput and to produce large numbers of proteins for functional studies. His-tag affinity purification was found to be more efficient than purification via GST-tag for some proteins.
A high throughput MATLAB program for automated force-curve processing using the AdG polymer model.
O'Connor, Samantha; Gaddis, Rebecca; Anderson, Evan; Camesano, Terri A; Burnham, Nancy A
Research in understanding biofilm formation is dependent on accurate and representative measurements of the steric forces related to brush on bacterial surfaces. A MATLAB program to analyze force curves from an AFM efficiently, accurately, and with minimal user bias has been developed. The analysis is based on a modified version of the Alexander and de Gennes (AdG) polymer model, which is a function of equilibrium polymer brush length, probe radius, temperature, separation distance, and a density variable. Automating the analysis reduces the amount of time required to process 100 force curves from several days to less than 2min. The use of this program to crop and fit force curves to the AdG model will allow researchers to ensure proper processing of large amounts of experimental data and reduce the time required for analysis and comparison of data, thereby enabling higher quality results in a shorter period of time. PMID:25448021
High throughput production of mouse monoclonal antibodies using antigen microarrays
De Masi, Federico; Chiarella, P.; Wilhelm, H.;
Recent advances in proteomics research underscore the increasing need for high-affinity monoclonal antibodies, which are still generated with lengthy, low-throughput antibody production techniques. Here we present a semi-automated, high-throughput method of hybridoma generation and identification...
High throughput detection of Coxiella burnetii by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation
Kramme Stefanie; Peters Martin; Greiner-Fischer Susanne; Kilwinski Jochen; Panning Marcus; Frangoulidis Dimitrios; Meyer Hermann; Henning Klaus; Drosten Christian
Abstract Background Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q-fever, a widespread zoonosis. Due to its high environmental stability and infectivity it is regarded as a category B biological weapon agent. In domestic animals infection remains either asymptomatic or presents as infertility or abortion. Clinical presentation in humans can range from mild flu-like illness to acute pneumonia and hepatitis. Endocarditis represents the most common form of chronic Q-fever. In humans serology is t...
High-throughput heterogeneous catalysis
Farrusseng, David [Universite Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5256, IRCELYON, Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l' environnement de Lyon, 2 avenue Albert Einstein, F-69626 Villeurbanne (France)
This comprehensive review of the literature (over 250 references) deals with high-throughput experimentation in heterogeneous catalysis. Approaches to library design for catalyst discovery and optimization are described and discussed. Special focus is placed on advanced methods for knowledge discovery such as high-throughput kinetic modeling and QSAR. An inventory of successful case studies in catalysis is reported. Finally, recent developments in relevant electronic data and knowledge management are described. (author)
Integrated automation for continuous high-throughput synthetic chromosome assembly and transformation to identify improved yeast strains for industrial production of peptide sweetener brazzein
Production and recycling of recombinant sweetener peptides in industrial biorefineries involves the evaluation of large numbers of genes and proteins. High-throughput integrated robotic molecular biology platforms that have the capacity to rapidly synthesize, clone, and express heterologous gene ope...
High-throughput continuous cryopump
A cryopump with a unique method of regeneration which allows continuous operation at high throughput has been constructed and tested. Deuterium was pumped continuously at a throughput of 30 Torr.L/s at a speed of 2000 L/s and a compression ratio of 200. Argon was pumped at a throughput of 60 Torr.L/s at a speed of 1275 L/s. To produce continuous operation of the pump, a method of regeneration that does not thermally cycle the pump is employed. A small chamber (the ''snail'') passes over the pumping surface and removes the frost from it either by mechanical action with a scraper or by local heating. The material removed is topologically in a secondary vacuum system with low conductance into the primary vacuum; thus, the exhaust can be pumped at pressures up to an effective compression ratio determined by the ratio of the pumping speed to the leakage conductance of the snail. The pump, which is all-metal-sealed and dry and which regenerates every 60 s, would be an ideal system for pumping tritium. Potential fusion applications are for mpmp limiters, for repeating pneumatic pellet injection lines, and for the centrifuge pellet injector spin tank, all of which will require pumping tritium at high throughput. Industrial applications requiring ultraclean pumping of corrosive gases at high throughput, such as the reactive ion etch semiconductor process, may also be feasible
High-throughput cultivation and screening platform for unicellular phototrophs
Tillich, Ulrich M; Wolter, Nick; Schulze, Katja; Kramer, Dan; Brödel, Oliver; Frohme, Marcus
Background High-throughput cultivation and screening methods allow a parallel, miniaturized and cost efficient processing of many samples. These methods however, have not been generally established for phototrophic organisms such as microalgae or cyanobacteria. Results In this work we describe and test high-throughput methods with the model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The required technical automation for these processes was achieved with a Tecan Freedom Evo 200 pipetting robot. The c...
The RABiT: High Throughput Technology for Assessing Global DSB Repair
Turner, H.C.; P.Sharma; Perrier, J.R.; Bertucci, A.; Smilenov, L.; Johnson, Gary; Taveras, M.; Brenner, D. J.; Garty, G.
At the Center for High-Throughput Minimally Invasive Radiation Biodosimetry we have developed a Rapid Automated Biodosimetry Tool (RABiT); this is a completely automated, ultra-high throughput robotically-based biodosimetry workstation designed for use following a large scale radiological event, to perform radiation biodosimetry measurements based on a fingerstick blood sample. High throughput is achieved through purpose built robotics, sample handling in filter-bottomed multi-well plates and...
Fluorescent Approaches to High Throughput Crystallography
Pusey, Marc L.; Forsythe, Elizabeth; Achari, Aniruddha
We have shown that by covalently modifying a subpopulation, less than or equal to 1%, of a macromolecule with a fluorescent probe, the labeled material will add to a growing crystal as a microheterogeneous growth unit. Labeling procedures can be readily incorporated into the final stages of purification, and the presence of the probe at low concentrations does not affect the X-ray data quality or the crystallization behavior. The presence of the trace fluorescent label gives a number of advantages when used with high throughput crystallizations. The covalently attached probe will concentrate in the crystal relative to the solution, and under fluorescent illumination crystals show up as bright objects against a dark background. Non-protein structures, such as salt crystals, will not incorporate the probe and will not show up under fluorescent illumination. Brightly fluorescent crystals are readily found against less bright precipitated phases, which under white light illumination may obscure the crystals. Automated image analysis to find crystals should be greatly facilitated, without having to first define crystallization drop boundaries as the protein or protein structures is all that shows up. Fluorescence intensity is a faster search parameter, whether visually or by automated methods, than looking for crystalline features. We are now testing the use of high fluorescence intensity regions, in the absence of clear crystalline features or "hits", as a means for determining potential lead conditions. A working hypothesis is that kinetics leading to non-structured phases may overwhelm and trap more slowly formed ordered assemblies, which subsequently show up as regions of brighter fluorescence intensity. Preliminary experiments with test proteins have resulted in the extraction of a number of crystallization conditions from screening outcomes based solely on the presence of bright fluorescent regions. Subsequent experiments will test this approach using a wider
High-Throughput, Large-Scale SNP Genotyping: Bioinformatics Considerations
Margetic, Nino
In order to provide a high-throughput, large-scale genotyping facility at the national level we have developed a set of inter-dependent information systems. A combination of commercial, publicly-available and in-house developed tools links a series of data repositories based both on flat files and relational databases providing an almost complete semi-automated pipeline.
Perspective: Data infrastructure for high throughput materials discovery
Pfeif, E. A.; Kroenlein, K.
Computational capability has enabled materials design to evolve from trial-and-error towards more informed methodologies that require large amounts of data. Expert-designed tools and their underlying databases facilitate modern-day high throughput computational methods. Standard data formats and communication standards increase the impact of traditional data, and applying these technologies to a high throughput experimental design provides dense, targeted materials data that are valuable for material discovery. Integrated computational materials engineering requires both experimentally and computationally derived data. Harvesting these comprehensively requires different methods of varying degrees of automation to accommodate variety and volume. Issues of data quality persist independent of type.
High-throughput screening of cellulase F mutants from multiplexed plasmid sets using an automated plate assay on a functional proteomic robotic workcell
Qureshi Nasib; Bischoff Kenneth M; Li Xin-Liang; Riedmuller Steven B; Mertens Jeffrey A; Hughes Stephen R; Cotta Michael A; Farrelly Philip J
Abstract Background The field of plasmid-based functional proteomics requires the rapid assay of proteins expressed from plasmid libraries. Automation is essential since large sets of mutant open reading frames are being cloned for evaluation. To date no integrated automated platform is available to carry out the entire process including production of plasmid libraries, expression of cloned genes, and functional testing of expressed proteins. Results We used a functional proteomic assay in a ...
High-Throughput Analysis of Enzyme Activities
Guoxin Lu
High-throughput screening (HTS) techniques have been applied to many research fields nowadays. Robot microarray printing technique and automation microtiter handling technique allows HTS performing in both heterogeneous and homogeneous formats, with minimal sample required for each assay element. In this dissertation, new HTS techniques for enzyme activity analysis were developed. First, patterns of immobilized enzyme on nylon screen were detected by multiplexed capillary system. The imaging resolution is limited by the outer diameter of the capillaries. In order to get finer images, capillaries with smaller outer diameters can be used to form the imaging probe. Application of capillary electrophoresis allows separation of the product from the substrate in the reaction mixture, so that the product doesn't have to have different optical properties with the substrate. UV absorption detection allows almost universal detection for organic molecules. Thus, no modifications of either the substrate or the product molecules are necessary. This technique has the potential to be used in screening of local distribution variations of specific bio-molecules in a tissue or in screening of multiple immobilized catalysts. Another high-throughput screening technique is developed by directly monitoring the light intensity of the immobilized-catalyst surface using a scientific charge-coupled device (CCD). Briefly, the surface of enzyme microarray is focused onto a scientific CCD using an objective lens. By carefully choosing the detection wavelength, generation of product on an enzyme spot can be seen by the CCD. Analyzing the light intensity change over time on an enzyme spot can give information of reaction rate. The same microarray can be used for many times. Thus, high-throughput kinetic studies of hundreds of catalytic reactions are made possible. At last, we studied the fluorescence emission spectra of ADP and obtained the detection limits for ADP under three different
A production throughput forecasting system in an automated hard disk drive test operation using GRNN
Nara Samattapapong; Nitin Afzulpurkar
Purpose: The goal of this paper is to develop a pragmatic system of a production throughput forecasting system for an automated test operation in a hard drive manufacturing plant. The accurate forecasting result is necessary for the management team to response to any changes in the production processes and the resources allocations. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, we design a production throughput forecasting system in an automated test operation in hard drive manufacturing pl...
High-Throughput ab-initio Dilute Solute Diffusion Database
Wu, Henry; Mayeshiba, Tam; Morgan, Dane
We demonstrate automated generation of diffusion databases from high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A total of more than 230 dilute solute diffusion systems in Mg, Al, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt host lattices have been determined using multi-frequency diffusion models. We apply a correction method for solute diffusion in alloys using experimental and simulated values of host self-diffusivity. We find good agreement with experimental solute diffusion data, obtaining a weighte...
BioXTAS RAW, a software program for high-throughput automated small-angle X-ray scattering data reduction and preliminary analysis
Nielsen, S.S.; Toft, K.N.; Snakenborg, Detlef;
commercial software packages. BioXTAS RAW is a fully automated program that, via an online feature, reads raw two-dimensional SAXS detector output files and processes and plots data as the data files are created during measurement sessions. The software handles all steps in the data reduction. This includes...... mask creation, radial averaging, error bar calculation, artifact removal, normalization and q calibration. Further data reduction such as background subtraction and absolute intensity scaling is fast and easy via the graphical user interface. BioXTAS RAW also provides preliminary analysis of one...
Automation of the BD GeneOhm Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Assay for High-Throughput Screening of Nasal Swab Specimens▿
Wang, Xue-Ping; Ginocchio, Christine C.
This study demonstrated that an automated version of the BD-GeneOhm methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) assay (BD-MRSA), using achromopeptidase sample lysis and PCR setup performed on the Hamilton MICROLAB STARlet (Auto-MRSA), gave results comparable to those obtained with BD-MRSA. The positive- and negative-result concordance rates and overall concordance of BD-MRSA and Auto-MRSA were 98.2, 97.7, and 97.6%, respectively. Auto-MRSA required 60% less technical time than BD-MRSA,...
Use of an Automated Multiple-Locus, Variable-Number Tandem Repeat-Based Method for Rapid and High-Throughput Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates
Francois, Patrice; Huyghe, Antoine; Charbonnier, Yvan; Bento, Manuela; Herzig, Sébastien; Topolski, Ivan; Fleury, Bénédicte; Lew, Daniel; Vaudaux, Pierre; Harbarth, Stephan; van Leeuwen, Willem; van Belkum, Alex; Blanc, Dominique S.; Pittet, Didier; Schrenzel, Jacques
Fast and reliable genotyping methods that allow real-time epidemiological surveillance would be instrumental to monitoring of the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We describe an automated variable-number tandem repeat-based method for the rapid genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus. Multiplex PCR amplifications with eight primer pairs that target gene regions with variable numbers of tandem repeats were resolved by microcapillary electrophoresis and automatically assessed by cluster analysis. This genotyping technique was evaluated for its discriminatory power and reproducibility with clinical isolates of various origins, including a panel of control strains previously characterized by several typing methods and collections from either long-term carriers or defined nosocomial outbreaks. All steps of this new procedure were developed to ensure a rapid turnaround time and moderate cost. The results obtained suggest that this rapid approach is a valuable tool for the genotyping of S. aureus isolates in real time. PMID:16000459
High-Throughput Nonlinear Optical Microscopy
Yew, Elijah Y.S.; So, Peter T. C.; Rowlands, Christopher James; Yew, Elijah Y. S.
High-resolution microscopy methods based on different nonlinear optical (NLO) contrast mechanisms are finding numerous applications in biology and medicine. While the basic implementations of these microscopy methods are relatively mature, an important direction of continuing technological innovation lies in improving the throughput of these systems. Throughput improvement is expected to be important for studying fast kinetic processes, for enabling clinical diagnosis and treatment, and for e...
Microfluidics for High-Throughput Quantitative Studies of Early Development.
Levario, Thomas J; Lim, Bomyi; Shvartsman, Stanislav Y; Lu, Hang
Developmental biology has traditionally relied on qualitative analyses; recently, however, as in other fields of biology, researchers have become increasingly interested in acquiring quantitative knowledge about embryogenesis. Advances in fluorescence microscopy are enabling high-content imaging in live specimens. At the same time, microfluidics and automation technologies are increasing experimental throughput for studies of multicellular models of development. Furthermore, computer vision methods for processing and analyzing bioimage data are now leading the way toward quantitative biology. Here, we review advances in the areas of fluorescence microscopy, microfluidics, and data analysis that are instrumental to performing high-content, high-throughput studies in biology and specifically in development. We discuss a case study of how these techniques have allowed quantitative analysis and modeling of pattern formation in the Drosophila embryo. PMID:26928208
Data Management for High-Throughput Genomics
Roehm, Uwe
Today's sequencing technology allows sequencing an individual genome within a few weeks for a fraction of the costs of the original Human Genome project. Genomics labs are faced with dozens of TB of data per week that have to be automatically processed and made available to scientists for further analysis. This paper explores the potential and the limitations of using relational database systems as the data processing platform for high-throughput genomics. In particular, we are interested in the storage management for high-throughput sequence data and in leveraging SQL and user-defined functions for data analysis inside a database system. We give an overview of a database design for high-throughput genomics, how we used a SQL Server database in some unconventional ways to prototype this scenario, and we will discuss some initial findings about the scalability and performance of such a more database-centric approach.
A Colloidal Stability Assay Suitable for High-Throughput Screening.
Abarca, Carla; Ali, M Monsur; Yang, Songtao; Dong, Xiaofei; Pelton, Robert H
A library of 32 polystyrene copolymer latexes, with diameters ranging between 53 and 387 nm, was used to develop and demonstrate a high-throughput assay using a 96-well microplate platform to measure critical coagulation concentrations, a measure of colloidal stability. The most robust assay involved an automated centrifugation-decantation step to remove latex aggregates before absorbance measurements, eliminating aggregate interference with optical measurements made through the base of the multiwell plates. For smaller nanoparticles (diameter aggregation; however, the results were less sensitive than the absorbance measurements. PMID:26857643
In this article, we introduce the system of high throughput screening (HTS). Its role in new drug study and current development is described. The relationship between research achievements of genome study and new type screening model of new drugs is emphasized. The personal opinions of current problems about HTS study in China are raised.``
In this article, we introduce the system of high throughput screening (HTS). Its role in new drug study and current development is described. The relationship between research achievements of genome study and new type screening model of new drugs is emphasized. The personal opinions of current problems about HTS study in China are raised.
High-Throughput Intracellular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Legionella pneumophila.
Chiaraviglio, Lucius; Kirby, James E
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Notably, in the human host, the organism is believed to replicate solely within an intracellular compartment, predominantly within pulmonary macrophages. Consequently, successful therapy is predicated on antimicrobials penetrating into this intracellular growth niche. However, standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods test solely for extracellular growth inhibition. Here, we make use of a high-throughput assay to characterize intracellular growth inhibition activity of known antimicrobials. For select antimicrobials, high-resolution dose-response analysis was then performed to characterize and compare activity levels in both macrophage infection and axenic growth assays. Results support the superiority of several classes of nonpolar antimicrobials in abrogating intracellular growth. Importantly, our assay results show excellent correlations with prior clinical observations of antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, we also show the applicability of high-throughput automation to two- and three-dimensional synergy testing. High-resolution isocontour isobolograms provide in vitro support for specific combination antimicrobial therapy. Taken together, findings suggest that high-throughput screening technology may be successfully applied to identify and characterize antimicrobials that target bacterial pathogens that make use of an intracellular growth niche. PMID:26392509
High-Throughput Intracellular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Legionella pneumophila
Chiaraviglio, Lucius
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Notably, in the human host, the organism is believed to replicate solely within an intracellular compartment, predominantly within pulmonary macrophages. Consequently, successful therapy is predicated on antimicrobials penetrating into this intracellular growth niche. However, standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods test solely for extracellular growth inhibition. Here, we make use of a high-throughput assay to characterize intracellular growth inhibition activity of known antimicrobials. For select antimicrobials, high-resolution dose-response analysis was then performed to characterize and compare activity levels in both macrophage infection and axenic growth assays. Results support the superiority of several classes of nonpolar antimicrobials in abrogating intracellular growth. Importantly, our assay results show excellent correlations with prior clinical observations of antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, we also show the applicability of high-throughput automation to two- and three-dimensional synergy testing. High-resolution isocontour isobolograms provide in vitro support for specific combination antimicrobial therapy. Taken together, findings suggest that high-throughput screening technology may be successfully applied to identify and characterize antimicrobials that target bacterial pathogens that make use of an intracellular growth niche. PMID:26392509
High-throughput analysis of growth differences among phage strains.
Turner, Paul E; Draghi, Jeremy A; Wilpiszeski, Regina
Although methods such as spectrophotometry are useful for identifying growth differences among bacterial strains, it is currently difficult to similarly determine whether bacteriophage strains differ in growth using high throughput methods. Here we use automated spectrophotometry to develop an in vitro method for indirectly distinguishing fitness (growth) differences among virus strains, based on direct measures of their infected bacterial hosts. We used computer simulations of a mathematical model for phage growth to predict which features of bacterial growth curves were best associated with differences in growth among phage strains. We then tested these predictions using the in vitro method to confirm which of the inferred viral growth traits best reflected known fitness differences among genotypes of the RNA phage phi-6, when infecting a Pseudomonas syringae host. Results showed that the inferred phage trait of time-to-extinction (time required to drive bacterial density below detectable optical density) reliably correlated with genotype rankings based on absolute fitness (phage titer per ml). These data suggested that the high-throughput analysis was valuable for identifying growth differences among virus strains, and that the method may be especially useful for high throughput analyses of fitness differences among phage strains cultured and/or evolved in liquid (unstructured) environments. PMID:22101310
Robust, high-throughput solution for blood group genotyping.
Le Goff, Gaelle C; Brès, Jean-Charles; Rigal, Dominique; Blum, Loïc J; Marquette, Christophe A
With the concomitant increase of blood transfusions and safety rules, there is a growing need to integrate high-throughput and multiparametric assays within blood qualification centers. Using a robust and automated solution, we describe a new method for extended blood group genotyping (HiFi-Blood 96) bringing together the throughput possibilities of complete automation and the microarray multiplexed analysis potential. Our approach provides a useful resource for upgrading blood qualification center facilities. A set of six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with clinically important blood group antigens (Kell, Kidd, Duffy, and MNS systems) were selected and the corresponding genotyping assays developed. A panel of 293 blood samples was used to validate the approach. The resulting genotypes were compared to phenotypes previously determined by standard serologic techniques, and excellent correlations were found for five SNPs out of six. For the Kell, Kidd, Duffy, and MNS3/MNS4 systems, high matching percentages of 100%, 98.9%, 97.7%, and 97.4% were obtained, respectively, whereas a concordance percentage of 83.3% only was attained for the MNS1/MNS2 polymorphism. PMID:20560530
Afonnikov D.
Full Text Available The growing need for rapid and accurate approaches for large-scale assessment of phenotypic characters in plants becomes more and more obvious in the studies looking into relationships between genotype and phenotype. This need is due to the advent of high throughput methods for analysis of genomes. Nowadays, any genetic experiment involves data on thousands and dozens of thousands of plants. Traditional ways of assessing most phenotypic characteristics (those with reliance on the eye, the touch, the ruler are little effective on samples of such sizes. Modern approaches seek to take advantage of automated phenotyping, which warrants a much more rapid data acquisition, higher accuracy of the assessment of phenotypic features, measurement of new parameters of these features and exclusion of human subjectivity from the process. Additionally, automation allows measurement data to be rapidly loaded into computer databases, which reduces data processing time.In this work, we present the WheatPGE information system designed to solve the problem of integration of genotypic and phenotypic data and parameters of the environment, as well as to analyze the relationships between the genotype and phenotype in wheat. The system is used to consolidate miscellaneous data on a plant for storing and processing various morphological traits and genotypes of wheat plants as well as data on various environmental factors. The system is available at www.wheatdb.org. Its potential in genetic experiments has been demonstrated in high-throughput phenotyping of wheat leaf pubescence.
A robust robotic high-throughput antibody purification platform.
Schmidt, Peter M; Abdo, Michael; Butcher, Rebecca E; Yap, Min-Yin; Scotney, Pierre D; Ramunno, Melanie L; Martin-Roussety, Genevieve; Owczarek, Catherine; Hardy, Matthew P; Chen, Chao-Guang; Fabri, Louis J
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become the fastest growing segment in the drug market with annual sales of more than 40 billion US$ in 2013. The selection of lead candidate molecules involves the generation of large repertoires of antibodies from which to choose a final therapeutic candidate. Improvements in the ability to rapidly produce and purify many antibodies in sufficient quantities reduces the lead time for selection which ultimately impacts on the speed with which an antibody may transition through the research stage and into product development. Miniaturization and automation of chromatography using micro columns (RoboColumns(®) from Atoll GmbH) coupled to an automated liquid handling instrument (ALH; Freedom EVO(®) from Tecan) has been a successful approach to establish high throughput process development platforms. Recent advances in transient gene expression (TGE) using the high-titre Expi293F™ system have enabled recombinant mAb titres of greater than 500mg/L. These relatively high protein titres reduce the volume required to generate several milligrams of individual antibodies for initial biochemical and biological downstream assays, making TGE in the Expi293F™ system ideally suited to high throughput chromatography on an ALH. The present publication describes a novel platform for purifying Expi293F™-expressed recombinant mAbs directly from cell-free culture supernatant on a Perkin Elmer JANUS-VariSpan ALH equipped with a plate shuttle device. The purification platform allows automated 2-step purification (Protein A-desalting/size exclusion chromatography) of several hundred mAbs per week. The new robotic method can purify mAbs with high recovery (>90%) at sub-milligram level with yields of up to 2mg from 4mL of cell-free culture supernatant. PMID:27283099
High-throughput neuro-imaging informatics.
Miller, Michael I; Faria, Andreia V; Oishi, Kenichi; Mori, Susumu
This paper describes neuroinformatics technologies at 1 mm anatomical scale based on high-throughput 3D functional and structural imaging technologies of the human brain. The core is an abstract pipeline for converting functional and structural imagery into their high-dimensional neuroinformatic representation index containing O(1000-10,000) discriminating dimensions. The pipeline is based on advanced image analysis coupled to digital knowledge representations in the form of dense atlases of the human brain at gross anatomical scale. We demonstrate the integration of these high-dimensional representations with machine learning methods, which have become the mainstay of other fields of science including genomics as well as social networks. Such high-throughput facilities have the potential to alter the way medical images are stored and utilized in radiological workflows. The neuroinformatics pipeline is used to examine cross-sectional and personalized analyses of neuropsychiatric illnesses in clinical applications as well as longitudinal studies. We demonstrate the use of high-throughput machine learning methods for supporting (i) cross-sectional image analysis to evaluate the health status of individual subjects with respect to the population data, (ii) integration of image and personal medical record non-image information for diagnosis and prognosis. PMID:24381556
High Throughput Neuro-Imaging Informatics
Michael I Miller
Full Text Available This paper describes neuroinformatics technologies at 1 mm anatomical scale based on high throughput 3D functional and structural imaging technologies of the human brain. The core is an abstract pipeline for converting functional and structural imagery into their high dimensional neuroinformatic representations index containing O(E3-E4 discriminating dimensions. The pipeline is based on advanced image analysis coupled to digital knowledge representations in the form of dense atlases of the human brain at gross anatomical scale. We demonstrate the integration of these high-dimensional representations with machine learning methods, which have become the mainstay of other fields of science including genomics as well as social networks. Such high throughput facilities have the potential to alter the way medical images are stored and utilized in radiological workflows. The neuroinformatics pipeline is used to examine cross-sectional and personalized analyses of neuropsychiatric illnesses in clinical applications as well as longitudinal studies. We demonstrate the use of high throughput machine learning methods for supporting (i cross-sectional image analysis to evaluate the health status of individual subjects with respect to the population data, (ii integration of image and non-image information for diagnosis and prognosis.
Bipolar electrochemistry for high throughput screening applications
Munktell, Sara
Bipolar electrochemistry is an interesting concept for high throughput screening techniques due to the ability to induce gradients in a range of materials and their properties, such as composition, particle size, or dopant levels, among many others. One of the key advantages of the method is the ability to test, create or modify materials without the need for a direct electrical connection. In this thesis, the viability of this method has been explored for a range of possible applications, su...
MAPPER: high-throughput maskless lithography
Wieland, M. J.; de Boer, G.; ten Berge, G. F.; Jager, R.; van de Peut, T.; Peijster, J. J. M.; Slot, E.; Steenbrink, S. W. H. K.; Teepen, T. F.; van Veen, A. H. V.; Kampherbeek, B. J.
Maskless electron beam lithography, or electron beam direct write, has been around for a long time in the semiconductor industry and was pioneered from the mid-1960s onwards. This technique has been used for mask writing applications as well as device engineering and in some cases chip manufacturing. However because of its relatively low throughput compared to optical lithography, electron beam lithography has never been the mainstream lithography technology. To extend optical lithography double patterning, as a bridging technology, and EUV lithography are currently explored. Irrespective of the technical viability of both approaches, one thing seems clear. They will be expensive [1]. MAPPER Lithography is developing a maskless lithography technology based on massively-parallel electron-beam writing with high speed optical data transport for switching the electron beams. In this way optical columns can be made with a throughput of 10-20 wafers per hour. By clustering several of these columns together high throughputs can be realized in a small footprint. This enables a highly cost-competitive alternative to double patterning and EUV alternatives. In 2007 MAPPER obtained its Proof of Lithography milestone by exposing in its Demonstrator 45 nm half pitch structures with 110 electron beams in parallel, where all the beams where individually switched on and off [2]. In 2008 MAPPER has taken a next step in its development by building several tools. The objective of building these tools is to involve semiconductor companies to be able to verify tool performance in their own environment. To enable this, the tools will have a 300 mm wafer stage in addition to a 110-beam optics column. First exposures at 45 nm half pitch resolution have been performed and analyzed. On the same wafer it is observed that all beams print and based on analysis of 11 beams the CD for the different patterns is within 2.2 nm from target and the CD uniformity for the different patterns is better
A click chemistry-based microRNA maturation assay optimized for high-throughput screening.
Lorenz, Daniel A; Garner, Amanda L
Catalytic enzyme-linked click-chemistry assays (cat-ELCCA) are an emerging class of biochemical assay. Herein we report on expanding the toolkit of cat-ELCCA to include the kinetically superior inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction. The result is a technology with improved sensitivity and reproducibility, enabling automated high-throughput screening. PMID:27284591
Towards high throughput screening of nanoparticle flotation collectors.
Abarca, Carla; Yang, Songtao; Pelton, Robert H
To function as flotation collectors for mineral processing, polymeric nanoparticles require a delicate balance of surface properties to give mineral-specific deposition and colloidal stability in high ionic strength alkaline media, while remaining sufficiently hydrophobic to promote flotation. Combinatorial nanoparticle surface modification, in conjunction with high throughput screening, is a promising approach for nanoparticle development. However, efficient automated screening assays are required to reject ineffective particles without having to undergo time consuming flotation testing. Herein we demonstrate that determining critical coagulation concentrations of sodium carbonate in combination with measuring the advancing water contact angle of nanoparticle-saturated glass surfaces can be used to screen ineffective nanoparticles. Finally, none of our first nanoparticle library based on poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEG-methacrylate) were effective flotation collectors because the nanoparticles were too hydrophilic. PMID:26319325
Applications of High Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
Waage, Johannes Eichler
The recent advent of high throughput sequencing of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) has vastly expanded research into the functional and structural biology of the genome of all living organisms (and even a few dead ones). With this enormous and exponential growth in biological data generation come......, focusing on oft encountered problems in data processing, such as quality assurance, mapping, normalization, visualization, and interpretation. Presented in the second part are scientific endeavors representing solutions to problems of two sub-genres of next generation sequencing. For the first flavor, RNA...
Reconfigurable microfluidic dilution for high-throughput quantitative assays.
Fan, Jinzhen; Li, Baoqing; Xing, Siyuan; Pan, Tingrui
This paper reports a reconfigurable microfluidic dilution device for high-throughput quantitative assays, which can easily produce discrete logarithmic/binary concentration profiles ranging from 1 to 100-fold dilution in parallel from a fixed sample volume (e.g., 10 μL) without any assistance of continuous fluidic pump or robotic automation. The integrated dilution generation chip consists of switchable distribution and collection channels, metering reservoirs, reaction chambers, and pressure-activatable Laplace valves. Following the sequential loading of a sample, a diluent, and a detection reagent into their individual metering chambers, the top microfluidic layer can be reconfigured to collect the metered chemicals into the reaction chambers in parallel, where detection will be conducted. To facilitate mixing and reaction in the microchambers, two acoustic microstreaming actuation mechanisms have been investigated for easy integrability and accessibility. Furthermore, the microfluidic dilution generator has been characterized by both colorimetric and fluorescent means. A further demonstration of the generic usage of the quantitative dilution chip has utilized the commonly available bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay to analyse the protein concentrations of human tissue extracts. In brief, the microfluidic dilution generator offers a high-throughput high-efficiency quantitative analytical alternative to conventional quantitative assay platforms, by simple manipulation of a minute amount of chemicals in a compact microfluidic device with minimal equipment requirement, which can serve as a facile tool for biochemical and biological analyses in regular laboratories, point-of-care settings and low-resource environments. PMID:25994379
High-throughput ab-initio dilute solute diffusion database.
Wu, Henry; Mayeshiba, Tam; Morgan, Dane
We demonstrate automated generation of diffusion databases from high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A total of more than 230 dilute solute diffusion systems in Mg, Al, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt host lattices have been determined using multi-frequency diffusion models. We apply a correction method for solute diffusion in alloys using experimental and simulated values of host self-diffusivity. We find good agreement with experimental solute diffusion data, obtaining a weighted activation barrier RMS error of 0.176 eV when excluding magnetic solutes in non-magnetic alloys. The compiled database is the largest collection of consistently calculated ab-initio solute diffusion data in the world. PMID:27434308
High Throughput SNP Genotyping with Two Mini-sequencing Assays
Chunqing LUO; Libin DENG; Changqing ZENG
Two mini-sequencing methods,FP-TDI (template-directed dye-terminator incorporation with fluorescence-polarization) and MassArray (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight detection mass spectrometry),were optimized.A numeric standard was introduced to evaluate the SNP scoring quality of FP-TDI assay,thus made the optimization work easier.At the same time,using multi-PCR technology,8-plex genotyping of MassArray assay was successfully carried out,some softwares were developed and the data process of MassArray was highly automated.Then these two methods were applied to high throughput SNP genotyping,the accuracy,efficiency and robustness were compared.The result shows FP-TDI is more sensitive to the concentration of SNPprimer and PCR product,as well as extension cycles,the SNPprimer length of FP-TDI should be 24-30 bp long,whereas MassArray assay prefers to be as short as only 16 bp.Altogether 6440 SNP sites of human chromosome 3 were genotyped in a sample of 90 individuals,4792 sites by FP-TDI assay and 1648 sites by MassArray assay,the success rates of FP-TDI and MassArray were 67.7% and 93.6% respectively.The throughput of MassArray was higher than FP-TDI,and the cost of MassArray was lower,MassArray was more suitable for high throughput SNP genotyping.
Achieving High Data Throughput in Research Networks
WarrenMatthews; LesCottrell
After less than a year of operation ,the BaBar experiment at SLAC has collected almost 100 million particle collision events in a database approaching 165TB.Around 20 TB of data has been exported via the Internet to the BaBar regional center at IN2P3 in Lyon,France,and around 40TB of simulated data has been imported from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(LLNL),BaBar Collaborators plan to double data collection each year and export a third of the data to IN2P3.So within a few years the SLAC OC3 (155Mbps) connection will be fully utilized by file transfer to France alone.Upgrades to infrastructure is essential and detailed understanding of performance issues and the requirements for reliable high throughput transfers is critical.In this talk results from active and passive monitoring and direct measurements of throughput will be reviewed.Methods for achieving the ambitious requirements will be discussed.
High throughput screening of physicochemical properties and in vitro ADME profiling in drug discovery.
Wan, Hong; Holmén, Anders G
Current advances of new technologies with robotic automated assays combined with highly selective and sensitive LC-MS enable high-speed screening of lead series libraries in many in vitro assays. In this review, we summarize state of the art high throughput assays for screening of key physicochemical properties such as solubility, lipophilicity, pKa, drug-plasma protein binding and brain tissue binding as well as in vitro ADME profiling. We discuss two primary approaches for high throughput screening of solubility, i.e. an automated 96-well plate assay integrated with LC-MS and a rapid multi-wavelength UV plate reader. We address the advantages of newly developed miniaturized techniques for high throughput pKa screening by capillary electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry (CE-MS) with automated data analysis flow. Several new lipophilicity approaches other than octanol-water partitioning are critically reviewed, including rapid liquid chromatographic retention based approach, immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) partitioning and liposome, and potential microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) for accurate screening of LogP. We highlight the sample pooling (namely cassette dosing, all-in-one, cocktail) as an efficient approach for high throughput screening of physicochemical properties and in vitro ADME profiling with emphasis on the benefit of on-line quality control. This cassette dosing approach has been widely adapted in drug discovery for rapid screening of in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters with significantly increased capacity and dramatically reduced animal usage. PMID:19275537
High-throughput single-cell manipulation in brain tissue.
Joseph D Steinmeyer
Full Text Available The complexity of neurons and neuronal circuits in brain tissue requires the genetic manipulation, labeling, and tracking of single cells. However, current methods for manipulating cells in brain tissue are limited to either bulk techniques, lacking single-cell accuracy, or manual methods that provide single-cell accuracy but at significantly lower throughputs and repeatability. Here, we demonstrate high-throughput, efficient, reliable, and combinatorial delivery of multiple genetic vectors and reagents into targeted cells within the same tissue sample with single-cell accuracy. Our system automatically loads nanoliter-scale volumes of reagents into a micropipette from multiwell plates, targets and transfects single cells in brain tissues using a robust electroporation technique, and finally preps the micropipette by automated cleaning for repeating the transfection cycle. We demonstrate multi-colored labeling of adjacent cells, both in organotypic and acute slices, and transfection of plasmids encoding different protein isoforms into neurons within the same brain tissue for analysis of their effects on linear dendritic spine density. Our platform could also be used to rapidly deliver, both ex vivo and in vivo, a variety of genetic vectors, including optogenetic and cell-type specific agents, as well as fast-acting reagents such as labeling dyes, calcium sensors, and voltage sensors to manipulate and track neuronal circuit activity at single-cell resolution.
High-Throughput Cell Toxicity Assays.
Murray, David; McWilliams, Lisa; Wigglesworth, Mark
Understanding compound-driven cell toxicity is vitally important for all drug discovery approaches. With high-throughput screening (HTS) being the key strategy to find hit and lead compounds for drug discovery projects in the pharmaceutical industry [1], an understanding of the cell toxicity profile of hit molecules from HTS activities is fundamentally important. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in phenotypic drug discovery and these cell-based assays are now being run in HTS labs on ever increasing numbers of compounds. As the use of cell assays increases the ability to measure toxicity of compounds on a large scale becomes increasingly important to ensure that false hits are not progressed and that compounds do not carry forward a toxic liability that may cause them to fail at later stages of a project. Here we describe methods employed in the AstraZeneca HTS laboratory to carry out very large scale cell toxicity screening. PMID:27317000
High throughput assays for analyzing transcription factors.
Li, Xianqiang; Jiang, Xin; Yaoi, Takuro
Transcription factors are a group of proteins that modulate the expression of genes involved in many biological processes, such as cell growth and differentiation. Alterations in transcription factor function are associated with many human diseases, and therefore these proteins are attractive potential drug targets. A key issue in the development of such therapeutics is the generation of effective tools that can be used for high throughput discovery of the critical transcription factors involved in human diseases, and the measurement of their activities in a variety of disease or compound-treated samples. Here, a number of innovative arrays and 96-well format assays for profiling and measuring the activities of transcription factors will be discussed. PMID:16834538
High Throughput Screening and Selection Methods for Directed Enzyme Evolution
Xiao, Han; Bao, Zehua; Zhao, Huimin
Successful evolutionary enzyme engineering requires a high throughput screening or selection method, which considerably increases the chance of obtaining desired properties and reduces the time and cost. In this review, a series of high throughput screening and selection methods are illustrated with significant and recent examples. These high throughput strategies are also discussed with an emphasis on compatibility with phenotypic analysis during directed enzyme evolution. Lastly, certain li...
A High-Throughput Biological Calorimetry Core: Steps to Startup, Run, and Maintain a Multiuser Facility.
Yennawar, Neela H; Fecko, Julia A; Showalter, Scott A; Bevilacqua, Philip C
Many labs have conventional calorimeters where denaturation and binding experiments are setup and run one at a time. While these systems are highly informative to biopolymer folding and ligand interaction, they require considerable manual intervention for cleaning and setup. As such, the throughput for such setups is limited typically to a few runs a day. With a large number of experimental parameters to explore including different buffers, macromolecule concentrations, temperatures, ligands, mutants, controls, replicates, and instrument tests, the need for high-throughput automated calorimeters is on the rise. Lower sample volume requirements and reduced user intervention time compared to the manual instruments have improved turnover of calorimetry experiments in a high-throughput format where 25 or more runs can be conducted per day. The cost and efforts to maintain high-throughput equipment typically demands that these instruments be housed in a multiuser core facility. We describe here the steps taken to successfully start and run an automated biological calorimetry facility at Pennsylvania State University. Scientists from various departments at Penn State including Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biology, Food Science, and Chemical Engineering are benefiting from this core facility. Samples studied include proteins, nucleic acids, sugars, lipids, synthetic polymers, small molecules, natural products, and virus capsids. This facility has led to higher throughput of data, which has been leveraged into grant support, attracting new faculty hire and has led to some exciting publications. PMID:26794364
High-throughput operando Raman-quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) system to screen catalytic systems.
García-Casado, Manuel; Prieto, José; Vico-Ruiz, Emilio; Lozano-Diz, Enrique; Goberna-Selma, Consuelo; Bañares, Miguel A
This paper describes the design and setup of a high-throughput Raman system for an array of eight parallel catalytic reactors during reaction conditions. The "operando" methodology combines in situ spectroscopy during catalytic reaction with a simultaneous activity measurement. The high-throughput operando Raman system, multi-operando, is a device that automates this operando methodology for several catalyst samples at the same time, all samples being in the same reaction conditions. We describe how the system is made, how Raman system positions and acquires spectra, and how each reactor outlet gas is selected and analyzed. PMID:24405956
Characterization of metalloproteins by high-throughput X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Shi, W.; Punta, M.; J. Bohon; J.M. Sauder; R D'Mello; Sullivan, M.; Toomey, J.; Abel, D; Lippi, M.; Passerini, A.; P. Frasconi; Burley, S K; B. Rost; Chance, M. R.
High-throughput X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to measure transition metal content based on quantitative detection of X-ray fluorescence signals for 3879 purified proteins from several hundred different protein families gen- erated by the New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics. Approximately 9% of the proteins analyzed showed the presence of transition metal atoms (Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, or Mn) in stoichiometric amounts. The method is highly automated and highly reliable ba...
High Throughput Direct Detection Doppler Lidar Project
National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Lite Cycles, Inc. (LCI) proposes to develop a direct-detection Doppler lidar (D3L) technology called ELITE that improves the system optical throughput by more than...
Bilevel architecture for high-throughput computing
The authors have prototyped and analyzed design of a novel approach for the high throughput computing - a core element for the emerging HENP computational grid. Independent event processing in HENP is well suited for computing in parallel. The prototype facilitates use of inexpensive mass-market components by providing fault tolerant resilience (instead of the expensive total system reliability) via highly scalable management components. The ability to handle both hardware and software failures on a large dedicated HENP facility limits the need for user intervention. A robust data management is especially important in HENP computing since large data-flows occur before and/or after each processing task. The architecture of our active object coordination schema implements a multi-level hierarchical agent model. It provides fault tolerance by splitting a large overall task into independent atomic processes, performed by lower level agents, synchronizing each other via a local database. Necessary control functions performed by higher level agents interact with the same database thus managing distributed data production. The system has been tested in production environment for simulations in the STAR experiment at RHIC. Authors' architectural prototype controlled processes on more than a hundred processors at a time and has run for extended periods of time. Twenty terabytes of simulated data have been produced. The generic nature of their two level architectural solution for the fault tolerance in distributed environment has been demonstrated by its successful test for the grid file replication services between BNL and LBNL
A high-throughput chemically induced inflammation assay in zebrafish
Liebel Urban
Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies on innate immunity have benefited from the introduction of zebrafish as a model system. Transgenic fish expressing fluorescent proteins in leukocyte populations allow direct, quantitative visualization of an inflammatory response in vivo. It has been proposed that this animal model can be used for high-throughput screens aimed at the identification of novel immunomodulatory lead compounds. However, current assays require invasive manipulation of fish individually, thus preventing high-content screening. Results Here we show that specific, noninvasive damage to lateral line neuromast cells can induce a robust acute inflammatory response. Exposure of fish larvae to sublethal concentrations of copper sulfate selectively damages the sensory hair cell population inducing infiltration of leukocytes to neuromasts within 20 minutes. Inflammation can be assayed in real time using transgenic fish expressing fluorescent proteins in leukocytes or by histochemical assays in fixed larvae. We demonstrate the usefulness of this method for chemical and genetic screens to detect the effect of immunomodulatory compounds and mutations affecting the leukocyte response. Moreover, we transformed the assay into a high-throughput screening method by using a customized automated imaging and processing system that quantifies the magnitude of the inflammatory reaction. Conclusions This approach allows rapid screening of thousands of compounds or mutagenized zebrafish for effects on inflammation and enables the identification of novel players in the regulation of innate immunity and potential lead compounds toward new immunomodulatory therapies. We have called this method the chemically induced inflammation assay, or ChIn assay. See Commentary article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/148.
Orthogonal NGS for High Throughput Clinical Diagnostics.
Chennagiri, Niru; White, Eric J; Frieden, Alexander; Lopez, Edgardo; Lieber, Daniel S; Nikiforov, Anastasia; Ross, Tristen; Batorsky, Rebecca; Hansen, Sherry; Lip, Va; Luquette, Lovelace J; Mauceli, Evan; Margulies, David; Milos, Patrice M; Napolitano, Nichole; Nizzari, Marcia M; Yu, Timothy; Thompson, John F
Next generation sequencing is a transformative technology for discovering and diagnosing genetic disorders. However, high-throughput sequencing remains error-prone, necessitating variant confirmation in order to meet the exacting demands of clinical diagnostic sequencing. To address this, we devised an orthogonal, dual platform approach employing complementary target capture and sequencing chemistries to improve speed and accuracy of variant calls at a genomic scale. We combined DNA selection by bait-based hybridization followed by Illumina NextSeq reversible terminator sequencing with DNA selection by amplification followed by Ion Proton semiconductor sequencing. This approach yields genomic scale orthogonal confirmation of ~95% of exome variants. Overall variant sensitivity improves as each method covers thousands of coding exons missed by the other. We conclude that orthogonal NGS offers improvements in variant calling sensitivity when two platforms are used, better specificity for variants identified on both platforms, and greatly reduces the time and expense of Sanger follow-up, thus enabling physicians to act on genomic results more quickly. PMID:27090146
Large Scale Library Generation for High Throughput Sequencing
Borgström, Erik; Lundin, Sverker; Lundeberg, Joakim
Background Large efforts have recently been made to automate the sample preparation protocols for massively parallel sequencing in order to match the increasing instrument throughput. Still, the size selection through agarose gel electrophoresis separation is a labor-intensive bottleneck of these protocols. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study a method for automatic library preparation and size selection on a liquid handling robot is presented. The method utilizes selective precipitat...
Robust, high-throughput solution structural analyses by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
Hura, Greg L.; Menon, Angeli L.; Hammel, Michal; Rambo, Robert P.; Poole II, Farris L.; Tsutakawa, Susan E.; Jenney Jr, Francis E.; Classen, Scott; Frankel, Kenneth A.; Hopkins, Robert C.; Yang, Sungjae; Scott, Joseph W.; Dillard, Bret D.; Adams, Michael W. W.; Tainer, John A.
We present an efficient pipeline enabling high-throughput analysis of protein structure in solution with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Our SAXS pipeline combines automated sample handling of microliter volumes, temperature and anaerobic control, rapid data collection and data analysis, and couples structural analysis with automated archiving. We subjected 50 representative proteins, mostly from Pyrococcus furiosus, to this pipeline and found that 30 were multimeric structures in solution. SAXS analysis allowed us to distinguish aggregated and unfolded proteins, define global structural parameters and oligomeric states for most samples, identify shapes and similar structures for 25 unknown structures, and determine envelopes for 41 proteins. We believe that high-throughput SAXS is an enabling technology that may change the way that structural genomics research is done.
Computational chemistry, data mining, high-throughput synthesis and screening - informatics and integration in drug discovery
Charles J. Manly
Drug discovery today includes considerable focus of laboratory automation and other resources on both combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening, and computational chemistry has been a part of pharmaceutical research for many years. The real benefit of these technologies is beyond the exploitation of each individually. Only recently have significant efforts focused on effectively integrating these and other discovery disciplines to realize their larger potential. This technical not...
A BSL-4 High-Throughput Screen Identifies Sulfonamide Inhibitors of Nipah Virus
Tigabu, Bersabeh; Rasmussen, Lynn; White, E. Lucile; Tower, Nichole; Saeed, Mohammad; Bukreyev, Alexander; Rockx, Barry; LeDuc, James W.; Noah, James W.
Nipah virus is a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) pathogen that causes severe respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans. To identify novel small molecules that target Nipah virus replication as potential therapeutics, Southern Research Institute and Galveston National Laboratory jointly developed an automated high-throughput screening platform that is capable of testing 10,000 compounds per day within BSL-4 biocontainment. Using this platform, we screened a 10,080-compound library using a cell-...
High-Throughput Analysis of Subtelomeric Chromosome Rearrangements by Use of Array-Based Comparative Genomic Hybridization
Veltman, Joris A; Schoenmakers, Eric F.P.M.; Eussen, Bert H; Janssen, Irene; Merkx, Gerard; van Cleef, Brigitte; van Ravenswaaij, Conny M.; Brunner, Han G.; Smeets, Dominique; van Kessel, Ad Geurts
Telomeric chromosome rearrangements may cause mental retardation, congenital anomalies, and miscarriages. Automated detection of subtle deletions or duplications involving telomeres is essential for high-throughput diagnosis, but impossible when conventional cytogenetic methods are used. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) allows high-resolution screening of copy number abnormalities by hybridizing differentially labeled test and reference genomes to arrays of robotically spot...
Resolution- and throughput-enhanced spectroscopy using high-throughput computational slit
Kazemzadeh, Farnoud
There exists a fundamental tradeoff between spectral resolution and the efficiency or throughput for all optical spectrometers. The primary factors affecting the spectral resolution and throughput of an optical spectrometer are the size of the entrance aperture and the optical power of the focusing element. Thus far collective optimization of the above mentioned has proven difficult. Here, we introduce the concept of high-throughput computational slits (HTCS) for improving both the effective spectral resolution and efficiency of a spectrometer. The proposed HTCS approach was experimentally validated using an optical spectrometer configured with a 200 um entrance aperture, test, and a 50 um entrance aperture, control, demonstrating improvements in spectral resolution of the spectrum by ~20% over the control spectral resolution and improvements in efficiency of > 2 times the efficiency of the largest entrance aperture used in the study while producing highly accurate spectra.
High Throughput Multispectral Image Processing with Applications in Food Science.
Panagiotis Tsakanikas
Full Text Available Recently, machine vision is gaining attention in food science as well as in food industry concerning food quality assessment and monitoring. Into the framework of implementation of Process Analytical Technology (PAT in the food industry, image processing can be used not only in estimation and even prediction of food quality but also in detection of adulteration. Towards these applications on food science, we present here a novel methodology for automated image analysis of several kinds of food products e.g. meat, vanilla crème and table olives, so as to increase objectivity, data reproducibility, low cost information extraction and faster quality assessment, without human intervention. Image processing's outcome will be propagated to the downstream analysis. The developed multispectral image processing method is based on unsupervised machine learning approach (Gaussian Mixture Models and a novel unsupervised scheme of spectral band selection for segmentation process optimization. Through the evaluation we prove its efficiency and robustness against the currently available semi-manual software, showing that the developed method is a high throughput approach appropriate for massive data extraction from food samples.
High Throughput T Epitope Mapping and Vaccine Development
Giuseppina Li Pira
Full Text Available Mapping of antigenic peptide sequences from proteins of relevant pathogens recognized by T helper (Th and by cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL is crucial for vaccine development. In fact, mapping of T-cell epitopes provides useful information for the design of peptide-based vaccines and of peptide libraries to monitor specific cellular immunity in protected individuals, patients and vaccinees. Nevertheless, epitope mapping is a challenging task. In fact, large panels of overlapping peptides need to be tested with lymphocytes to identify the sequences that induce a T-cell response. Since numerous peptide panels from antigenic proteins are to be screened, lymphocytes available from human subjects are a limiting factor. To overcome this limitation, high throughput (HTP approaches based on miniaturization and automation of T-cell assays are needed. Here we consider the most recent applications of the HTP approach to T epitope mapping. The alternative or complementary use of in silico prediction and experimental epitope definition is discussed in the context of the recent literature. The currently used methods are described with special reference to the possibility of applying the HTP concept to make epitope mapping an easier procedure in terms of time, workload, reagents, cells and overall cost.
High-throughput Saccharification assay for lignocellulosic materials.
Gomez, Leonardo D; Whitehead, Caragh; Roberts, Philip; McQueen-Mason, Simon J
Polysaccharides that make up plant lignocellulosic biomass can be broken down to produce a range of sugars that subsequently can be used in establishing a biorefinery. These raw materials would constitute a new industrial platform, which is both sustainable and carbon neutral, to replace the current dependency on fossil fuel. The recalcitrance to deconstruction observed in lignocellulosic materials is produced by several intrinsic properties of plant cell walls. Crystalline cellulose is embedded in matrix polysaccharides such as xylans and arabinoxylans, and the whole structure is encased by the phenolic polymer lignin, that is also difficult to digest (1). In order to improve the digestibility of plant materials we need to discover the main bottlenecks for the saccharification of cell walls and also screen mutant and breeding populations to evaluate the variability in saccharification (2). These tasks require a high throughput approach and here we present an analytical platform that can perform saccharification analysis in a 96-well plate format. This platform has been developed to allow the screening of lignocellulose digestibility of large populations from varied plant species. We have scaled down the reaction volumes for gentle pretreatment, partial enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar determination, to allow large numbers to be assessed rapidly in an automated system. This automated platform works with milligram amounts of biomass, performing ball milling under controlled conditions to reduce the plant materials to a standardised particle size in a reproducible manner. Once the samples are ground, the automated formatting robot dispenses specified and recorded amounts of material into the corresponding wells of 96 deep well plate (Figure 1). Normally, we dispense the same material into 4 wells to have 4 replicates for analysis. Once the plates are filled with the plant material in the desired layout, they are manually moved to a liquid handling station (Figure 2
High Throughput Hall Thruster for Small Spacecraft Project
National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Busek Co. Inc. proposes to develop a high throughput, nominal 100 W Hall Effect Thruster (HET). This HET will be sized for small spacecraft (< 180 kg), including...
High Throughput Hall Thruster for Small Spacecraft Project
National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Busek is developing a high throughput nominal 100-W Hall Effect Thruster. This device is well sized for spacecraft ranging in size from several tens of kilograms to...
FLASH Assembly of TALENs Enables High-Throughput Genome Editing
Reyon, Deepak; Tsai, Shengdar Q.; Khayter, Cyd; Foden, Jennifer A.; Sander, Jeffry D.; Joung, J. Keith
Engineered transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) have shown promise as facile and broadly applicable genome editing tools. However, no publicly available high-throughput method for constructing TALENs has been published and large-scale assessments of the success rate and targeting range of the technology remain lacking. Here we describe the Fast Ligation-based Automatable Solid-phase High-throughput (FLASH) platform, a rapid and cost-effective method we developed to enable ...
High resolution hyperspectral imaging with a high throughput virtual slit
Gooding, Edward A.; Gunn, Thomas; Cenko, Andrew T.; Hajian, Arsen R.
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) device users often require both high spectral resolution, on the order of 1 nm, and high light-gathering power. A wide entrance slit assures reasonable étendue but degrades spectral resolution. Spectrometers built using High Throughput Virtual Slit™ (HTVS) technology optimize both parameters simultaneously. Two remote sensing use cases that require high spectral resolution are discussed. First, detection of atmospheric gases with intrinsically narrow absorption lines, such as hydrocarbon vapors or combustion exhaust gases such as NOx and CO2. Detecting exhaust gas species with high precision has become increasingly important in the light of recent events in the automobile industry. Second, distinguishing reflected daylight from emission spectra in the visible and NIR (VNIR) regions is most easily accomplished using the Fraunhofer absorption lines in solar spectra. While ground reflectance spectral features in the VNIR are generally quite broad, the Fraunhofer lines are narrow and provide a signature of intrinsic vs. extrinsic illumination. The High Throughput Virtual Slit enables higher spectral resolution than is achievable with conventional spectrometers by manipulating the beam profile in pupil space. By reshaping the instrument pupil with reflective optics, HTVS-equipped instruments create a tall, narrow image profile at the exit focal plane, typically delivering 5X or better the spectral resolution achievable with a conventional design.
High-Throughput Fully Automated Construction of a Multiplex Library of Mutagenized Open Reading Frames for an Insecticidal Peptide Using a Plasmid-Based Functional Proteomic Robotic Workcell with Improved Vacuum System
Robotic platforms are essential for the production and screening of large numbers of expression-ready plasmid sets used to develop optimized clones and improved microbial strains. Here we demonstrate a plasmid-based integrated workcell that was used to automate the molecular biology protocols inclu...
The RABiT: high-throughput technology for assessing global DSB repair.
Turner, Helen C; Sharma, P; Perrier, J R; Bertucci, A; Smilenov, L; Johnson, G; Taveras, M; Brenner, D J; Garty, G
At the Center for High-Throughput Minimally Invasive Radiation Biodosimetry, we have developed a rapid automated biodosimetry tool (RABiT); this is a completely automated, ultra-high-throughput robotically based biodosimetry workstation designed for use following a large-scale radiological event, to perform radiation biodosimetry measurements based on a fingerstick blood sample. High throughput is achieved through purpose built robotics, sample handling in filter-bottomed multi-well plates and innovations in high-speed imaging and analysis. Currently, we are adapting the RABiT technologies for use in laboratory settings, for applications in epidemiological and clinical studies. Our overall goal is to extend the RABiT system to directly measure the kinetics of DNA repair proteins. The design of the kinetic/time-dependent studies is based on repeated, automated sampling of lymphocytes from a central reservoir of cells housed in the RABiT incubator as a function of time after the irradiation challenge. In the present study, we have characterized the DNA repair kinetics of the following repair proteins: γ-H2AX, 53-BP1, ATM kinase, MDC1 at multiple times (0.5, 2, 4, 7 and 24 h) after irradiation with 4 Gy γ rays. In order to provide a consistent dose exposure at time zero, we have developed an automated capillary irradiator to introduce DNA DSBs into fingerstick-size blood samples within the RABiT. To demonstrate the scalability of the laboratory-based RABiT system, we have initiated a population study using γ-H2AX as a biomarker. PMID:24477408
Protocol: A high-throughput DNA extraction system suitable for conifers
Rajora Om P
Full Text Available Abstract Background High throughput DNA isolation from plants is a major bottleneck for most studies requiring large sample sizes. A variety of protocols have been developed for DNA isolation from plants. However, many species, including conifers, have high contents of secondary metabolites that interfere with the extraction process or the subsequent analysis steps. Here, we describe a procedure for high-throughput DNA isolation from conifers. Results We have developed a high-throughput DNA extraction protocol for conifers using an automated liquid handler and modifying the Qiagen MagAttract Plant Kit protocol. The modifications involve change to the buffer system and improving the protocol so that it almost doubles the number of samples processed per kit, which significantly reduces the overall costs. We describe two versions of the protocol: one for medium-throughput (MTP and another for high-throughput (HTP DNA isolation. The HTP version works from start to end in the industry-standard 96-well format, while the MTP version provides higher DNA yields per sample processed. We have successfully used the protocol for DNA extraction and genotyping of thousands of individuals of several spruce and a pine species. Conclusion A high-throughput system for DNA extraction from conifer needles and seeds has been developed and validated. The quality of the isolated DNA was comparable with that obtained from two commonly used methods: the silica-spin column and the classic CTAB protocol. Our protocol provides a fully automatable and cost effective solution for processing large numbers of conifer samples.
High resolution energy analysers for the 'High Throughput Inelastic Spectrometer'
Calculations of energy transfer resolution and count rate for different filter materials and various high resolution energy analysers for the 'High Throughput Inelastic Spectrometer', HTIS, on the SNS, are presented. A graphite filter is shown to be complementary to the existing beryllium filter analyser, improving the energy transfer resolution for energy transfers < approximately equal to 50 meV. Narrow energy band pass analysers are shown to be limited in energy transfer resolution by variations in the scattered flight path, rather than by the intrinsic band widths. The Be/MgO difference filter provides improved energy transfer resolution and high count rates over a wide range of energy transfers, and is felt to be the most appropriate high resolution energy analyser for HTIS. (author)
Multiple-injection high-throughput gas chromatography analysis.
Schafer, Wes; Wang, Heather; Welch, Christopher J
Multiple-injection techniques have been shown to be a simple way to perform high-throughput analysis where the entire experiment resides in a single chromatogram, simplifying the data analysis and interpretation. In this study, multiple-injection techniques are applied to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and mass detection to significantly increase sample throughput. The unique issues of implementing a traditional "Fast" injection mode of multiple-injection techniques with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are discussed. Stacked injections are also discussed as means to increase the throughput of longer methods where mass detection is unable to distinguish between analytes of the same mass and longer retentions are required to resolve components of interest. Multiple-injection techniques are shown to increase instrument throughput by up to 70% and to simplify data analysis, allowing hits in multiple parallel experiments to be identified easily. PMID:27292909
A novel high-throughput irradiator for in vitro radiation sensitivity bioassays
Fowler, Tyler L.
Given the emphasis on more personalized radiation therapy there is an ongoing and compelling need to develop high-throughput screening tools to further examine the biological effects of ionizing radiation on cells, tissues and organ systems in either the research or clinical setting. Conventional x-ray irradiators are designed to provide maximum versatility to radiobiology researchers, typically accommodating small animals, tissue or blood samples, and cellular applications. This added versatility often impedes the overall sensitivity and specificity of an experiment resulting in a trade-off between the number of absorbed doses (or dose rates) and biological endpoints that can be investigated in vitro in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, modern irradiator designs are incompatible with current high-throughput bioassay technologies. Furthermore, important dosimetry and calibration characteristics (i.e. dose build-up region, beam attenuation, and beam scatter) of these irradiators are typically unknown to the end user, which can lead to significant deviation between delivered dose and intended dose to cells that adversely impact experimental results. Therefore, the overarching goal of this research is to design and develop a robust and fully automated high-throughput irradiator for in vitro radiation sensitivity investigations. Additionally, in vitro biological validation of this system was performed by assessing intracellular reactive oxygen species production, physical DNA double strand breaks, and activation of cellular DNA repair mechanisms. Finally, the high-throughput irradiator was used to investigate autophagic flux, a cellular adaptive response, as a potential biomarker of radiation sensitivity.
Miniature high-throughput chemosensing of yield, ee, and absolute configuration from crude reaction mixtures.
Bentley, Keith W; Zhang, Peng; Wolf, Christian
High-throughput experimentation (HTE) has emerged as a widely used technology that accelerates discovery and optimization processes with parallel small-scale reaction setups. A high-throughput screening (HTS) method capable of comprehensive analysis of crude asymmetric reaction mixtures (eliminating product derivatization or isolation) would provide transformative impact by matching the pace of HTE. We report how spontaneous in situ construction of stereodynamic metal probes from readily available, inexpensive starting materials can be applied to chiroptical chemosensing of the total amount, enantiomeric excess (ee), and absolute configuration of a wide variety of amines, diamines, amino alcohols, amino acids, carboxylic acids, α-hydroxy acids, and diols. This advance and HTS potential are highlighted with the analysis of 1 mg of crude reaction mixtures of a catalytic asymmetric reaction. This operationally simple assay uses a robust mix-and-measure protocol, is amenable to microscale platforms and automation, and provides critical time efficiency and sustainability advantages over traditional serial methods. PMID:26933684
Substrate independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening.
Tuntland, Micheal L; Fung, L W-M
Inorganic phosphate release, [Pi], is often measured in an enzymatic reaction in a high throughput setting. Based on the published mechanism, we designed a protocol for our screening for inhibitors of SAICAR synthetase (PurC), and we found a gradual increase in [Pi] in positive control samples over the course of the day. Further investigation indicated that hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by PurC, rather than substrate-related phosphate release, was responsible for a partial contribution to the signals in the control samples. Thus substrate-independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening. PMID:27430931
Workflow for High Throughput Screening of Gas Sensing Materials
Ulrich Simon
Full Text Available The workflow of a high throughput screening setup for the rapid identification ofnew and improved sensor materials is presented. The polyol method was applied to preparenanoparticular metal oxides as base materials, which were functionalised by surface doping.Using multi-electrode substrates and high throughput impedance spectroscopy (HT-IS awide range of materials could be screened in a short time. Applying HT-IS in search of newselective gas sensing materials a NO2-tolerant NO sensing material with reducedsensitivities towards other test gases was identified based on iridium doped zinc oxide.Analogous behaviour was observed for iridium doped indium oxide.
Towards a high throughput droplet-based agglutination assay
Kodzius, Rimantas
This work demonstrates the detection method for a high throughput droplet based agglutination assay system. Using simple hydrodynamic forces to mix and aggregate functionalized microbeads we avoid the need to use magnetic assistance or mixing structures. The concentration of our target molecules was estimated by agglutination strength, obtained through optical image analysis. Agglutination in droplets was performed with flow rates of 150 µl/min and occurred in under a minute, with potential to perform high-throughput measurements. The lowest target concentration detected in droplet microfluidics was 0.17 nM, which is three orders of magnitude more sensitive than a conventional card based agglutination assay.
High-throughput high-resolution microscopic slide digitization for pathology
Beckstead, Jeffrey A.; Dawson, Robert; Feineigle, Patricia A.; Gilbertson, John, Jr.; Hauser, Christopher; McVaugh, Timothy; Palmieri, Francesco; Sholehvar, David; Wetzel, Arthur
Pathologist study tissue samples to determine the presence and nature of diseases. Morphology is a critical component to identifying cellular and tissue structures and the functional changes produced by disease. Technical advances in the field of pathology have primarily been in the areas of tissue preparation and the staining process that enhances the pathologist's identification of these structures. Pathologist's primary tool for diagnosis has remained the same for over a century--the optical microscope. Radiology has made tremendous advances with digitization and the ease of exchange and image analysis that comes with digital data and today's computer technology. Pathology is primed to enter the digital era as well. The major hurdles to wide spread acceptance of conversion to digital pathological imaging have been image resolution, scanner throughput, image file size and image display rates. InterScope Technologies, Inc. has developed a high-throughput, high-resolution microscopic slide digitization system that is well suited for pathological examination and diagnosis. This system is fully automated, captures at 0.3 μm per pixel, and can capture a slide in under 3 minutes, and has the potential to capture much faster. This paper will present the technical challenges associated with digital pathological imaging and how InterScope has addressed these challenges in the development of their digital scanner.
High-throughput screening for industrial enzyme production hosts by droplet microfluidics
Sjostrom, Staffan L.; Bai, Yunpeng; Huang, Mingtao;
A high-throughput method for single cell screening by microfluidic droplet sorting is applied to a whole-genome mutated yeast cell library yielding improved production hosts of secreted industrial enzymes. The sorting method is validated by enriching a yeast strain 14 times based on its α......-amylase production, close to the theoretical maximum enrichment. Furthermore, a 105 member yeast cell library is screened yielding a clone with a more than 2-fold increase in α-amylase production. The increase in enzyme production results from an improvement of the cellular functions of the production host......) with the genotype (contained in the cell) inside a droplet enables selection of single cells with improved enzyme production capacity by droplet sorting. The platform has a throughput over 300 times higher than that of the current industry standard, an automated microtiter plate screening system. At the same time...
Development and Operation of High-throughput Accurate-wavelength Lens-based Spectrometer
Bell, Ronald E
A high-throughput spectrometer for the 400-820 nm wavelength range has been developed for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy or general spectroscopy. A large 2160 mm-1 grating is matched with fast f /1.8 200 mm lenses, which provide stigmatic imaging. A precision optical encoder measures the grating angle with an accuracy < 0.075 arc seconds. A high quantum efficiency low-etaloning CCD detector allows operation at longer wavelengths. A patch panel allows input fibers to interface with interchangeable fiber holders that attach to a kinematic mount behind the entrance slit. Computer-controlled hardware allows automated control of wavelength, timing, f-number, automated data collection, and wavelength calibration.
A Novel High-Throughput Approach to Measure Hydroxyl Radicals Induced by Airborne Particulate Matter
Yeongkwon Son; Vladimir Mishin; William Welsh; Shou-En Lu; Laskin, Jeffrey D.; Howard Kipen; Qingyu Meng
Oxidative stress is one of the key mechanisms linking ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure with various adverse health effects. The oxidative potential of PM has been used to characterize the ability of PM induced oxidative stress. Hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the most destructive radical produced by PM. However, there is currently no high-throughput approach which can rapidly measure PM-induced •OH for a large number of samples with an automated system. This study evaluated four existing mo...
Microfluidic droplet-based PCR instrumentation for high-throughput gene expression profiling and biomarker discovery
Christopher J. Hayes
Full Text Available PCR is a common and often indispensable technique used in medical and biological research labs for a variety of applications. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR has become a definitive technique for quantitating differences in gene expression levels between samples. Yet, in spite of this importance, reliable methods to quantitate nucleic acid amounts in a higher throughput remain elusive. In the following paper, a unique design to quantify gene expression levels at the nanoscale in a continuous flow system is presented. Fully automated, high-throughput, low volume amplification of deoxynucleotides (DNA in a droplet based microfluidic system is described. Unlike some conventional qPCR instrumentation that use integrated fluidic circuits or plate arrays, the instrument performs qPCR in a continuous, micro-droplet flowing process with droplet generation, distinctive reagent mixing, thermal cycling and optical detection platforms all combined on one complete instrument. Detailed experimental profiling of reactions of less than 300 nl total volume is achieved using the platform demonstrating the dynamic range to be 4 order logs and consistent instrument sensitivity. Furthermore, reduced pipetting steps by as much as 90% and a unique degree of hands-free automation makes the analytical possibilities for this instrumentation far reaching. In conclusion, a discussion of the first demonstrations of this approach to perform novel, continuous high-throughput biological screens is presented. The results generated from the instrument, when compared with commercial instrumentation, demonstrate the instrument reliability and robustness to carry out further studies of clinical significance with added throughput and economic benefits.
High throughput recombinant protein production of fungal secreted proteins
Vala, Andrea Lages Lino; Roth, Doris; Grell, Morten Nedergaard;
high-throughput protein production system with a special focus on fungal secreted proteins. We use a ligation independent cloning to clone target genes into expression vectors for E. coli and P. pastoris and a small scale test expression to identify constructs producing soluble protein. Expressed...
High-Throughput Screening for Streptomyces Antibiotic Biosynthesis Activators
Li CHEN; Wang, Yemin; Guo, Hang; Xu, Min; Deng, Zixin; Tao, Meifeng
A genomic cosmid library of Streptomyces clavuligerus was constructed and transferred efficiently by conjugation to Streptomyces lividans, and 12 distinct groups of overlapping cosmid clones that activated the silent actinorhodin biosynthesis gene cluster were identified. This generally applicable high-throughput screening procedure greatly facilitates the identification of antibiotic biosynthesis activators.
High Throughput Sequence Analysis for Disease Resistance in Maize
Preliminary results of a computational analysis of high throughput sequencing data from Zea mays and the fungus Aspergillus are reported. The Illumina Genome Analyzer was used to sequence RNA samples from two strains of Z. mays (Va35 and Mp313) collected over a time course as well as several specie...
High throughput defect detection with multiple parallel electron beams
Himbergen, H.M.P. van; Nijkerk, M.D.; Jager, P.W.H. de; Hosman, T.C.; Kruit, P.
A new concept for high throughput defect detection with multiple parallel electron beams is described. As many as 30 000 beams can be placed on a footprint of a in.2, each beam having its own microcolumn and detection system without cross-talk. Based on the International Technology Roadmap for Semic
High-throughput bioinformatics with the Cyrille2 pipeline system.
Fiers, M.W.E.J.; Burgt, van der A.; Datema, E.; Groot, de J.C.W.; Ham, van R.C.H.J.
Background - Modern omics research involves the application of high-throughput technologies that generate vast volumes of data. These data need to be pre-processed, analyzed and integrated with existing knowledge through the use of diverse sets of software tools, models and databases. The analyses a
High-throughput screening, predictive modeling and computational embryology - Abstract
High-throughput screening (HTS) studies are providing a rich source of data that can be applied to chemical profiling to address sensitivity and specificity of molecular targets, biological pathways, cellular and developmental processes. EPA's ToxCast project is testing 960 uniq...
High-throughput screening, predictive modeling and computational embryology
High-throughput screening (HTS) studies are providing a rich source of data that can be applied to profile thousands of chemical compounds for biological activity and potential toxicity. EPA's ToxCast™ project, and the broader Tox21 consortium, in addition to projects worldwide,...
Parallel tools in HEVC for high-throughput processing
Zhou, Minhua; Sze, Vivienne; Budagavi, Madhukar
HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is the next-generation video coding standard being jointly developed by the ITU-T VCEG and ISO/IEC MPEG JCT-VC team. In addition to the high coding efficiency, which is expected to provide 50% more bit-rate reduction when compared to H.264/AVC, HEVC has built-in parallel processing tools to address bitrate, pixel-rate and motion estimation (ME) throughput requirements. This paper describes how CABAC, which is also used in H.264/AVC, has been redesigned for improved throughput, and how parallel merge/skip and tiles, which are new tools introduced for HEVC, enable high-throughput processing. CABAC has data dependencies which make it difficult to parallelize and thus limit its throughput. The prediction error/residual, represented as quantized transform coefficients, accounts for the majority of the CABAC workload. Various improvements have been made to the context selection and scans in transform coefficient coding that enable CABAC in HEVC to potentially achieve higher throughput and increased coding gains relative to H.264/AVC. The merge/skip mode is a coding efficiency enhancement tool in HEVC; the parallel merge/skip breaks dependency between the regular and merge/skip ME, which provides flexibility for high throughput and high efficiency HEVC encoder designs. For ultra high definition (UHD) video, such as 4kx2k and 8kx4k resolutions, low-latency and real-time processing may be beyond the capability of a single core codec. Tiles are an effective tool which enables pixel-rate balancing among the cores to achieve parallel processing with a throughput scalable implementation of multi-core UHD video codec. With the evenly divided tiles, a multi-core video codec can be realized by simply replicating single core codec and adding a tile boundary processing core on top of that. These tools illustrate that accounting for implementation cost when designing video coding algorithms can enable higher processing speed and reduce
MIPHENO: data normalization for high throughput metabolite analysis
Bell Shannon M
Full Text Available Abstract Background High throughput methodologies such as microarrays, mass spectrometry and plate-based small molecule screens are increasingly used to facilitate discoveries from gene function to drug candidate identification. These large-scale experiments are typically carried out over the course of months and years, often without the controls needed to compare directly across the dataset. Few methods are available to facilitate comparisons of high throughput metabolic data generated in batches where explicit in-group controls for normalization are lacking. Results Here we describe MIPHENO (Mutant Identification by Probabilistic High throughput-Enabled Normalization, an approach for post-hoc normalization of quantitative first-pass screening data in the absence of explicit in-group controls. This approach includes a quality control step and facilitates cross-experiment comparisons that decrease the false non-discovery rates, while maintaining the high accuracy needed to limit false positives in first-pass screening. Results from simulation show an improvement in both accuracy and false non-discovery rate over a range of population parameters (p -16 and a modest but significant (p -16 improvement in area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.955 for MIPHENO vs 0.923 for a group-based statistic (z-score. Analysis of the high throughput phenotypic data from the Arabidopsis Chloroplast 2010 Project (http://www.plastid.msu.edu/ showed ~ 4-fold increase in the ability to detect previously described or expected phenotypes over the group based statistic. Conclusions Results demonstrate MIPHENO offers substantial benefit in improving the ability to detect putative mutant phenotypes from post-hoc analysis of large data sets. Additionally, it facilitates data interpretation and permits cross-dataset comparison where group-based controls are missing. MIPHENO is applicable to a wide range of high throughput screenings and the code is
High-throughput microparticle separation using gradient traveling wave dielectrophoresis
This paper describes highly efficient and high-throughput microparticle separation using gradient traveling wave dielectrophoresis (TwDEP) with a multilayered microelectrode design. Although cell separation based on dielectrophoresis is a very useful and versatile method, its throughput is less than that of a commercially available magnetic activated cell sorter (MACS). Further, in TwDEP-based cell sorters, the microdevices must have a large area to achieve high-throughput separation. However, increasing the TwDEP device area, which is critical for achieving throughput, has limitations: the resistance of microelectrodes also increases. In this study, we have successfully developed a novel gradient TwDEP chip with an extremely large area (31 × 25 mm2) using a unique multilayered bus bar design. The proposed bus bar design, which divides four ac input signals into two groups (0° and 270° phases and 90° and 180° phases), makes it possible to maintain low resistance in microelectrodes for TwDEP despite the increase in the device area. In addition, a microelectrode track design with gradually increasing gaps from 10 to 40 µm between the electrodes was introduced; as a result, the TwDEP force and negative DEP force that balance the gravitational force decrease gradually along the microelectrode track. Finally, the microparticles could be trapped at specific locations depending on their physical properties. We demonstrated the feasibility of our suggestion using latex microparticles (3 µm, 6 µm, 10 µm and 20 µm) and showed the potential of high-throughput separation with the TwDEP technique
High throughput modular chambers for rapid evaluation of anesthetic sensitivity
Eckmann David M
Full Text Available Abstract Background Anesthetic sensitivity is determined by the interaction of multiple genes. Hence, a dissection of genetic contributors would be aided by precise and high throughput behavioral screens. Traditionally, anesthetic phenotyping has addressed only induction of anesthesia, evaluated with dose-response curves, while ignoring potentially important data on emergence from anesthesia. Methods We designed and built a controlled environment apparatus to permit rapid phenotyping of twenty-four mice simultaneously. We used the loss of righting reflex to indicate anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. After fitting the data to a sigmoidal dose-response curve with variable slope, we calculated the MACLORR (EC50, the Hill coefficient, and the 95% confidence intervals bracketing these values. Upon termination of the anesthetic, Emergence timeRR was determined and expressed as the mean ± standard error for each inhaled anesthetic. Results In agreement with several previously published reports we find that the MACLORR of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in 8–12 week old C57BL/6J mice is 0.79% (95% confidence interval = 0.78 – 0.79%, 0.91% (95% confidence interval = 0.90 – 0.93%, and 1.96% (95% confidence interval = 1.94 – 1.97%, respectively. Hill coefficients for halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane are 24.7 (95% confidence interval = 19.8 – 29.7%, 19.2 (95% confidence interval = 14.0 – 24.3%, and 33.1 (95% confidence interval = 27.3 – 38.8%, respectively. After roughly 2.5 MACLORR • hr exposures, mice take 16.00 ± 1.07, 6.19 ± 0.32, and 2.15 ± 0.12 minutes to emerge from halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane, respectively. Conclusion This system enabled assessment of inhaled anesthetic responsiveness with a higher precision than that previously reported. It is broadly adaptable for delivering an inhaled therapeutic (or toxin to a population while monitoring its vital signs, motor reflexes, and providing precise control
High throughput modular chambers for rapid evaluation of anesthetic sensitivity
Sun, Yi; Chen, Jingqiu; Pruckmayr, Gregory; Baumgardner, James E; Eckmann, David M; Eckenhoff, Roderic G; Kelz, Max B
Background Anesthetic sensitivity is determined by the interaction of multiple genes. Hence, a dissection of genetic contributors would be aided by precise and high throughput behavioral screens. Traditionally, anesthetic phenotyping has addressed only induction of anesthesia, evaluated with dose-response curves, while ignoring potentially important data on emergence from anesthesia. Methods We designed and built a controlled environment apparatus to permit rapid phenotyping of twenty-four mice simultaneously. We used the loss of righting reflex to indicate anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. After fitting the data to a sigmoidal dose-response curve with variable slope, we calculated the MACLORR (EC50), the Hill coefficient, and the 95% confidence intervals bracketing these values. Upon termination of the anesthetic, Emergence timeRR was determined and expressed as the mean ± standard error for each inhaled anesthetic. Results In agreement with several previously published reports we find that the MACLORR of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in 8–12 week old C57BL/6J mice is 0.79% (95% confidence interval = 0.78 – 0.79%), 0.91% (95% confidence interval = 0.90 – 0.93%), and 1.96% (95% confidence interval = 1.94 – 1.97%), respectively. Hill coefficients for halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane are 24.7 (95% confidence interval = 19.8 – 29.7%), 19.2 (95% confidence interval = 14.0 – 24.3%), and 33.1 (95% confidence interval = 27.3 – 38.8%), respectively. After roughly 2.5 MACLORR • hr exposures, mice take 16.00 ± 1.07, 6.19 ± 0.32, and 2.15 ± 0.12 minutes to emerge from halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane, respectively. Conclusion This system enabled assessment of inhaled anesthetic responsiveness with a higher precision than that previously reported. It is broadly adaptable for delivering an inhaled therapeutic (or toxin) to a population while monitoring its vital signs, motor reflexes, and providing precise control over environmental
A high-throughput method for assessing chemical toxicity using a Caenorhabditis elegans reproduction assay
The National Research Council has outlined the need for non-mammalian toxicological models to test the potential health effects of a large number of chemicals while also reducing the use of traditional animal models. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an attractive alternative model because of its well-characterized and evolutionarily conserved biology, low cost, and ability to be used in high-throughput screening. A high-throughput method is described for quantifying the reproductive capacity of C. elegans exposed to chemicals for 48 h from the last larval stage (L4) to adulthood using a COPAS Biosort. Initially, the effects of exposure conditions that could influence reproduction were defined. Concentrations of DMSO vehicle ≤ 1% did not affect reproduction. Previous studies indicated that C. elegans may be influenced by exposure to low pH conditions. At pHs greater than 4.5, C. elegans reproduction was not affected; however below this pH there was a significant decrease in the number of offspring. Cadmium chloride was chosen as a model toxicant to verify that automated measurements were comparable to those of traditional observational studies. EC50 values for cadmium for automated measurements (176-192 μM) were comparable to those previously reported for a 72-h exposure using manual counting (151 μM). The toxicity of seven test toxicants on C. elegans reproduction was highly correlative with rodent lethality suggesting that this assay may be useful in predicting the potential toxicity of chemicals in other organisms.
A high throughput droplet based electroporation system
Yoo, Byeongsun; Ahn, Myungmo; Im, Dojin; Kang, Inseok
Delivery of exogenous genetic materials across the cell membrane is a powerful and popular research tool for bioengineering. Among conventional non-viral DNA delivery methods, electroporation (EP) is one of the most widely used technologies and is a standard lab procedure in molecular biology. We developed a novel digital microfluidic electroporation system which has higher efficiency of transgene expression and better cell viability than that of conventional EP techniques. We present the successful performance of digital EP system for transformation of various cell lines by investigating effects of the EP conditions such as electric pulse voltage, number, and duration on the cell viability and transfection efficiency in comparison with a conventional bulk EP system. Through the numerical analysis, we have also calculated the electric field distribution around the cells precisely to verify the effect of the electric field on the high efficiency of the digital EP system. Furthermore, the parallelization of the EP processes has been developed to increase the transformation productivity. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (Grant Number: 2013R1A1A2011956).
Higher throughput high resolution multi-worm tracker
Javer, Avelino; Li, Kezhi; Gyenes, Bertalan; Brown, Andre; Behavioural Genomics Team
We have developed a high throughput imaging system for tracking multiple nematode worms at high resolution. The tracker consists of 6 cameras mounted on a motorized gantry so that up to 48 plates (each with approximately 30 worms) can be imaged without user intervention. To deal with the high data rate of the cameras we use real time processing to find worms and only save the immediately surrounding pixels. The system is also equipped with automatic oxygen and carbon dioxide control for observing stimulus response behaviour. We will describe the design and performance of the new system, some of the challenges of truly high throughput behaviour recording, and report preliminary results on inter-individual variation in behaviour as well as a quantitative analysis of C. elegans response to hypoxia, oxygen reperfusion, and carbon dioxide. Funding provided by the Medical Research Council.
High-throughput theoretical design of lithium battery materials
Shi-Gang, Ling; Jian, Gao; Rui-Juan, Xiao; Li-Quan, Chen
The rapid evolution of high-throughput theoretical design schemes to discover new lithium battery materials is reviewed, including high-capacity cathodes, low-strain cathodes, anodes, solid state electrolytes, and electrolyte additives. With the development of efficient theoretical methods and inexpensive computers, high-throughput theoretical calculations have played an increasingly important role in the discovery of new materials. With the help of automatic simulation flow, many types of materials can be screened, optimized and designed from a structural database according to specific search criteria. In advanced cell technology, new materials for next generation lithium batteries are of great significance to achieve performance, and some representative criteria are: higher energy density, better safety, and faster charge/discharge speed. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11234013 and 51172274) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2015AA034201).
High throughput electrophysiology: new perspectives for ion channel drug discovery
Willumsen, Niels J; Bech, Morten; Olesen, Søren-Peter;
Proper function of ion channels is crucial for all living cells. Ion channel dysfunction may lead to a number of diseases, so-called channelopathies, and a number of common diseases, including epilepsy, arrhythmia, and type II diabetes, are primarily treated by drugs that modulate ion channels. A...... introduction of new powerful HTS electrophysiological techniques is predicted to cause a revolution in ion channel drug discovery....... cornerstone in current drug discovery is high throughput screening assays which allow examination of the activity of specific ion channels though only to a limited extent. Conventional patch clamp remains the sole technique with sufficiently high time resolution and sensitivity required for precise and direct...... characterization of ion channel properties. However, patch clamp is a slow, labor-intensive, and thus expensive, technique. New techniques combining the reliability and high information content of patch clamping with the virtues of high throughput philosophy are emerging and predicted to make a number of ion...
A Novel High-Throughput Approach to Measure Hydroxyl Radicals Induced by Airborne Particulate Matter
Yeongkwon Son
Full Text Available Oxidative stress is one of the key mechanisms linking ambient particulate matter (PM exposure with various adverse health effects. The oxidative potential of PM has been used to characterize the ability of PM induced oxidative stress. Hydroxyl radical (•OH is the most destructive radical produced by PM. However, there is currently no high-throughput approach which can rapidly measure PM-induced •OH for a large number of samples with an automated system. This study evaluated four existing molecular probes (disodium terephthalate, 3′-p-(aminophenylfluorescein, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, and sodium benzoate for their applicability to measure •OH induced by PM in a high-throughput cell-free system using fluorescence techniques, based on both our experiments and on an assessment of the physicochemical properties of the probes reported in the literature. Disodium terephthalate (TPT was the most applicable molecular probe to measure •OH induced by PM, due to its high solubility, high stability of the corresponding fluorescent product (i.e., 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid, high yield compared with the other molecular probes, and stable fluorescence intensity in a wide range of pH environments. TPT was applied in a high-throughput format to measure PM (NIST 1648a-induced •OH, in phosphate buffered saline. The formed fluorescent product was measured at designated time points up to 2 h. The fluorescent product of TPT had a detection limit of 17.59 nM. The soluble fraction of PM contributed approximately 76.9% of the •OH induced by total PM, and the soluble metal ions of PM contributed 57.4% of the overall •OH formation. This study provides a promising cost-effective high-throughput method to measure •OH induced by PM on a routine basis.
Enzyme free cloning for high throughput gene cloning and expression
de Jong, R. N.; Daniëls, M.; Kaptein, R; Folkers, G.E.
Structural and functional genomics initiatives significantly improved cloning methods over the past few years. Although recombinational cloning is highly efficient, its costs urged us to search for an alternative high throughput (HTP) cloning method. We implemented a modified Enzyme Free Cloning (EFC) procedure, a PCR-only method that eliminates all variables other than PCR efficiency by circumventing enzymatic treatments. We compared the cloning efficiency of EFC with that of Ligation Indepe...
SSFinder: High Throughput CRISPR-Cas Target Sites Prediction Tool
Santosh Kumar Upadhyay; Shailesh Sharma
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system facilitates targeted genome editing in organisms. Despite high demand of this system, finding a reliable tool for the determination of specific target sites in large genomic data remained challenging. Here, we report SSFinder, a python script to perform high throughput detection of specific target sites in large nucleotide datasets. The SSFinder is a user-friendly tool, compatible wit...
High throughput direct end sequencing of BAC clones.
Kelley, J M; Field, C E; Craven, M B; Bocskai, D; Kim, U J; Rounsley, S D; Adams, M D
Libraries constructed in bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vectors have become the choice for clone sets in high throughput genomic sequencing projects primarily because of their high stability. BAC libraries have been proposed as a source for minimally over-lapping clones for sequencing large genomic regions, and the use of BAC end sequences (i.e. sequences adjoining the insert sites) has been proposed as a primary means for selecting minimally overlapping clones for sequencing large gen...
A Multidisciplinary Approach to High Throughput Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Pourmodheji, Hossein; Ghafar-Zadeh, Ebrahim; Magierowski, Sebastian
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a non-contact, powerful structure-elucidation technique for biochemical analysis. NMR spectroscopy is used extensively in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. However, existing NMR technology is limited in that it cannot run a large number of experiments simultaneously in one unit. Recent advances in micro-fabrication technologies have attracted the attention of researchers to overcome these limitations and significantly accelerate the drug discovery process by developing the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). In this paper, we examine this paradigm shift and explore new design strategies for the development of the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using CMOS technology. A CMOS NMR system consists of an array of high sensitivity micro-coils integrated with interfacing radio-frequency circuits on the same chip. Herein, we first discuss the key challenges and recent advances in the field of CMOS NMR technology, and then a new design strategy is put forward for the design and implementation of highly sensitive and high-throughput CMOS NMR spectrometers. We thereafter discuss the functionality and applicability of the proposed techniques by demonstrating the results. For microelectronic researchers starting to work in the field of CMOS NMR technology, this paper serves as a tutorial with comprehensive review of state-of-the-art technologies and their performance levels. Based on these levels, the CMOS NMR approach offers unique advantages for high resolution, time-sensitive and high-throughput bimolecular analysis required in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. PMID:27294925
High-throughput sequence alignment using Graphics Processing Units
Trapnell Cole
Full Text Available Abstract Background The recent availability of new, less expensive high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies has yielded a dramatic increase in the volume of sequence data that must be analyzed. These data are being generated for several purposes, including genotyping, genome resequencing, metagenomics, and de novo genome assembly projects. Sequence alignment programs such as MUMmer have proven essential for analysis of these data, but researchers will need ever faster, high-throughput alignment tools running on inexpensive hardware to keep up with new sequence technologies. Results This paper describes MUMmerGPU, an open-source high-throughput parallel pairwise local sequence alignment program that runs on commodity Graphics Processing Units (GPUs in common workstations. MUMmerGPU uses the new Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA from nVidia to align multiple query sequences against a single reference sequence stored as a suffix tree. By processing the queries in parallel on the highly parallel graphics card, MUMmerGPU achieves more than a 10-fold speedup over a serial CPU version of the sequence alignment kernel, and outperforms the exact alignment component of MUMmer on a high end CPU by 3.5-fold in total application time when aligning reads from recent sequencing projects using Solexa/Illumina, 454, and Sanger sequencing technologies. Conclusion MUMmerGPU is a low cost, ultra-fast sequence alignment program designed to handle the increasing volume of data produced by new, high-throughput sequencing technologies. MUMmerGPU demonstrates that even memory-intensive applications can run significantly faster on the relatively low-cost GPU than on the CPU.
A semi-automated multiplex high-throughput assay for measuring IgG antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) domains in small volumes of plasma
Cham, Gerald K K; Kurtis, Jonathan; Lusingu, John;
proteins were covalently coupled onto beads each having its own unique detection signal and the human hyper-immune plasma reactivity was detected for each individual protein using a BioPlex100 system. Protein-coupled beads were analysed at two time points seven months apart, before and after lyophilization...... and the results compared to determine the effect of storage and lyophilization respectively on the beads. Multiplexed protein-coupled beads from twenty eight unique bead populations were evaluated on the BioPlex100 system against pooled human hyper-immune plasma before and after lyophilization. RESULTS: The bead...... analyses were highly correlated. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (Rho) were > or = 0.86, (P lyophilization had no impact on the assay...
Solid-Phase Extraction Strategies to Surmount Body Fluid Sample Complexity in High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics
Marco R. Bladergroen; van der Burgt, Yuri E. M.
For large-scale and standardized applications in mass spectrometry- (MS-) based proteomics automation of each step is essential. Here we present high-throughput sample preparation solutions for balancing the speed of current MS-acquisitions and the time needed for analytical workup of body fluids. The discussed workflows reduce body fluid sample complexity and apply for both bottom-up proteomics experiments and top-down protein characterization approaches. Various sample preparation methods t...
Human transcriptome array for high-throughput clinical studies
Xu, Weihong; Seok, Junhee; Mindrinos, Michael N.; Schweitzer, Anthony C.; Jiang, Hui; Wilhelmy, Julie; Clark, Tyson A.; Kapur, Karen; Xing, Yi; Faham, Malek; Storey, John D.; Moldawer, Lyle L.; Maier, Ronald V.; Tompkins, Ronald G.; Wong, Wing Hung; Davis, Ronald W.; Xiao, Wenzhong; Toner, Mehmet; Warren, H. Shaw; Schoenfeld, David A.; Rahme, Laurence; McDonald-Smith, Grace P.; Hayden, Douglas; Mason, Philip; Fagan, Shawn; Yu, Yong-Ming; Cobb, J. Perren; Remick, Daniel G.; Mannick, John A.; Lederer, James A.; Gamelli, Richard L.; Silver, Geoffrey M.; West, Michael A.; Shapiro, Michael B.; Smith, Richard; Camp, David G.; Qian, Weijun; Tibshirani, Rob; Lowry, Stephen; Calvano, Steven; Chaudry, Irshad; Cohen, Mitchell; Moore, Ernest E.; Johnson, Jeffrey; Baker, Henry V.; Efron, Philip A.; Balis, Ulysses G. J.; Billiar, Timothy R.; Ochoa, Juan B.; Sperry, Jason L.; Miller-Graziano, Carol L.; De, Asit K.; Bankey, Paul E.; Herndon, David N.; Finnerty, Celeste C.; Jeschke, Marc G.; Minei, Joseph P.; Arnoldo, Brett D.; Hunt, John L.; Horton, Jureta; Cobb, J. Perren; Brownstein, Bernard; Freeman, Bradley; Nathens, Avery B.; Cuschieri, Joseph; Gibran, Nicole; Klein, Matthew; O'Keefe, Grant
A 6.9 million-feature oligonucleotide array of the human transcriptome [Glue Grant human transcriptome (GG-H array)] has been developed for high-throughput and cost-effective analyses in clinical studies. This array allows comprehensive examination of gene expression and genome-wide identification of alternative splicing as well as detection of coding SNPs and noncoding transcripts. The performance of the array was examined and compared with mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) results over multiple independent replicates of liver and muscle samples. Compared with RNA-Seq of 46 million uniquely mappable reads per replicate, the GG-H array is highly reproducible in estimating gene and exon abundance. Although both platforms detect similar expression changes at the gene level, the GG-H array is more sensitive at the exon level. Deeper sequencing is required to adequately cover low-abundance transcripts. The array has been implemented in a multicenter clinical program and has generated high-quality, reproducible data. Considering the clinical trial requirements of cost, sample availability, and throughput, the GG-H array has a wide range of applications. An emerging approach for large-scale clinical genomic studies is to first use RNA-Seq to the sufficient depth for the discovery of transcriptome elements relevant to the disease process followed by high-throughput and reliable screening of these elements on thousands of patient samples using custom-designed arrays. PMID:21317363
High-Throughput Analysis of RNA Structure and Ribonucleoprotein Assembly
McGinnis, Jennifer L.; Duncan, Caia D. S.; Weeks, Kevin M.
RNA folds to form complex structures vital to many cellular functions. Proteins facilitate RNA folding at both the secondary and tertiary structure levels. An absolute prerequisite for understanding RNA folding and ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly reactions is a complete understanding of the RNA structure at each stage of the folding or assembly process. Here we provide a guide for comprehensive and high-throughput analysis of RNA secondary and tertiary structure using SHAPE and hydroxyl radical footprinting. As an example of the strong and sometimes surprising conclusions that can emerge from high-throughput analysis of RNA folding and RNP assembly, we summarize the structure of the bI3 group I intron RNA in four distinct states. Dramatic structural rearrangements occur in both secondary and tertiary structure as the RNA folds from the free state to the active, six-component, RNP complex. As high-throughput and high-resolution approaches are applied broadly to large protein-RNA complexes, other proteins previously viewed as making simple contributions to RNA folding are also likely to be found to exert multifaceted, long-range, cooperative, and non-additive effects on RNA folding. These protein-induced contributions add another level of control, and potential regulatory function, in RNP complexes. PMID:20946765
High-Throughput Optical Sensing Immunoassays on Smartphone.
Wang, Li-Ju; Sun, Rongrong; Vasile, Tina; Chang, Yu-Chung; Li, Lei
We present an optical sensing platform on a smartphone for high-throughput screening immunoassays. For the first time, a designed microprism array is utilized to achieve a one-time screening of 64 samples. To demonstrate the capability and the reliability of this optical sensing platform on smartphone, human interleukin 6 (IL-6) protein and six types of plant viruses are immunoassayed. The ability of quantification is shown by a sigmoidal dose-response curve fitting to analyze IL-6 protein. The accuracy in measuring the concentrations of IL-6 protein achieves 99.1%. On the other hand, to validate on-field immunoassays by our device, a total of 1030 samples are assayed using three immunoassay methods to detect six types of plant viruses. The accuracy is up to 96.2-99.9%; in addition, there is a high degree of agreement with lab instruments. The total cost for this high-throughput optical screening platform is ∼$50 USD. The reading time is only 2 s for 64 samples. The size is just as big as a portable hard drive. Our optical sensing platform on the smartphone offers a route toward in situ high-throughput screening immunoassays for viruses, pathogens, biomarkers, and toxins by decentralizing laboratory tests. With this mobile point-of-care optical platform, the spread of disease can be timely stopped within a very short turnaround time. PMID:27434250
A CRISPR CASe for High-Throughput Silencing
Jacob eHeintze
Full Text Available Manipulation of gene expression on a genome-wide level is one of the most important systematic tools in the post-genome era. Such manipulations have largely been enabled by expression cloning approaches using sequence-verified cDNA libraries, large-scale RNA interference libraries (shRNA or siRNA and zinc finger nuclease technologies. More recently, the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated (Cas9-mediated gene editing technology has been described that holds great promise for future use of this technology in genomic manipulation. It was suggested that the CRISPR system has the potential to be used in high-throughput, large-scale loss of function screening. Here we discuss some of the challenges in engineering of CRISPR/Cas genomic libraries and some of the aspects that need to be addressed in order to use this technology on a high-throughput scale.
High-Throughput Transaction Executions on Graphics Processors
He, Bingsheng
OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing) is an important business system sector in various traditional and emerging online services. Due to the increasing number of users, OLTP systems require high throughput for executing tens of thousands of transactions in a short time period. Encouraged by the recent success of GPGPU (General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processors), we propose GPUTx, an OLTP engine performing high-throughput transaction executions on the GPU for in-memory databases. Compared with existing GPGPU studies usually optimizing a single task, transaction executions require handling many small tasks concurrently. Specifically, we propose the bulk execution model to group multiple transactions into a bulk and to execute the bulk on the GPU as a single task. The transactions within the bulk are executed concurrently on the GPU. We study three basic execution strategies (one with locks and the other two lock-free), and optimize them with the GPU features including the hardware support of atomic ope...
A High-Throughput SU-8Microfluidic Magnetic Bead Separator
Bu, Minqiang; Christensen, T. B.; Smistrup, Kristian;
We present a novel microfluidic magnetic bead separator based on SU-8 fabrication technique for high through-put applications. The experimental results show that magnetic beads can be captured at an efficiency of 91 % and 54 % at flow rates of 1 mL/min and 4 mL/min, respectively. Integration of s...... soft magnetic elements in the chip leads to a slightly higher capturing efficiency and a more uniform distribution of captured beads over the separation chamber than the system without soft magnetic elements.......We present a novel microfluidic magnetic bead separator based on SU-8 fabrication technique for high through-put applications. The experimental results show that magnetic beads can be captured at an efficiency of 91 % and 54 % at flow rates of 1 mL/min and 4 mL/min, respectively. Integration of...
High-throughput screening for modulators of cellular contractile force
Park, Chan Young; Tambe, Dhananjay; Chen, Bohao; Lavoie, Tera; Dowell, Maria; Simeonov, Anton; Maloney, David J; Marinkovic, Aleksandar; Tschumperlin, Daniel J; Burger, Stephanie; Frykenberg, Matthew; Butler, James P; Stamer, W Daniel; Johnson, Mark; Solway, Julian; Fredberg, Jeffrey J; Krishnan, Ramaswamy
When cellular contractile forces are central to pathophysiology, these forces comprise a logical target of therapy. Nevertheless, existing high-throughput screens are limited to upstream signaling intermediates with poorly defined relationship to such a physiological endpoint. Using cellular force as the target, here we screened libraries to identify novel drug candidates in the case of human airway smooth muscle cells in the context of asthma, and also in the case of Schlemm's canal endothelial cells in the context of glaucoma. This approach identified several drug candidates for both asthma and glaucoma. We attained rates of 1000 compounds per screening day, thus establishing a force-based cellular platform for high-throughput drug discovery.
Human transcriptome array for high-throughput clinical studies
Xu, Weihong; Seok, Junhee; Mindrinos, Michael N.; Schweitzer, Anthony C.; Jiang, Hui; WILHELMY, JULIE; Clark, Tyson A.; Kapur, Karen; Xing, Yi; Faham, Malek; Storey, John D.; Moldawer, Lyle L; Ronald V Maier; Tompkins, Ronald G.; Wong, Wing Hung
A 6.9 million-feature oligonucleotide array of the human transcriptome [Glue Grant human transcriptome (GG-H array)] has been developed for high-throughput and cost-effective analyses in clinical studies. This array allows comprehensive examination of gene expression and genome-wide identification of alternative splicing as well as detection of coding SNPs and noncoding transcripts. The performance of the array was examined and compared with mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) results over multiple ind...
SNP-PHAGE – High throughput SNP discovery pipeline
Cregan Perry B; Choi Ik-Young; Hyten David L; Grefenstette John J; Matukumalli Lakshmi K; Van Tassell Curtis P
Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as defined here are single base sequence changes or short insertion/deletions between or within individuals of a given species. As a result of their abundance and the availability of high throughput analysis technologies SNP markers have begun to replace other traditional markers such as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs or microsatellit...
High throughput modular chambers for rapid evaluation of anesthetic sensitivity
Eckmann David M; Baumgardner James E; Pruckmayr Gregory; Chen Jingqiu; Sun Yi; Eckenhoff Roderic G; Kelz Max B
Abstract Background Anesthetic sensitivity is determined by the interaction of multiple genes. Hence, a dissection of genetic contributors would be aided by precise and high throughput behavioral screens. Traditionally, anesthetic phenotyping has addressed only induction of anesthesia, evaluated with dose-response curves, while ignoring potentially important data on emergence from anesthesia. Methods We designed and built a controlled environment apparatus to permit rapid phenotyping of twent...
Noise and nonlinearities in high-throughput data
Nguyen, Viet-Anh; Koukolikova-Nicola, Zdena; Bagnoli, Franco; Lio, Pietro
High-throughput data analyses are becoming common in biology, communications, economics and sociology. The vast amounts of data are usually represented in the form of matrices and can be considered as knowledge networks. Spectra-based approaches have proved useful in extracting hidden information within such networks and for estimating missing data, but these methods are based essentially on linear assumptions. The physical models of matching, when applicable, often suggest non-linear mechani...
High throughput Single-cell Cultivation on Microfluidic Streak Plates
Jiang, Cheng-Ying; Dong, Libing; Zhao, Jian-Kang; Hu, Xiaofang; Shen, Chaohua; Qiao, Yuxin; Zhang, Xinyue; Wang, Yapei; Ismagilov, Rustem F.; Liu, Shuang-Jiang; Du, Wenbin
This paper describes the microfluidic streak plate (MSP), a facile method for high-throughput microbial cell separation and cultivation in nanoliter sessile droplets. The MSP method builds upon the conventional streak plate technique by using microfluidic devices to generate nanoliter droplets that can be streaked manually or robotically onto petri dishes prefilled with carrier oil for cultivation of single cells. In addition, chemical gradients could be encoded in the droplet array for compr...
Learning robust cell signalling models from high throughput proteomic data
Koch, Mitchell; Broom, Bradley M.; Subramanian, Devika
We propose a framework for learning robust Bayesian network models of cell signalling from high-throughput proteomic data. We show that model averaging using Bayesian bootstrap resampling generates more robust structures than procedures that learn structures using all of the data. We also develop an algorithm for ranking the importance of network features using bootstrap resample data. We apply our algorithms to derive the T-cell signalling network from the flow cytometry data of Sachs et al....
Mass spectrometry for high-throughput metabolomics analysis of urine
Abdelrazig, Salah M.A.
Direct electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (direct ESI-MS), by omitting the chromatographic step, has great potential for application as a high-throughput approach for untargeted urine metabolomics analysis compared to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The rapid development and technical innovations revealed in the field of ambient ionisation MS such as nanoelectrospray ionisation (nanoESI) chip-based infusion and liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry (LESA...
High-throughput screening for modulators of cellular contractile force
Park, Chan Young; Zhou, Enhua H; Tambe, Dhananjay; Chen, Bohao; Lavoie, Tera; Dowell, Maria; Simeonov, Anton; Maloney, David J.; Marinkovic, Aleksandar; Tschumperlin, Daniel J.; Burger, Stephanie; Frykenberg, Matthew; Butler, James P.; Stamer, W. Daniel; Johnson, Mark
When cellular contractile forces are central to pathophysiology, these forces comprise a logical target of therapy. Nevertheless, existing high-throughput screens are limited to upstream signaling intermediates with poorly defined relationship to such a physiological endpoint. Using cellular force as the target, here we screened libraries to identify novel drug candidates in the case of human airway smooth muscle cells in the context of asthma, and also in the case of Schlemm's canal endothel...
High-Throughput FPGA Implementation of QR Decomposition
Muñoz, Sergio D.; Hormigo, Javier
This brief presents a hardware design to achieve high-throughput QR decomposition, using Givens Rotation Method. It utilizes a new two-dimensional systolic array architecture with pipelined processing elements, which are based on the COordinate Rotation DIgital Computer (CORDIC) algorithm. CORDIC computes vector rotations through shifts and additions. This approach allows a continuous computation of QR factorizations with simple hardware. A fixed-point FPGA architecture for 4 x 4 mat...
High-Throughput Screening of Bacterial Protein Localization
Werner, John N.; Gitai, Zemer
The ever-increasing number of sequenced genomes and subsequent sequence-based analysis has provided tremendous insight into cellular processes; however, the ability to experimentally manipulate this genomic information in the laboratory requires the development of new high-throughput methods. To translate this genomic information into information on protein function, molecular and cell biological techniques are required. One strategy to gain insight into protein function is to observe where e...
High-throughput discovery of broad-spectrum peptide antibiotics
Rathinakumar, Ramesh; Wimley, William C.
Membrane-permeabilizing peptide antibiotics are an underutilized weapon in the battle against drug-resistant microorganisms. This is true, in part, because of the bottleneck caused by the lack of explicit design principles and the paucity of simple high-throughput methods for selection. In this work, we characterize the requirements for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity by membrane permeabilization and find that different microbial membranes have very different susceptibilities to permeab...
High throughput biotechnology in traditional fermented food industry.
Yang, Yong; Xu, Rong-man; Song, Jia; Wang, Wei-min
Traditional fermented food is not only the staple food for most of developing countries but also the key healthy food for developed countries. As the healthy function of these foods are gradually discovered, more and more high throughput biotechnologies are being used to promote the old and new industry. As a result, the microflora, manufacturing processes and product healthy function of these foods were pushed forward either in the respect of profundity or extensiveness nowadays. The application and progress of the high throughput biotechnologies into traditional fermented food industries were different from each other, which was reviewed and detailed by the catalogues of fermented milk products (yogurt, cheese), fermented sausages, fermented vegetables (kimchi, sauerkraut), fermented cereals (sourdough) and fermented beans (tempeh, natto). Given the further promotion by high throughput biotechnologies, the middle and/or down-stream process of traditional fermented foods would be optimized and the process of industrialization of local traditional fermented food having many functional factors but in small quantity would be accelerated. The article presents some promising patents on traditional fermented food industry. PMID:20863273
High-throughput bioinformatics with the Cyrille2 pipeline system
de Groot Joost CW
Full Text Available Abstract Background Modern omics research involves the application of high-throughput technologies that generate vast volumes of data. These data need to be pre-processed, analyzed and integrated with existing knowledge through the use of diverse sets of software tools, models and databases. The analyses are often interdependent and chained together to form complex workflows or pipelines. Given the volume of the data used and the multitude of computational resources available, specialized pipeline software is required to make high-throughput analysis of large-scale omics datasets feasible. Results We have developed a generic pipeline system called Cyrille2. The system is modular in design and consists of three functionally distinct parts: 1 a web based, graphical user interface (GUI that enables a pipeline operator to manage the system; 2 the Scheduler, which forms the functional core of the system and which tracks what data enters the system and determines what jobs must be scheduled for execution, and; 3 the Executor, which searches for scheduled jobs and executes these on a compute cluster. Conclusion The Cyrille2 system is an extensible, modular system, implementing the stated requirements. Cyrille2 enables easy creation and execution of high throughput, flexible bioinformatics pipelines.
WormScan: a technique for high-throughput phenotypic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans.
Mark D Mathew
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There are four main phenotypes that are assessed in whole organism studies of Caenorhabditis elegans; mortality, movement, fecundity and size. Procedures have been developed that focus on the digital analysis of some, but not all of these phenotypes and may be limited by expense and limited throughput. We have developed WormScan, an automated image acquisition system that allows quantitative analysis of each of these four phenotypes on standard NGM plates seeded with E. coli. This system is very easy to implement and has the capacity to be used in high-throughput analysis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our system employs a readily available consumer grade flatbed scanner. The method uses light stimulus from the scanner rather than physical stimulus to induce movement. With two sequential scans it is possible to quantify the induced phototactic response. To demonstrate the utility of the method, we measured the phenotypic response of C. elegans to phosphine gas exposure. We found that stimulation of movement by the light of the scanner was equivalent to physical stimulation for the determination of mortality. WormScan also provided a quantitative assessment of health for the survivors. Habituation from light stimulation of continuous scans was similar to habituation caused by physical stimulus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: There are existing systems for the automated phenotypic data collection of C. elegans. The specific advantages of our method over existing systems are high-throughput assessment of a greater range of phenotypic endpoints including determination of mortality and quantification of the mobility of survivors. Our system is also inexpensive and very easy to implement. Even though we have focused on demonstrating the usefulness of WormScan in toxicology, it can be used in a wide range of additional C. elegans studies including lifespan determination, development, pathology and behavior. Moreover, we have even adapted the
Dimensioning storage and computing clusters for efficient High Throughput Computing
CERN. Geneva
Scientific experiments are producing huge amounts of data, and they continue increasing the size of their datasets and the total volume of data. These data are then processed by researchers belonging to large scientific collaborations, with the Large Hadron Collider being a good example. The focal point of Scientific Data Centres has shifted from coping efficiently with PetaByte scale storage to deliver quality data processing throughput. The dimensioning of the internal components in High Throughput Computing (HTC) data centers is of crucial importance to cope with all the activities demanded by the experiments, both the online (data acceptance) and the offline (data processing, simulation and user analysis). This requires a precise setup involving disk and tape storage services, a computing cluster and the internal networking to prevent bottlenecks, overloads and undesired slowness that lead to losses cpu cycles and batch jobs failures. In this paper we point out relevant features for running a successful s...
High Throughput WAN Data Transfer with Hadoop-based Storage
Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS) is becoming more popular in recent years as a key building block of integrated grid storage solution in the field of scientific computing. Wide Area Network (WAN) data transfer is one of the important data operations for large high energy physics experiments to manage, share and process datasets of PetaBytes scale in a highly distributed grid computing environment. In this paper, we present the experience of high throughput WAN data transfer with HDFS-based Storage Element. Two protocols, GridFTP and fast data transfer (FDT), are used to characterize the network performance of WAN data transfer.
GROMACS 4.5: A high-throughput and highly parallel open source molecular simulation toolkit
Pronk S; Pall S.; Schulz R; Larsson P; Bjelkmar P.; Apostolov R.; Shirts M.R.; Smith J.C.; Kasson P.M.; Van Der Spoel D.
Motivation: Molecular simulation has historically been a low-throughput technique, but faster computers and increasing amounts of genomic and structural data are changing this by enabling large-scale automated simulation of, for instance, many conformers or mutants of biomolecules with or without a range of ligands. At the same time, advances in performance and scaling now make it possible to model complex biomolecular interaction and function in a manner directly testable by experiment. Thes...
Controlling high-throughput manufacturing at the nano-scale
Cooper, Khershed P.
Interest in nano-scale manufacturing research and development is growing. The reason is to accelerate the translation of discoveries and inventions of nanoscience and nanotechnology into products that would benefit industry, economy and society. Ongoing research in nanomanufacturing is focused primarily on developing novel nanofabrication techniques for a variety of applications—materials, energy, electronics, photonics, biomedical, etc. Our goal is to foster the development of high-throughput methods of fabricating nano-enabled products. Large-area parallel processing and highspeed continuous processing are high-throughput means for mass production. An example of large-area processing is step-and-repeat nanoimprinting, by which nanostructures are reproduced again and again over a large area, such as a 12 in wafer. Roll-to-roll processing is an example of continuous processing, by which it is possible to print and imprint multi-level nanostructures and nanodevices on a moving flexible substrate. The big pay-off is high-volume production and low unit cost. However, the anticipated cost benefits can only be realized if the increased production rate is accompanied by high yields of high quality products. To ensure product quality, we need to design and construct manufacturing systems such that the processes can be closely monitored and controlled. One approach is to bring cyber-physical systems (CPS) concepts to nanomanufacturing. CPS involves the control of a physical system such as manufacturing through modeling, computation, communication and control. Such a closely coupled system will involve in-situ metrology and closed-loop control of the physical processes guided by physics-based models and driven by appropriate instrumentation, sensing and actuation. This paper will discuss these ideas in the context of controlling high-throughput manufacturing at the nano-scale.
High-throughput Accurate-wavelength Lens-based Visible Spectrometera
A scanning visible spectrometer has been prototyped to complement fixed-wavelength transmission grating spectrometers for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy. Fast f/1.8 200 mm commercial lenses are used with a large 2160 mm-1 grating for high throughput. A stepping-motor controlled sine drive positions the grating, which is mounted on a precision rotary table. A high-resolution optical encoder on the grating stage allows the grating angle to be measured with an absolute accuracy of 0.075 arcsec, corresponding to a wavelength error ≤ 0.005 (angstrom). At this precision, changes in grating groove density due to thermal expansion and variations in the refractive index of air are important. An automated calibration procedure determines all relevant spectrometer parameters to high accuracy. Changes in bulk grating temperature, atmospheric temperature and pressure are monitored between the time of calibration and the time of measurement to insure a persistent wavelength calibration
SSFinder: High Throughput CRISPR-Cas Target Sites Prediction Tool
Santosh Kumar Upadhyay
Full Text Available Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas system facilitates targeted genome editing in organisms. Despite high demand of this system, finding a reliable tool for the determination of specific target sites in large genomic data remained challenging. Here, we report SSFinder, a python script to perform high throughput detection of specific target sites in large nucleotide datasets. The SSFinder is a user-friendly tool, compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux operating systems, and freely available online.
High-throughput polarization imaging for defocus and dose inspection for production wafers
Sun, Gang; Onoichenco, Eugene; Fu, Yonghuang; Liu, Yongqiang; Amell, Ricardo; McCandless, Casey; Reddy, Rajasekar; Kumar, Gidesh; Guest, Max
Advances in lithography create a unique challenge for process window control with defects inspection tools. As the technology moves towards smaller line widths and more complicated structures, the sensitivity requirements for some process defects become higher, such as defocus and dose defects at 50nm or lower technology nodes. Currently automated macro inspection tools are used to detect a wide range of macro defects in the litho area, such as coating defects, particles, scratches, as well as the process defects. Most tools, however, cannot satisfy the new sensitivity requirements for the process defects while maintaining their current inspection capability for other defects. Rudolph Technologies approaches this challenge by integrating a unique polarization-imaging configuration, which enhances detection of defocus and dose defects without sacrificing the existing capability to detect other types of macro defects. The improved inspection system has demonstrated high sensitivity for defocus and dose defects on production wafers at multiple process nodes at high throughput.
High-throughput microtiter assay for Hoechst 33342 dye uptake
Seigel, Gail M.; Campbell, Lorrie M.
Exclusion of Hoechst 33342 dye is a characteristic common to stem cells, as well as chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells. Normally, these dye-excluding cells can be sorted from enzymatically dissociated tissues with a UV cell sorter/flow cytometer. UV-flow cytometry can be expensive, time-consuming and not readily available to all laboratories. We have developed a simple, high-throughput 96-well microtiter plate assay by which cell populations can be quickly screened for Hoechst dye uptake and...
Adaptive Sampling for High Throughput Data Using Similarity Measures
Bulaevskaya, V. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sales, A. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
The need for adaptive sampling arises in the context of high throughput data because the rates of data arrival are many orders of magnitude larger than the rates at which they can be analyzed. A very fast decision must therefore be made regarding the value of each incoming observation and its inclusion in the analysis. In this report we discuss one approach to adaptive sampling, based on the new data point's similarity to the other data points being considered for inclusion. We present preliminary results for one real and one synthetic data set.
An improved high throughput sequencing method for studying oomycete communities
Sapkota, Rumakanta; Nicolaisen, Mogens
Culture-independent studies using next generation sequencing have revolutionizedmicrobial ecology, however, oomycete ecology in soils is severely lagging behind. The aimof this study was to improve and validate standard techniques for using high throughput sequencing as a tool for studying oomyce...... usefulness of the method not only in soil DNA but also in a plant DNA background. In conclusion, we demonstrate a successful approach for pyrosequencing of oomycete communities using ITS1 as the barcode sequence with well-known primers for oomycete DNA amplification....
A High-Throughput SU-8Microfluidic Magnetic Bead Separator
Bu, Minqiang; Christensen, T. B.; Smistrup, Kristian; Wolff, Anders; Hansen, Mikkel Fougt
We present a novel microfluidic magnetic bead separator based on SU-8 fabrication technique for high through-put applications. The experimental results show that magnetic beads can be captured at an efficiency of 91 % and 54 % at flow rates of 1 mL/min and 4 mL/min, respectively. Integration of soft magnetic elements in the chip leads to a slightly higher capturing efficiency and a more uniform distribution of captured beads over the separation chamber than the system without soft magnetic el...
Oufti: an integrated software package for high-accuracy, high-throughput quantitative microscopy analysis.
Paintdakhi, Ahmad; Parry, Bradley; Campos, Manuel; Irnov, Irnov; Elf, Johan; Surovtsev, Ivan; Jacobs-Wagner, Christine
With the realization that bacteria display phenotypic variability among cells and exhibit complex subcellular organization critical for cellular function and behavior, microscopy has re-emerged as a primary tool in bacterial research during the last decade. However, the bottleneck in today's single-cell studies is quantitative image analysis of cells and fluorescent signals. Here, we address current limitations through the development of Oufti, a stand-alone, open-source software package for automated measurements of microbial cells and fluorescence signals from microscopy images. Oufti provides computational solutions for tracking touching cells in confluent samples, handles various cell morphologies, offers algorithms for quantitative analysis of both diffraction and non-diffraction-limited fluorescence signals and is scalable for high-throughput analysis of massive datasets, all with subpixel precision. All functionalities are integrated in a single package. The graphical user interface, which includes interactive modules for segmentation, image analysis and post-processing analysis, makes the software broadly accessible to users irrespective of their computational skills. PMID:26538279
Versatile protein biotinylation strategies for potential high-throughput proteomics.
Lue, Rina Y P; Chen, Grace Y J; Hu, Yi; Zhu, Qing; Yao, Shao Q
We present intein-mediated approaches for efficient biotinylation of proteins site-specifically. The reactive C-terminal thioester generated from intein-assisted protein splicing (either in vitro or in live cells) served as an attractive and exclusive site for attaching cysteine-containing biotin. Using these novel biotinylation strategies, we were able to efficiently biotinylate many proteins from different biological sources in a potentially high-throughput, high-content fashion. Some of these proteins were subsequently immobilized, in a very simple manner, onto different avidin-functionalized solid surfaces for applications such as protein microarray and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, highlighting the numerous advantages of using biotin over other tags (e.g., GST, His-tag, etc.) as the method of choice in protein purification/immobilization. In addition, our intein-mediated strategies provided critical advantages over other protein biotinylation strategies in a number of ways. For the first time, we also successfully demonstrated that intein-mediated protein biotinylation proceeded adequately inside both bacterial and mammalian living cells, as well as in a cell-free protein synthesis system. Taken together, our results indicate the versatility of these intein-mediated strategies for potential high-throughput proteomics applications. They may also serve as useful tools for various biochemical and biophysical studies of proteins both in vitro and in vivo. PMID:14746473
Probabilistic Assessment of High-Throughput Wireless Sensor Networks
Kim, Robin E.; Mechitov, Kirill; Sim, Sung-Han; Spencer, Billie F.; Song, Junho
Structural health monitoring (SHM) using wireless smart sensors (WSS) has the potential to provide rich information on the state of a structure. However, because of their distributed nature, maintaining highly robust and reliable networks can be challenging. Assessing WSS network communication quality before and after finalizing a deployment is critical to achieve a successful WSS network for SHM purposes. Early studies on WSS network reliability mostly used temporal signal indicators, composed of a smaller number of packets, to assess the network reliability. However, because the WSS networks for SHM purpose often require high data throughput, i.e., a larger number of packets are delivered within the communication, such an approach is not sufficient. Instead, in this study, a model that can assess, probabilistically, the long-term performance of the network is proposed. The proposed model is based on readily-available measured data sets that represent communication quality during high-throughput data transfer. Then, an empirical limit-state function is determined, which is further used to estimate the probability of network communication failure. Monte Carlo simulation is adopted in this paper and applied to a small and a full-bridge wireless networks. By performing the proposed analysis in complex sensor networks, an optimized sensor topology can be achieved. PMID:27258270
Probabilistic Assessment of High-Throughput Wireless Sensor Networks.
Kim, Robin E; Mechitov, Kirill; Sim, Sung-Han; Spencer, Billie F; Song, Junho
Structural health monitoring (SHM) using wireless smart sensors (WSS) has the potential to provide rich information on the state of a structure. However, because of their distributed nature, maintaining highly robust and reliable networks can be challenging. Assessing WSS network communication quality before and after finalizing a deployment is critical to achieve a successful WSS network for SHM purposes. Early studies on WSS network reliability mostly used temporal signal indicators, composed of a smaller number of packets, to assess the network reliability. However, because the WSS networks for SHM purpose often require high data throughput, i.e., a larger number of packets are delivered within the communication, such an approach is not sufficient. Instead, in this study, a model that can assess, probabilistically, the long-term performance of the network is proposed. The proposed model is based on readily-available measured data sets that represent communication quality during high-throughput data transfer. Then, an empirical limit-state function is determined, which is further used to estimate the probability of network communication failure. Monte Carlo simulation is adopted in this paper and applied to a small and a full-bridge wireless networks. By performing the proposed analysis in complex sensor networks, an optimized sensor topology can be achieved. PMID:27258270
High-throughput isolation of ultra-pure plasmid DNA by a robotic system
Sindelar Georg
Full Text Available Abstract Background With the availability of complete genomes, a systematic inventory of cellular processes becomes achievable. This requires assessing the function of all individual genes. Transfection of plasmid DNA into cell culture cells is an essential technique for this aim as it allows functional overexpression or downregulation of genes. While many robotic systems isolate plasmids for sequencing purposes, for more demanding applications such as transfections there is a shortage of robots for the high-throughput isolation of plasmid DNA. Results Here we describe a custom-made, automated device, which uses a special protocol to isolate plasmid DNAs with a purity sufficient for efficient transfections into mammalian cells. Approximately 1,600 ultra pure plasmids can be isolated in a 96-well plate format within 12 hours. As a unique feature the robot comprises the integration of a centrifuge instead of expensive columns, the use of a custom-made pipetting head with a movable gripper, especially designed shaking platforms and an acetone wash facility. Conclusion Using this robot we demonstrate how centrifugation steps with multiple precipitations, most notably through a precipitation step of SDS in isopropanol, lead to high purity plasmid DNA and make possible high-throughput transfections into mammalian cells for functional gene annotations.
Microengineering methods for cell-based microarrays and high-throughput drug-screening applications
Xu Feng; Wu Jinhui; Wang Shuqi; Gurkan, Umut Atakan; Demirci, Utkan [Department of Medicine, Demirci Bio-Acoustic-MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Durmus, Naside Gozde, E-mail: email@example.com [School of Engineering and Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI (United States)
Screening for effective therapeutic agents from millions of drug candidates is costly, time consuming, and often faces concerns due to the extensive use of animals. To improve cost effectiveness, and to minimize animal testing in pharmaceutical research, in vitro monolayer cell microarrays with multiwell plate assays have been developed. Integration of cell microarrays with microfluidic systems has facilitated automated and controlled component loading, significantly reducing the consumption of the candidate compounds and the target cells. Even though these methods significantly increased the throughput compared to conventional in vitro testing systems and in vivo animal models, the cost associated with these platforms remains prohibitively high. Besides, there is a need for three-dimensional (3D) cell-based drug-screening models which can mimic the in vivo microenvironment and the functionality of the native tissues. Here, we present the state-of-the-art microengineering approaches that can be used to develop 3D cell-based drug-screening assays. We highlight the 3D in vitro cell culture systems with live cell-based arrays, microfluidic cell culture systems, and their application to high-throughput drug screening. We conclude that among the emerging microengineering approaches, bioprinting holds great potential to provide repeatable 3D cell-based constructs with high temporal, spatial control and versatility.
Microengineering methods for cell-based microarrays and high-throughput drug-screening applications
Screening for effective therapeutic agents from millions of drug candidates is costly, time consuming, and often faces concerns due to the extensive use of animals. To improve cost effectiveness, and to minimize animal testing in pharmaceutical research, in vitro monolayer cell microarrays with multiwell plate assays have been developed. Integration of cell microarrays with microfluidic systems has facilitated automated and controlled component loading, significantly reducing the consumption of the candidate compounds and the target cells. Even though these methods significantly increased the throughput compared to conventional in vitro testing systems and in vivo animal models, the cost associated with these platforms remains prohibitively high. Besides, there is a need for three-dimensional (3D) cell-based drug-screening models which can mimic the in vivo microenvironment and the functionality of the native tissues. Here, we present the state-of-the-art microengineering approaches that can be used to develop 3D cell-based drug-screening assays. We highlight the 3D in vitro cell culture systems with live cell-based arrays, microfluidic cell culture systems, and their application to high-throughput drug screening. We conclude that among the emerging microengineering approaches, bioprinting holds great potential to provide repeatable 3D cell-based constructs with high temporal, spatial control and versatility.
A BSL-4 high-throughput screen identifies sulfonamide inhibitors of Nipah virus.
Tigabu, Bersabeh; Rasmussen, Lynn; White, E Lucile; Tower, Nichole; Saeed, Mohammad; Bukreyev, Alexander; Rockx, Barry; LeDuc, James W; Noah, James W
Nipah virus is a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) pathogen that causes severe respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans. To identify novel small molecules that target Nipah virus replication as potential therapeutics, Southern Research Institute and Galveston National Laboratory jointly developed an automated high-throughput screening platform that is capable of testing 10,000 compounds per day within BSL-4 biocontainment. Using this platform, we screened a 10,080-compound library using a cell-based, high-throughput screen for compounds that inhibited the virus-induced cytopathic effect. From this pilot effort, 23 compounds were identified with EC50 values ranging from 3.9 to 20.0 μM and selectivities >10. Three sulfonamide compounds with EC50 values intervention in the viral replication cycle and for broad antiviral efficacy. Development of HTS capability under BSL-4 containment changes the paradigm for drug discovery for highly pathogenic agents because this platform can be readily modified to identify prophylactic and postexposure therapeutic candidates against other BSL-4 pathogens, particularly Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses. PMID:24735442
Review of high-throughput techniques for detecting solid phase Transformation from material libraries produced by combinatorial methods
Lee, Jonathan A.
High-throughput measurement techniques are reviewed for solid phase transformation from materials produced by combinatorial methods, which are highly efficient concepts to fabricate large variety of material libraries with different compositional gradients on a single wafer. Combinatorial methods hold high potential for reducing the time and costs associated with the development of new materials, as compared to time-consuming and labor-intensive conventional methods that test large batches of material, one- composition at a time. These high-throughput techniques can be automated to rapidly capture and analyze data, using the entire material library on a single wafer, thereby accelerating the pace of materials discovery and knowledge generation for solid phase transformations. The review covers experimental techniques that are applicable to inorganic materials such as shape memory alloys, graded materials, metal hydrides, ferric materials, semiconductors and industrial alloys.
High-throughput characterization for solar fuels materials discovery
Mitrovic, Slobodan; Becerra, Natalie; Cornell, Earl; Guevarra, Dan; Haber, Joel; Jin, Jian; Jones, Ryan; Kan, Kevin; Marcin, Martin; Newhouse, Paul; Soedarmadji, Edwin; Suram, Santosh; Xiang, Chengxiang; Gregoire, John; High-Throughput Experimentation Team
In this talk I will present the status of the High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) project of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP). JCAP is an Energy Innovation Hub of the U.S. Department of Energy with a mandate to deliver a solar fuel generator based on an integrated photoelectrochemical cell (PEC). However, efficient and commercially viable catalysts or light absorbers for the PEC do not exist. The mission of HTE is to provide the accelerated discovery through combinatorial synthesis and rapid screening of material properties. The HTE pipeline also features high-throughput material characterization using x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). In this talk I present the currently operating pipeline and focus on our combinatorial XPS efforts to build the largest free database of spectra from mixed-metal oxides, nitrides, sulfides and alloys. This work was performed at Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Award No. DE-SC0004993.
Methods of high throughput biophysical characterization in biopharmaceutical development.
Razinkov, Vladimir I; Treuheit, Michael J; Becker, Gerald W
Discovery and successful development of biopharmaceutical products depend on a thorough characterization of the molecule both before and after formulation. Characterization of a formulated biotherapeutic, typically a protein or large peptide, requires a rigorous assessment of the molecule's physical stability. Stability of a biotherapeutic includes not only chemical stability, i.e., degradation of the molecule to form undesired modifications, but also structural stability, including the formation of aggregates. In this review, high throughput biophysical characterization techniques are described according to their specific applications during biopharmaceutical discovery, development and manufacturing. The methods presented here are classified according to these attributes, and include spectroscopic assays based on absorbance, polarization, intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance instrumentation, calorimetric methods, dynamic and static light scattering techniques, several visible particle counting and sizing methods, new viscosity assay, based on light scattering and mass spectrometry. Several techniques presented here are already implemented in industry; but, many high throughput biophysical methods are still in the initial stages of implementation or even in the prototype stage. Each technique in this report is judged by the specific application of the method through the biopharmaceutical development process. PMID:22725690
Applications of High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing (PhD)
Waage, Johannes
The recent advent of high throughput sequencing of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) has vastly expanded research into the functional and structural biology of the genome of all living organisms (and even a few dead ones). With this enormous and exponential growth in biological data generation come equ...... (article III). For the second flavor, DNA-seq, a study presenting genome wide profiling of transcription factor CEBP/A in liver cells undergoing regeneration after partial hepatectomy (article IV) is included.......The recent advent of high throughput sequencing of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) has vastly expanded research into the functional and structural biology of the genome of all living organisms (and even a few dead ones). With this enormous and exponential growth in biological data generation come......-sequencing, a study of the effects on alternative RNA splicing of KO of the nonsense mediated RNA decay system in Mus, using digital gene expression and a custom-built exon-exon junction mapping pipeline is presented (article I). Evolved from this work, a Bioconductor package, spliceR, for classifying...
High throughput instruments, methods, and informatics for systems biology.
Sinclair, Michael B.; Cowie, Jim R. (New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM); Van Benthem, Mark Hilary; Wylie, Brian Neil; Davidson, George S.; Haaland, David Michael; Timlin, Jerilyn Ann; Aragon, Anthony D. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Keenan, Michael Robert; Boyack, Kevin W.; Thomas, Edward Victor; Werner-Washburne, Margaret C. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Mosquera-Caro, Monica P. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Martinez, M. Juanita (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Martin, Shawn Bryan; Willman, Cheryl L. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM)
High throughput instruments and analysis techniques are required in order to make good use of the genomic sequences that have recently become available for many species, including humans. These instruments and methods must work with tens of thousands of genes simultaneously, and must be able to identify the small subsets of those genes that are implicated in the observed phenotypes, or, for instance, in responses to therapies. Microarrays represent one such high throughput method, which continue to find increasingly broad application. This project has improved microarray technology in several important areas. First, we developed the hyperspectral scanner, which has discovered and diagnosed numerous flaws in techniques broadly employed by microarray researchers. Second, we used a series of statistically designed experiments to identify and correct errors in our microarray data to dramatically improve the accuracy, precision, and repeatability of the microarray gene expression data. Third, our research developed new informatics techniques to identify genes with significantly different expression levels. Finally, natural language processing techniques were applied to improve our ability to make use of online literature annotating the important genes. In combination, this research has improved the reliability and precision of laboratory methods and instruments, while also enabling substantially faster analysis and discovery.
High-throughput technology for novel SO2 oxidation catalysts
Loskyll, Jonas; Stoewe, Klaus; Maier, Wilhelm F.
We review the state of the art and explain the need for better SO2 oxidation catalysts for the production of sulfuric acid. A high-throughput technology has been developed for the study of potential catalysts in the oxidation of SO2 to SO3. High-throughput methods are reviewed and the problems encountered with their adaptation to the corrosive conditions of SO2 oxidation are described. We show that while emissivity-corrected infrared thermography (ecIRT) can be used for primary screening, it is prone to errors because of the large variations in the emissivity of the catalyst surface. UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry was selected instead as a reliable analysis method of monitoring the SO2 conversion. Installing plain sugar absorbents at reactor outlets proved valuable for the detection and quantitative removal of SO3 from the product gas before the UV-Vis analysis. We also overview some elements used for prescreening and those remaining after the screening of the first catalyst generations.
High-throughput screening with micro-x-ray fluorescence
Micro-x-ray fluorescence (MXRF) is a useful characterization tool for high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries. Due to the increasing threat of use of chemical warfare (CW) agents both in military actions and against civilians by terrorist extremists, there is a strong push to improve existing methods and develop means for the detection of a broad spectrum of CW agents in a minimal amount of time to increase national security. This paper describes a combinatorial high-throughput screening technique for CW receptor discovery to aid in sensor development. MXRF can screen materials for elemental composition at the mesoscale level (tens to hundreds of micrometers). The key aspect of this work is the use of commercial MXRF instrumentation coupled with the inherent heteroatom elements within the target molecules of the combinatorial reaction to provide rapid and specific identification of lead species. The method is demonstrated by screening an 11-mer oligopeptide library for selective binding of the degradation products of the nerve agent VX. The identified oligopeptides can be used as selective molecular receptors for sensor development. The MXRF screening method is nondestructive, requires minimal sample preparation or special tags for analysis, and the screening time depends on the desired sensitivity
High-throughput screening with micro-x-ray fluorescence
Havrilla, George J.; Miller, Thomasin C.
Micro-x-ray fluorescence (MXRF) is a useful characterization tool for high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries. Due to the increasing threat of use of chemical warfare (CW) agents both in military actions and against civilians by terrorist extremists, there is a strong push to improve existing methods and develop means for the detection of a broad spectrum of CW agents in a minimal amount of time to increase national security. This paper describes a combinatorial high-throughput screening technique for CW receptor discovery to aid in sensor development. MXRF can screen materials for elemental composition at the mesoscale level (tens to hundreds of micrometers). The key aspect of this work is the use of commercial MXRF instrumentation coupled with the inherent heteroatom elements within the target molecules of the combinatorial reaction to provide rapid and specific identification of lead species. The method is demonstrated by screening an 11-mer oligopeptide library for selective binding of the degradation products of the nerve agent VX. The identified oligopeptides can be used as selective molecular receptors for sensor development. The MXRF screening method is nondestructive, requires minimal sample preparation or special tags for analysis, and the screening time depends on the desired sensitivity.
High-Throughput Screening Uncovers Novel Botulinum Neurotoxin Inhibitor Chemotypes.
Bompiani, Kristin M; Caglič, Dejan; Krutein, Michelle C; Benoni, Galit; Hrones, Morgan; Lairson, Luke L; Bian, Haiyan; Smith, Garry R; Dickerson, Tobin J
Botulism is caused by potent and specific bacterial neurotoxins that infect host neurons and block neurotransmitter release. Treatment for botulism is limited to administration of an antitoxin within a short time window, before the toxin enters neurons. Alternatively, current botulism drug development targets the toxin light chain, which is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease that is delivered into neurons and mediates long-term pathology. Several groups have identified inhibitory small molecules, peptides, or aptamers, although no molecule has advanced to the clinic due to a lack of efficacy in advanced models. Here we used a homogeneous high-throughput enzyme assay to screen three libraries of drug-like small molecules for new chemotypes that modulate recombinant botulinum neurotoxin light chain activity. High-throughput screening of 97088 compounds identified numerous small molecules that activate or inhibit metalloprotease activity. We describe four major classes of inhibitory compounds identified, detail their structure-activity relationships, and assess their relative inhibitory potency. A previously unreported chemotype in any context of enzyme inhibition is described with potent submicromolar inhibition (Ki = 200-300 nM). Additional detailed kinetic analyses and cellular cytotoxicity assays indicate the best compound from this series is a competitive inhibitor with cytotoxicity values around 4-5 μM. Given the potency and drug-like character of these lead compounds, further studies, including cellular activity assays and DMPK analysis, are justified. PMID:27314875
High-Throughput, Liquid-Based Genome-Wide RNAi Screening in C. elegans.
O'Reilly, Linda P; Knoerdel, Ryan R; Silverman, Gary A; Pak, Stephen C
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules mediate the inhibition of gene expression. RNAi in C. elegans can be achieved by simply feeding animals with bacteria expressing dsRNA against the gene of interest. This "feeding" method has made it possible to conduct genome-wide RNAi experiments for the systematic knockdown and subsequent investigation of almost every single gene in the genome. Historically, these genome-scale RNAi screens have been labor and time intensive. However, recent advances in automated, high-throughput methodologies have allowed the development of more rapid and efficient screening protocols. In this report, we describe a fast and efficient, liquid-based method for genome-wide RNAi screening. PMID:27581291
Solid-phase cloning for high-throughput assembly of single and multiple DNA parts
Lundqvist, Magnus; Edfors, Fredrik; Sivertsson, Åsa;
is needed or where multiple inserts are to be assembled. In this approach, the solid support allows for head-to-tail assembly of DNA fragments based on hybridization and polymerase fill-in. The usefulness of head-to-tail SPC was demonstrated by assembly of >150 constructs with up to four DNA parts......We describe solid-phase cloning (SPC) for high-throughput assembly of expression plasmids. Our method allows PCR products to be put directly into a liquid handler for capture and purification using paramagnetic streptavidin beads and conversion into constructs by subsequent cloning reactions. We...... present a robust automated protocol for restriction enzyme based SPC and its performance for the cloning of >60 000 unique human gene fragments into expression vectors. In addition, we report on SPC-based single-strand assembly for applications where exact control of the sequence between fragments...
High-throughput screening of small molecule ligands targeted to live bacteria surface.
Lee, Jeong Heon; Park, Sunny; Hyun, Hoon; Bordo, Mark W; Oketokoun, Rafiou; Nasr, Khaled A; Frangioni, John V; Choi, Hak Soo
The discovery of small molecule ligands targeted to the surface of live pathogenic bacteria would enable an entirely new class of antibiotics. We report the development and validation of a microarray-based high-throughput screening platform for bacteria that exploits 300 μm diameter chemical spots in a 1 in. × 3 in. nanolayered glass slide format. Using 24 model compounds and 4 different bacterial strains, we optimized the screening technology, including fluorophore-based optical deconvolution for automated scoring of affinity and cyan-magenta-yellow-key (CMYK) color-coding for scoring of both affinity and specificity. The latter provides a lossless, one-dimensional view of multidimensional data. By linking in silico analysis with cell binding affinity and specificity, we could also begin to identify the physicochemical factors that affect ligand performance. The technology we describe could form the foundation for developing new classes of antibiotics. PMID:23461528
Robotic high-throughput purification of affinity-tagged recombinant proteins.
Wiesler, Simone C; Weinzierl, Robert O J
Affinity purification of recombinant proteins has become the method of choice to obtain good quantities and qualities of proteins for a variety of downstream biochemical applications. While manual or FPLC-assisted purification techniques are generally time-consuming and labor-intensive, the advent of high-throughput technologies and liquid handling robotics has simplified and accelerated this process significantly. Additionally, without the human factor as a potential source of error, automated purification protocols allow for the generation of large numbers of proteins simultaneously and under directly comparable conditions. The delivered material is ideal for activity comparisons of different variants of the same protein. Here, we present our strategy for the simultaneous purification of up to 24 affinity-tagged proteins for activity measurements in biochemical assays. The protocol described is suitable for the scale typically required in individual research laboratories. PMID:25749949
Advances in Automation and Throughput of the Mars Organic Analyzer Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis System
Haldeman, B. J.; Skelley, A. M.; Scherer, J. R.; Jayarajah, C.; Mathies, R. A.
We have previously demonstrated the design, construction and testing of a portable microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument called the Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA) for analysis of amino acids and amine containing organic molecules (1). This instrument is designed to accept organic compounds isolated from samples by sublimation or by subcritical water extraction, to label the amine groups with fluorescamine, and to perform high resolution electrophoretic analysis. The CE instrument has shown remarkable robustness during successful field tests last year in the Panoche Valley, CA (1) and more recently in the Atacama Desert, Chile (2). For successful operation on Mars, however, it is necessary to operate autonomously and to analyze large numbers of samples, blanks, and standards. Toward this end we present here two advances in the MOA system that test key aspects of an eventual flight prototype. First, we have developed an automated microfluidic system and method for the autonomous loading, running and cleaning of the CE chip on the single channel MOA instrument. The integration of microfabricated PDMS valves and pumps with all-glass separation channels in a multilayer design enabled creation of structures for complex fluidic routing. Twenty sequential analyses of an amino acid standard were performed with an automated cleaning procedure between runs. In addition, dilutions were performed on-chip, and blanks were run to demonstrate the elimination of carry-over from run to run. These results demonstrate an important advance of the technology readiness level of the MOA. Second, we have designed, constructed and successfully tested a lab version of the multichannel instrument we initially proposed for the MSL opportunity. The portable Multi-Channel Mars Organic Analyzer (McMOA, 25 by 30 by 15 cm), was designed to sequentially interrogate eight radially oriented CE separation channels on a single wafer. Since each channel can be used to analyze 20 or more
High-throughput functional screening using a homemade dual-glow luciferase assay.
Baker, Jessica M; Boyce, Frederick M
We present a rapid and inexpensive high-throughput screening protocol to identify transcriptional regulators of alpha-synuclein, a gene associated with Parkinson's disease. 293T cells are transiently transfected with plasmids from an arrayed ORF expression library, together with luciferase reporter plasmids, in a one-gene-per-well microplate format. Firefly luciferase activity is assayed after 48 hr to determine the effects of each library gene upon alpha-synuclein transcription, normalized to expression from an internal control construct (a hCMV promoter directing Renilla luciferase). This protocol is facilitated by a bench-top robot enclosed in a biosafety cabinet, which performs aseptic liquid handling in 96-well format. Our automated transfection protocol is readily adaptable to high-throughput lentiviral library production or other functional screening protocols requiring triple-transfections of large numbers of unique library plasmids in conjunction with a common set of helper plasmids. We also present an inexpensive and validated alternative to commercially-available, dual luciferase reagents which employs PTC124, EDTA, and pyrophosphate to suppress firefly luciferase activity prior to measurement of Renilla luciferase. Using these methods, we screened 7,670 human genes and identified 68 regulators of alpha-synuclein. This protocol is easily modifiable to target other genes of interest. PMID:24962249
High-Throughput, Motility-Based Sorter for Microswimmers and Gene Discovery Platform
Yuan, Jinzhou; Raizen, David; Bau, Haim
Animal motility varies with genotype, disease progression, aging, and environmental conditions. In many studies, it is desirable to carry out high throughput motility-based sorting to isolate rare animals for, among other things, forward genetic screens to identify genetic pathways that regulate phenotypes of interest. Many commonly used screening processes are labor-intensive, lack sensitivity, and require extensive investigator training. Here, we describe a sensitive, high throughput, automated, motility-based method for sorting nematodes. Our method was implemented in a simple microfluidic device capable of sorting many thousands of animals per hour per module, and is amenable to parallelism. The device successfully enriched for known C. elegans motility mutants. Furthermore, using this device, we isolated low-abundance mutants capable of suppressing the somnogenic effects of the flp-13 gene, which regulates sleep-like quiescence in C. elegans. Subsequent genomic sequencing led to the identification of a flp-13-suppressor gene. This research was supported, in part, by NIH NIA Grant 5R03AG042690-02.
Moderate to high throughput in vitro binding kinetics for drug discovery.
Zhang, Rumin; Barbieri, Christopher M; Garcia-Calvo, Margarita; Myers, Robert W; McLaren, David; Kavana, Michael
This review provides a concise summary for state of the art, moderate to high throughput in vitro technologies being employed to study drug-target binding kinetics. These technologies cover a wide kinetic timescale spanning up to nine orders of magnitude from milliseconds to days. Automated stopped flow measures transient and (pre)steady state kinetics from milliseconds to seconds. For seconds to hours timescale kinetics we discuss surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor, global progress curve analysis for high throughput kinetic profiling of enzyme inhibitors and activators, and filtration plate-based radioligand or fluorescent binding assays for receptor binding kinetics. Jump dilution after pre-incubation is the preferred method for very slow kinetics lasting for days. The basic principles, best practices and simulated data for these technologies are described. Finally, the application of a universal label-free technology, liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), is briefly reviewed. Select literature references are highlighted for in-depth understanding. A new reality is dawning wherein binding kinetics is an integral and routine part of mechanism of action elucidation and translational, quantitative pharmacology for drug discovery. PMID:27100706
High-throughput genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms with rolling circle amplification
Sun Zhenyu
Full Text Available Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs are the foundation of powerful complex trait and pharmacogenomic analyses. The availability of large SNP databases, however, has emphasized a need for inexpensive SNP genotyping methods of commensurate simplicity, robustness, and scalability. We describe a solution-based, microtiter plate method for SNP genotyping of human genomic DNA. The method is based upon allele discrimination by ligation of open circle probes followed by rolling circle amplification of the signal using fluorescent primers. Only the probe with a 3' base complementary to the SNP is circularized by ligation. Results SNP scoring by ligation was optimized to a 100,000 fold discrimination against probe mismatched to the SNP. The assay was used to genotype 10 SNPs from a set of 192 genomic DNA samples in a high-throughput format. Assay directly from genomic DNA eliminates the need to preamplify the target as done for many other genotyping methods. The sensitivity of the assay was demonstrated by genotyping from 1 ng of genomic DNA. We demonstrate that the assay can detect a single molecule of the circularized probe. Conclusions Compatibility with homogeneous formats and the ability to assay small amounts of genomic DNA meets the exacting requirements of automated, high-throughput SNP scoring.
MassCode liquid arrays as a tool for multiplexed high-throughput genetic profiling.
Gregory S Richmond
Full Text Available Multiplexed detection assays that analyze a modest number of nucleic acid targets over large sample sets are emerging as the preferred testing approach in such applications as routine pathogen typing, outbreak monitoring, and diagnostics. However, very few DNA testing platforms have proven to offer a solution for mid-plexed analysis that is high-throughput, sensitive, and with a low cost per test. In this work, an enhanced genotyping method based on MassCode technology was devised and integrated as part of a high-throughput mid-plexing analytical system that facilitates robust qualitative differential detection of DNA targets. Samples are first analyzed using MassCode PCR (MC-PCR performed with an array of primer sets encoded with unique mass tags. Lambda exonuclease and an array of MassCode probes are then contacted with MC-PCR products for further interrogation and target sequences are specifically identified. Primer and probe hybridizations occur in homogeneous solution, a clear advantage over micro- or nanoparticle suspension arrays. The two cognate tags coupled to resultant MassCode hybrids are detected in an automated process using a benchtop single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The prospective value of using MassCode probe arrays for multiplexed bioanalysis was demonstrated after developing a 14plex proof of concept assay designed to subtype a select panel of Salmonella enterica serogroups and serovars. This MassCode system is very flexible and test panels can be customized to include more, less, or different markers.
Fusion-based, high-volume automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS)
Thomopoulos, Stelios C.; Reisman, James G.
Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) provide a means for non-manual fingerprint database searches. Future AFIS applications demand greater fingerprint match request throughput, and for larger fingerprint databases. Barriers to the implementation of a high volume AFIS are analyzed. Data-fusion methods are proposed as a method to maximize integration of fingerprint feature information with limited computational resources. Preliminary results from a prototype AFIS system are presented.
High throughput determination of cleaning solutions to prevent the fouling of an anion exchange resin.
Elich, Thomas; Iskra, Timothy; Daniels, William; Morrison, Christopher J
Effective cleaning of chromatography resin is required to prevent fouling and maximize the number of processing cycles which can be achieved. Optimization of resin cleaning procedures, however, can lead to prohibitive material, labor, and time requirements, even when using milliliter scale chromatography columns. In this work, high throughput (HT) techniques were used to evaluate cleaning agents for a monoclonal antibody (mAb) polishing step utilizing Fractogel(®) EMD TMAE HiCap (M) anion exchange (AEX) resin. For this particular mAb feed stream, the AEX resin could not be fully restored with traditional NaCl and NaOH cleaning solutions, resulting in a loss of impurity capacity with resin cycling. Miniaturized microliter scale chromatography columns and an automated liquid handling system (LHS) were employed to evaluate various experimental cleaning conditions. Cleaning agents were monitored for their ability to maintain resin impurity capacity over multiple processing cycles by analyzing the flowthrough material for turbidity and high molecular weight (HMW) content. HT experiments indicated that a 167 mM acetic acid strip solution followed by a 0.5 M NaOH, 2 M NaCl sanitization provided approximately 90% cleaning improvement over solutions containing solely NaCl and/or NaOH. Results from the microliter scale HT experiments were confirmed in subsequent evaluations at the milliliter scale. These results identify cleaning agents which may restore resin performance for applications involving fouling species in ion exchange systems. In addition, this work demonstrates the use of miniaturized columns operated with an automated LHS for HT evaluation of chromatographic cleaning procedures, effectively decreasing material requirements while simultaneously increasing throughput. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1251-1259. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26552005
High-throughput electrical measurement and microfluidic sorting of semiconductor nanowires.
Akin, Cevat; Feldman, Leonard C; Durand, Corentin; Hus, Saban M; Li, An-Ping; Hui, Ho Yee; Filler, Michael A; Yi, Jingang; Shan, Jerry W
Existing nanowire electrical characterization tools not only are expensive and require sophisticated facilities, but are far too slow to enable statistical characterization of highly variable samples. They are also generally not compatible with further sorting and processing of nanowires. Here, we demonstrate a high-throughput, solution-based electro-orientation-spectroscopy (EOS) method, which is capable of automated electrical characterization of individual nanowires by direct optical visualization of their alignment behavior under spatially uniform electric fields of different frequencies. We demonstrate that EOS can quantitatively characterize the electrical conductivities of nanowires over a 6-order-of-magnitude range (10(-5) to 10 S m(-1), corresponding to typical carrier densities of 10(10)-10(16) cm(-3)), with different fluids used to suspend the nanowires. By implementing EOS in a simple microfluidic device, continuous electrical characterization is achieved, and the sorting of nanowires is demonstrated as a proof-of-concept. With measurement speeds two orders of magnitude faster than direct-contact methods, the automated EOS instrument enables for the first time the statistical characterization of highly variable 1D nanomaterials. PMID:27171977
High-throughput analysis of protein-DNA binding affinity.
Franco-Zorrilla, José M; Solano, Roberto
Sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions mediate most regulatory processes underlying gene expression, such as transcriptional regulation by transcription factors (TFs) or chromatin organization. Current knowledge about DNA-binding specificities of TFs is based mostly on low- to medium-throughput methodologies that are time-consuming and often fail to identify DNA motifs recognized by a TF with lower affinity but retaining biological relevance. The use of protein-binding microarrays (PBMs) offers a high-throughput alternative for the identification of protein-DNA specificities. PBM consists in an array of pseudorandomized DNA sequences that are optimized to include all the possible 10- or 11-mer DNA sequences, allowing the determination of binding specificities of most eukaryotic TFs. PBMs that can be synthesized by several manufacturing companies as single-stranded DNA are converted into double-stranded in a simple primer extension reaction. The protein of interest fused to an epitope tag is then incubated onto the PBM, and specific DNA-protein complexes are revealed in a series of immunological reactions coupled to a fluorophore. After scanning and quantifying PBMs, specific DNA motifs recognized by the protein are identified with ready-to-use scripts, generating comprehensive but accessible information about the DNA-binding specificity of the protein. This chapter describes detailed procedures for preparation of double-stranded PBMs, incubation with recombinant protein, and detection of protein-DNA complexes. Finally, we outline some cues for evaluating the biological role of DNA motifs obtained in vitro. PMID:24057393
Adaptation to high throughput batch chromatography enhances multivariate screening.
Barker, Gregory A; Calzada, Joseph; Herzer, Sibylle; Rieble, Siegfried
High throughput process development offers unique approaches to explore complex process design spaces with relatively low material consumption. Batch chromatography is one technique that can be used to screen chromatographic conditions in a 96-well plate. Typical batch chromatography workflows examine variations in buffer conditions or comparison of multiple resins in a given process, as opposed to the assessment of protein loading conditions in combination with other factors. A modification to the batch chromatography paradigm is described here where experimental planning, programming, and a staggered loading approach increase the multivariate space that can be explored with a liquid handling system. The iterative batch chromatography (IBC) approach is described, which treats every well in a 96-well plate as an individual experiment, wherein protein loading conditions can be varied alongside other factors such as wash and elution buffer conditions. As all of these factors are explored in the same experiment, the interactions between them are characterized and the number of follow-up confirmatory experiments is reduced. This in turn improves statistical power and throughput. Two examples of the IBC method are shown and the impact of the load conditions are assessed in combination with the other factors explored. PMID:25914370
Reference Architectures for Highly Automated Driving
Behere, Sagar
Highly automated driving systems promise increased road traffic safety, as well as positive impacts on sustainable transportation by means of increased traffic efficiency and environmental friendliness. The design and development of such systems require scientific advances in a number of areas. One area is the vehicle's electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture. The E/E architecture can be presented using a number of views, of which an important one is the functional view. The functional view ...
A high throughput screen for biomining cellulase activity from metagenomic libraries.
Mewis, Keith; Taupp, Marcus; Hallam, Steven J
Cellulose, the most abundant source of organic carbon on the planet, has wide-ranging industrial applications with increasing emphasis on biofuel production (1). Chemical methods to modify or degrade cellulose typically require strong acids and high temperatures. As such, enzymatic methods have become prominent in the bioconversion process. While the identification of active cellulases from bacterial and fungal isolates has been somewhat effective, the vast majority of microbes in nature resist laboratory cultivation. Environmental genomic, also known as metagenomic, screening approaches have great promise in bridging the cultivation gap in the search for novel bioconversion enzymes. Metagenomic screening approaches have successfully recovered novel cellulases from environments as varied as soils (2), buffalo rumen (3) and the termite hind-gut (4) using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) agar plates stained with congo red dye (based on the method of Teather and Wood (5)). However, the CMC method is limited in throughput, is not quantitative and manifests a low signal to noise ratio (6). Other methods have been reported (7,8) but each use an agar plate-based assay, which is undesirable for high-throughput screening of large insert genomic libraries. Here we present a solution-based screen for cellulase activity using a chromogenic dinitrophenol (DNP)-cellobioside substrate (9). Our library was cloned into the pCC1 copy control fosmid to increase assay sensitivity through copy number induction (10). The method uses one-pot chemistry in 384-well microplates with the final readout provided as an absorbance measurement. This readout is quantitative, sensitive and automated with a throughput of up to 100X 384-well plates per day using a liquid handler and plate reader with attached stacking system. PMID:21307835
Quantitative High-Throughput Luciferase Screening in Identifying CAR Modulators.
Lynch, Caitlin; Zhao, Jinghua; Wang, Hongbing; Xia, Menghang
The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) is responsible for the transcription of multiple drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. There are two possible methods of activation for CAR, direct ligand binding and a ligand-independent method, which makes this a unique nuclear receptor. Both of these mechanisms require translocation of CAR from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. Interestingly, CAR is constitutively active in immortalized cell lines due to the basal nuclear location of this receptor. This creates an important challenge in most in vitro assay models because immortalized cells cannot be used without inhibiting the high basal activity. In this book chapter, we go into detail of how to perform quantitative high-throughput screens to identify hCAR1 modulators through the employment of a double stable cell line. Using this line, we are able to identify activators, as well as deactivators, of the challenging nuclear receptor, CAR. PMID:27518621
High-throughput sequencing of immune repertoires in multiple sclerosis.
Lossius, Andreas; Johansen, Jorunn N; Vartdal, Frode; Holmøy, Trygve
T cells and B cells are crucial in the initiation and maintenance of multiple sclerosis (MS), and the activation of these cells is believed to be mediated through specific recognition of antigens by the T- and B-cell receptors. The antigen receptors are highly polymorphic due to recombination (T- and B-cell receptors) and mutation (B-cell receptors) of the encoding genes, which can therefore be used as fingerprints to track individual T- and B-cell clones. Such studies can shed light on mechanisms driving the immune responses and provide new insights into the pathogenesis. Here, we summarize studies that have explored the T- and B-cell receptor repertoires using earlier methodological approaches, and we focus on how high-throughput sequencing has provided new knowledge by surveying the immune repertoires in MS in even greater detail and with unprecedented depth. PMID:27081660
High throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing
Nierychlo, Marta; Larsen, Poul; Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup;
S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has been developed over the past few years and is now ready to use for more comprehensive studies related to plant operation and optimization thanks to short analysis time, low cost, high throughput, and high taxonomic resolution. In this study we show how 16S r...... belonging to the phylum Chloroflexi. Based on knowledge about their ecophysiology, other control measures were introduced and the bulking problem was reduced after 2 months. Besides changes in the filament abundance and composition also other changes in the microbial community were observed that likely...... correlated with the bacterial species composition in 25 Danish full-scale WWTPs with nutrient removal. Examples of properties were SVI, filament index, floc size, floc strength, content of cations and amount of extracellular polymeric substances. Multivariate statistics provided several important insights...
The Principals and Practice of Distributed High Throughput Computing
CERN. Geneva
The potential of Distributed Processing Systems to deliver computing capabilities with qualities ranging from high availability and reliability to easy expansion in functionality and capacity were recognized and formalized in the 1970's. For more three decade these principals Distributed Computing guided the development of the HTCondor resource and job management system. The widely adopted suite of software tools offered by HTCondor are based on novel distributed computing technologies and are driven by the evolving needs of High Throughput scientific applications. We will review the principals that underpin our work, the distributed computing frameworks and technologies we developed and the lessons we learned from delivering effective and dependable software tools in an ever changing landscape computing technologies and needs that range today from a desktop computer to tens of thousands of cores offered by commercial clouds. About the speaker Miron Livny received a B.Sc. degree in Physics and Mat...