The Laboratory Robotics Interest Group
Philadelphia Chapter
The Sixth Annual Exhibition & Presentations

Please Register!

Agenda:
An exciting day is planned with technology exhibits in the main hall. Providers of laboratory automation hardware and software will exhibit, demonstrating their latest products and services. The meeting will feature several informative vendor presentations throughout the evening. We will be serving an assortment of delicious food, courtesy of the exhibitors. The proceeds from this exhibitor funded meeting are used to pay for various costs of running this chapter throughout the year. In this way the LRIG can operate without collecting dues. Please support the group by attending this informative and entertaining meeting.

PLEASE Register: We need an accurate headcount to order food.

Register Online: http://www.lab-robotics.org/member/rumember.asp?eid=209

Members who register on-line are eligible to win prizes donated by exhibitors. Vendors will distribute prizes at their booths.

Vendors:   If you would like to register for a booth, please fill out the registration form found at this link http://www.lifesabirch.org/lrig-philly-2009/registration.php

Vendor donations for door prize drawings are gratefully accepted.   Please contact Jean Husten

Open career positions at your company may be posted on the job board.

There is no fee to attend the meeting.

Vendor Presentations

Exhibitors

Come out and support these technology providers who enable our group to operate without charging dues!

Menu

A highlight of the annual exhibition is the food and refreshments.  Our menu will include Butlered Hot Hors D'oeuvres:  Scallops Wrapped in Bacon, Chicken Waldorf On Endive Spear, Butternut Soup Shot, Salmon Tartar on Cucumber Boat, Shrimp Dumpling.  Carved to Order:  Flank Steak, Horseradish Cream, Stuffed Pork Loin with Cranberry Apple Stuffing, DijonPeppercorn Cream.  Hand Made Pasta:  Orrichetti - Penne – Tortellini, Marinara - Pesto Cream - Vodka Blush, Chef's Selection of Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, Roasted Chicken, Baby Shrimp, Italian Sausage, Crispy Pancetta.  Antipasti Display:  Cured Meats, Cheeses, Olives, Marinated Vegetables, Dips, Crusty Breads, Crackers.  Artisan Cheese Display:  Selection of Cheeses, Baked Brie en Croute, Array of Baguette& Crustini, Dessert:  Assorted Mini Pastries - Cookies – Brownies.  Beverages:  Water/coffee/tea/soda and a cash bar.

The food is free to attendees and sponsored by all of the exhibitors - thank you!

This is a great opportunity to network with colleagues and vendors and find out about the latest technological advances. The proceeds from this exhibitor funded meeting are used to pay for various costs of running this chapter throughout the year. In this way the LRIG can operate without collecting dues. Please support the group by attending this informative and entertaining meeting.

Thank you for your support. See you at the meeting!

Pass this on to a coworker!

Abstracts

Presented by:  Eric Sandberg, Ph.D., Applications Scientist, SRU Biosystems

Some drug targets are difficult to interrogate because of a lack of practical or valid biological assays.  Label-free methodologies exist that can detect events from simple binding between small compounds and biomolecular targets, to complex phenotypic changes in non-engineered cells.  These plate-based, label-free technologies enable new approaches to screening and profiling intractable targets, as well as complementing and simplifying other methodologies.

SRU presents its BIND® technology, a robust, plate-based, universal assay system that enables label-free detection of biomolecular interactions. The system is comprised of the BIND Reader and 96-, 384- or 1536-well microplate BIND Biosensors. The BIND system takes advantage of a novel optical effect that generates very sensitive measurements of changes in binding or adherence in the proximity of the biosensor surface.  This presentation will discuss BIND's use as a drug profiling and screening tool for live cell-based and in vitro biochemical applications such as affinity screening of small molecule and fragment libraries to protein targets, protein-protein interaction and other difficult to address targets. BIND technology allows for differentiation of specific target binding from high stoichiometry and aggregation artifacts. We will also discuss the use of BIND as an information-rich assay system for functional cell based assays to study GPCR, RTK and ion channel signaling. Please join us to learn more about this new technology.

NanoCell: A Novel Robotic Platform for the Modular Laboratory

Presented by: Stephen Kosteski, Global Sales Director

NanoCell is the world’s smallest and most flexible robotic system designed for use in drug discovery.  The key to the NanoCell is modularity – whereby researchers can configure a small automated system to suit their application needs and yet retain the ability to exchange components as their research demands change or newer technology becomes available. 

The unique feature of the NanoCell system is the MicroDock, a docking station that allows laboratory devices to be positioned – and easily repositioned -- around a central industrial robotic arm. The MicroDock allows the researcher to plug and unplug devices quickly (less than 30 seconds), automatically supplying power, gases and network communications without manual handling of cables or tubing.  Ultimately, it is the modular functionality of the MicroDock that allows researchers to change the way they work – no longer tied to single-use systems as had once been the case.  .

In its simplest terms, NanoCell can be viewed as a blank template of three docking positions and one fixed position. A lab operator can invest in a range of different types of laboratory devices (e.g. acoustic dispensers, high content imagers) and then use the docking stations to build an automated system for the required purpose.

This talk will highlight a single NanoCell populated with different devices in different configurations, and the wide range of applications that can be supported by a single small robotic system, including compound delivery, biochemical screening, and cell-based high content biology.

The key advantages to the lab operator, which will be described through photos and text, include:

CODA and Concerto: assay-ready plate production made easy

Presenter: Andrew Proudfoot, Director Technical Sales, The Automation Partnership

One of the challenges facing Compound Management groups today is to integrate new technology into old processes with minimal disruption.  Where technology is game-changing, such as acoustic dispensing, the pressure is even greater to bring new functionality on-stream quickly.  This is often hampered by legacy IT systems, which may prove difficult to extend for technical or practical reasons; but equally are so widely embedded that it is not economic to replace them whole-sale.  In this presentation, TAP will describe how their state-of-the-art Concerto software has been used together with their high-throughput acoustic work-cell, CODA, to rapidly provide significant assay-ready plate production functionality.

Concerto provides full control of the new processes, including all data processing and plate map generation.  It uses existing IT systems  and automation (without modification) to prepare master plates, and manages the master plate library and screening plate creation itself.  The CODA work-cell provides a robust, high-throughput capability to create assay-ready plates with no limits on layouts, dilutions, and control placement.

Using CODA and Concerto together allows standard or custom screening plate sets to be created with the minimum of operator involvement - enabling Compound Management groups to provide the rapid and high quality service which its users demand.

Biography: Andrew joined The Automation Partnership in 1993, and spent the next ten years building up their Software group and architecting automation control systems for Sample Management, Cell Culture and various custom projects.  As Director of Technical Sales, Andrew now oversees the technical content of new systems, and manages both the CODA and Concerto products.

Inhibitor Profiling and Compound Characterization on a Microfluidic Mobility-Shift Platform

Presented by:  Abbie L. Esterman Ph.D., Applications Scientist, Caliper

The decision to move a candidate compound into the drug development process often hinges on the selectivity of the compound for its target and the mechanism by which the compound affects enzyme activity.  Using the protein kinase ERBB4 as a target enzyme and a known ERB inhibitor, we have demonstrated how in-depth compound evaluation can be achieved with the Caliper microfluidic mobility-shift platform.  ProfilerPro™ Kinase Selectivity Assay Kits were used to profile the ERB inhibitor and additional control inhibitors against a panel of 96 kinases.  This system enables the rapid determination of kinase selectivity against a panel of pharmacologically relevant and active protein kinases in one day at the laboratory bench. The extent of inhibition by candidate compounds is measured directly by quantifying the level of both un-phosphorylated peptide substrate and phosphorylated product after electrophoretic separation using Caliper’s LabChip™ assay technology. After generating inhibition profiles, the interaction between the ERB inhibitor and ERBB4 was further investigated. LabChip™ assays were used to determine IC50 values, confirm irreversible inhibition, measure the concentration of active enzyme, and characterize slow-binding kinetics.  The entire study was carried out using the Caliper EZ Reader II instrument which produces consistent high quality data in either end-point or kinetic assays.

Cell Based Calcium Flux Assays on the FLIPRTETRA® System:  Comparison of the FLIPR® Calcium 5 Assay Kit to Other Fluorescence Based Calcium Flux Assays

Presenter: Catherine Parrish, Ph.D. Applications Scientist, MDS Analytical Technologies

Cell-based calcium flux assays on FLIPR® fluorometric imaging plate readers are widely used in high throughput screening for identification of GPCR agonists and antagonists within the pharmaceutical industry. Masking technology enables no-wash fluorescence-based detection of changes in intracellular calcium concentration, and remains one of the most popular HTS methods for identifying potential drug candidates. The Calcium 5 Kit contains a novel calcium indicator working together with the masking technology to significantly lower background fluorescence and increase signal-to-noise ratio without the need to wash cells. In this study, we compared the performance of FLIPR® Calcium 5 Assay kit to Calcium 4 Assay Kit and a competitor kit. Several endogenous GPCRs as well as transfected Muscarinic M1 receptor were studied in four cell lines. This evaluation demonstrates that the superior performing FLIPR® Calcium 5 Assay Kit provides a larger signal window, increased signal to noise ratio, consistent pharmacology, and equivalent or improved Z factors.

Automated microcalorimetry guides the process of understanding biomolecular interactions with broad application throughout drug discovery research

Presented by:  Brian Lightbody, Vice President, Business Development, GE Healthcare

This presentation will discuss the latest innovation in automated label free detection technologies, the Auto-iTC200 Isothermal Titration Calorimeter. Applications examples will be provided that illustrate its use in drug discovery research.  Calorimetry has long been recognized as the “gold standard” for binding studies and has been utilized by scientists to elucidate the thermodynamics underlying biomolecular interactions. This knowledge has provided crucial   insights that have allowed scientists to better understand the mechanisms of small molecule and target interaction, as well as to select the best lead molecules to move forward.  However its use has been limited because of slow throughputs and excessive sample consumption. New miniaturized sample cell design, ultrasensitive electronics, and automated sample handling have addressed the sample consumption and time constraints that have previously limited the use of this powerful technique.  This has allowed ITC to be effectively utilized at earlier stages of the drug discovery process.  The Auto-iTC200 provides, for the first time, access to complete binding profile data at throughput rates comparable to traditional secondary and confirmatory screening techniques. Applications examples will be discussed that describe its use for mechanism of action studies, hit triaging, fragment-based screening, and lead optimization.

Improve Laboratory Processing Through Miniaturization of Cell Based Assays and Accurate Submicroliter Dispensing

Presented by:  Li Liu Ph.D. and Laura Pajak Ph.D., Beckman Coulter

The use of cell-based assays is on the rise in drug discovery and development research because they can provide more accurate information on biological activity and interactions.  These assays can also provide insight on the effects of a drug on an organism.  Just as with other assays used in compound screening, automation and miniaturization can bring faster results and cost savings.  An effective way to accomplish this is to reduce the reaction volume and employ high density plates, while maintaining dispensing accuracy and reagent efficacy (cells, enzymes, etc.).  Miniaturized applications on the BioRAPTR FRDTM will be presented on common laboratory processes such as cell-based assays.