Acoustic Droplet Ejection for "Touchless" Liquid Transfer
Acoustic Droplet Ejection (ADE) focuses ultrasonic acoustic energy at the meniscus of a fluid sample to eject small droplets of liquid from open wells. The technology can eject droplets as small as a millionth of a millionth of a liter (picoliter = 10
-12 liter), and as large as 10 µL. Larger volumes can be transferred as multiple drops. There is no contact between the ejection mechanism and the ejected sample. This technology is especially well suited to biological applications in which precision measurements are critical and cross-contamination of samples can interfere with accurate interpretation of the results. The acoustic mechanism completely eliminates the need for pipette tips, pin tools or nozzles. This further eliminates the need to wash the transfer mechanism.
Move Liquids With SoundSound waves are transmitted by a transducer through the bottom of the fluid reservoir (e.g., microplate wells) and through the fluid. The pressure of the focused acoustic waves at the fluid surface creates an upwelling, and a droplet flies from the surface of the liquid. Below are frames from a stroboscopic video sequence of the formation of a 2 nL droplet in a 96-well microplate.
Download a primer explaining Acoustic Droplet Ejection "Touchless" Transfer (PDF).
From Drug Discovery to Genomics to Particle Formation to Live Cell Transfer
Droplets can be transferred with very precise positioning onto a surface suspended above the ejection reservoir. ADE can be applied to a wide range of applications including ultra-low-volume transfer from and into microwell plates, deposition of fluids in an ordered array onto flat surfaces, and manufacture of dried particles. The technology can also be used in an analytical (rather than transfer) mode in which the sound is used to interrogate the sample to determine the amount of liquid present, or to detect other properties such as composition or presence of precipitates. In Labcyte products, these modes are combined to create liquid handling devices with integrated quality assurance.
ADE technology is a very gentle process. Labcyte has demonstrated that it can be used to transfer proteins, high molecular weight DNA and live cells without damage or loss of viability. This feature makes the technology especially suitable for demanding applications in proteomics and cell-based assays. ADE can be used to make arrays of proteins, protein capture reagents and DNA probes of any length. The ability to deposit a wide variety of solutions on any surface with spot size as small as 20 microns provides exceptional flexibility for these applications. ADE also has applications in specialized particle manufacturing for production of pharmaceuticals, life science reagents and cosmetics.
Our unique and powerful ADE technology drives the Labcyte Echo® 500 Series Liquid Handlers and the Portrait® 630 Spotter .
Movies
2 nL droplet ejection (AVI video, 16MB)
Alternative format:
2 nL droplet ejection (MPEG video, 2MB)
2 nL droplet ejection (MPEG video, 16MB)