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High-throughput screening (HTS)

Our aim is to enable lab automation of large-scale experiments using the high-throughput screening facility, a state-of-the art robotic system. The HTS facility is embedded in the Molenaar group at the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology.

What we offer:

We perform and support the development, implementation and analysis of high-throughput and time-intensive assays, with a focus on drug screening. All experiments aim to enable accelerated identification and validation of new treatment options for pediatric cancer as well as identifying key genes and proteins underlying the disease processes.

The highly flexible HTS platform enables the performance of a variety of high-throughput assays (e.g. ELISA, cell viability, staining), screens using different types of molecules (e.g. drugs, antibodies, or siRNAs) and read-out methods (e.g. absorbance-, luminescence- or fluorescence-based detection). Read-out using FACS and microscopy can be performed at other core facilities.

We offer a full-service model with:
Assay development and validation – we can give support in the translation of research questions into assays suitable for high-throughput screening.
Carrying out the high-throughput screens
Data analysis support

Our equipment

The HTS facility consists of a state-of-the-art robotic system, with as main part the Beckman Coulter Biomek i7 Hybrid liquid handling workstation. It contains deck positions for tip boxes and microtiter plates, a 96w and 384w pipette head, a heating and cooling module, a shaker, robot grippers and a flexible arm, shuttles to move the plates and barcode trackers. Attached to the liquid handling workstation are:

  • Agilent PlateLoc and Brooks XPeel - Thermal microplate sealer and automated microplate seal removal
  • Agilent Microplate Centrifuge – An automated small, robot-accessible centrifuge for multiple microplates
  • Cytomat 10C incubator - Fully automated incubator and storage module for high-capacity cell growth and assay incubation
  • Cytomat 9 hotel - Storage hotel for tip boxes and microtiter plates
  • Echo 550 liquid handler - Acoustic liquid handling for precise nL transfer volumes of drug solutions
  • FluidX IntelliXcap Decapper - The fastest capper/decapper 96-format system in the industry, that can decap a complete rack of tubes in as little as 20 seconds
  • Thermo Multidrop Combi reagent dispenser – Provides precise dispensing of solutions, ensuring reproducible assay data
  • Spectramax i3x – Microplate reader for absorbance, luminescence and fluorescence detection
Our drug libraries
For drug screening we have these libraries available:
  • PMC library (in-house developed library with >200 drugs specific for pediatric cancer)
  • Epigenetics library (MedChemExpress, HY-L005)
  • Small Molecule Immuno-Oncology Compound Library (TargetMol, L2170)
  • Cell Cycle & DNA Damage Compound Library (MedChemExpress, HY-L004)
 
 
Personnel

Facility manager

Selma Eising

Assay development and application

Vicky Amo-Addae

Bianca Koopmans

Marlinde Schoonbeek

Interested?

Contact: HTS@prinsesmaximacentrum.nl