High throught-put sample preparation automatization

Sample preparation of biological specimens is an essential part of LC-MS-based proteomics because of the inherent complexity in terms of variety in components and their concentrations.

Increasingly, and in particular for diseased cohort studies, high-throughput analysis is required, i.e. short measurement times or multiplexed analysis. High-throughput platforms that allow the analysis of large numbers of samples are needed in both research and hospital settings, where doctors and patients demand fast answers. Efforts to optimize throughput parameters should therefore be considered during the design of a procedure. Furthermore, when performing quantification experiments it is important to reduce the number of handling steps prior to analysis, to obtain minimal loss of analyte, and to have a good estimation or, better, measurement of the efficiency of recovery. A third issue to take into account is the nature of the sample.

Sample throughput and robustness of the analytical workflow are of great importance in most types of applications, starting with biological specimens. In MS-based proteomics, sample throughput has increased enormously as a result of developments in automation, MS technology, and improved speed in data handling and processing. In order to balance the speed of analytical sample preparation procedures with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the application of high-throughput robotic systems for sample workup is essential. The tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) following 96-well plate solid-phase extraction (SPE) enables to analyze with low levels of background noise simultaneously 96 samples.  Furthermore, processing a relatively small number of samples can rapidly lead to a large number of samples for MS measurements by fractionation, purification steps, and replicates. In addition to increased sample throughput, automation improves the accuracy and precision of the workflow. Provided a liquid handling system is calibrated and maintained on a regular basis, such an automated platform will perform each procedure in a standardized way over time, whereas larger variation is introduced when different people carry out the same procedures.

Affinisep offers a wide range of SPE 96-well plates and SPE 384-well plates compatible with each automate.

AttractSPE®Disks 96 plates are 96 SPE wellplates with various chemistry (polymer, silica-based, or Molecularly imprinted polymers) for high throughput analysis or screening.

AttractSPE®Disks 96 plates is the ideal tool to accompany you in your high throughput experiments in bioanalysis, for proteomics and small molecules.