Automated Liquid Handling Platform

All equipment shall be newly manufactured. It shall not be used, refurbished, reconditioned, remanufactured, or previously used for demonstration. 

Salient characteristics and any single-source need 

The equipment shall meet the following salient characteristics: a benchtop automated liquid handling platform, user-friendly and easy to operate and clean, of space-saving and energy-saving design, capable of fast automatic pipetting of multiple solutions and of serial dilutions across or down the plate; able to accommodate variable liquid volumes; able to pipette into single rows, single columns, or individual wells as selected by the user in a 96-well or 384-well format, with the well format interchangeable based on user requirements; customizable to the laboratory's assay needs; equipped with programmable operating temperatures permitting use across a range of temperatures; and usable within the containment enclosure identified in the minimum technical requirements below to permit handling of sterile or hazardous materials. 

Based on our research, only a specific make and model meets our needs, the Agilent Technologies Bravo Automated Liquid Handling Platform.  It is the only equipment in its class that can meet our minimum needs as listed in the specifications. Other machines do not dispense low volumes, are much larger than this machine and do not fit within a biosafety cabinet. 

The equipment shall meet the following minimum requirements: 

• The platform shall be benchtop in format and shall fit and operate within a biosafety cabinet of dimensions of 46in W X 24in D X 30in H that will support 120 lbs without disrupting the enclosure airflow. 

• The platform shall perform serial dilutions either across the plate or down the plate using standard disposable tip heads. 

• The platform shall use 96-channel or 384-channel pipetting heads that are interchangeable, with independent tip pickup capability. 

• The platform shall provide a minimum 15-position deck capacity. 

• The platform shall dispense from 0.1 to 200 microliters. Dispensing accuracy and precision shall be no worse than 5% deviation. 

• The platform shall be configurable to support shaking, heating, cooling, and filtration. These configurations are not required to be delivered with the platform; however, the platform shall be capable of accepting these configurations at a later date, if desired. 

• The platform shall include a controller and software to generate custom protocols. 

• The platform shall include a dedicated computer to control the machine. 

• The platform shall be compatible with standard format microplates (96-well and 384-well). 

• The platform shall operate under ambient conditions of 5 to 40 degrees Celsius and 10 to 90 percent relative humidity, non-condensing. No deck or plate temperature-control range is required.  

• Compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and local safety standards.