Echo Acoustic Liquid Handler to Support Biomedical Research and Discovery

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Ability to transfer very small, nanoliter amounts of small molecules or genomic probes between microplates is necessary for all medium- and high throughput screening applications. Echo acoustic liquid handlers use sound waves to move 2.5 nanoliter droplets of liquid from source plates to the destination plates in a highly accurate and precise, flexible, and contact-free manner. Since the commercial launch in 2004, Echo acoustic dispensing technology has been widely adopted by pharmaceutical companies and academic screening cores, becoming a mainstay platform for enabling high-quality, robust data generation in genomic screening and drug discovery. In this grant application, Yale Center for Molecular Discovery (YCMD) requests funds to purchase Echo 650 series acoustic liquid handler to replace an outdated system which the manufacturer has pronounced obsolete. The requested system is crucial to meet the high and sustained need for the technology from many NIH-funded investigators and support a broad range of biomedical research programs. YCMD is a core facility uniquely suited for hosting and maintaining the instrument and for providing genomic and drug screening services. The Center specializes in high throughput assay development, provides a diverse collection of small molecules and genetic libraries, and maintains a sophisticated infrastructure to support screening. Staffed with a highly experienced team and supported by the university, the Center serves a diverse and broad user base, annually working on projects from over 40 different laboratories from various departments across Yale and non-Yale institutions. Notably, over 90% of all YCMD-supported projects require Echo acoustic dispensing technology for their work. As evidenced by over 30 publications, YCMD has already established a strong track record of successfully utilizing the technology for translational biomedical programs, and the need remains to be exceptionally high. This application is supported by twenty faculty members encompassing fourteen different Yale departments. Their innovative programs span a wide range of basic, translational, and clinical research areas and address many therapeutic indications including cancer, heart and vascular diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, infectious diseases, and dementia. 19 out of 20 users have NIH funding, and one project is supported by the DOD and Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Echo acoustic liquid handling technology is critical to support high throughput research of the users, and the instrument requested in this application would represent a major opportunity to implement and advance many current and future transformative biomedical programs which have direct implications for human health.