title: Acoustic Droplet Ejection Technology and Its Application in High-Throughput RNA Interference Screening.
abstract: The development of acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology has resulted in many positive changes associated with the operations in a high-throughput screening (HTS) laboratory. Originally, this liquid transfer technology was used to simply transfer DMSO solutions of primarily compounds. With the introduction of Labcyte's Echo 555, which has aqueous dispense capability, the application of this technology has been expanded beyond its original use. This includes the transfer of many biological reagents solubilized in aqueous buffers, including siRNAs. The Echo 555 is ideal for siRNA dispensing because it is accurate at low volumes and a step-down dilution is not necessary. The potential for liquid carryover and cross-contamination is eliminated, as no tips are needed. Herein, we describe the siRNA screening platform at Southern Research's HTS Center using the ADE technology. With this technology, an siRNA library can be dispensed weeks or even months in advance of the assay itself. The protocol has been optimized to achieve assay parameters comparable to small-molecule screening parameters, and exceeding the norm reported for genomewide siRNA screens.
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA mnebane@southernresearch.org.
authors.forename: N Miranda
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Nebane
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coric
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McKellip
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: LaKeisha
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Mary-Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bjornsti
authors.affiliation: High Throughput Screening Center, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: E Lucile
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000379:methods*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies / Q000379:methods*; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays / Q000379:methods*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012996:Solutions
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions
keywords: acoustic droplet ejection; siRNA screening