Miniaturization Made Easy: Thermo Scientific™ Multidrop™ Pico 8 Surfactant Free (sf) Digital Dispenser

Thermo Scientific™ Multidrop™ Pico 8 sf Digital Dispenser

The Multidrop Pico 8 sf Digital Dispenser is a precision liquid handling system engineered to streamline assay setup, accelerate workflows, and minimize reagent waste in modern laboratories. It provides non-contact digital dispensing from 8 picoliters to 10 microliters, enabling researchers to perform high-throughput, low-volume applications with exceptional accuracy and reproducibility.

Function

The system automates the delivery of nanoliter and picoliter volumes into assay plates ranging from 12 to 1,536 wells, eliminating manual pipetting and the variability it introduces. Its Multidrop PicoIT software provides a user-friendly interface for designing, executing, and tracking complex experiments.

Core capabilities include:
- Digital dispensing precision: Each droplet is controlled electronically, ensuring consistent volume delivery down to 8 pL.
- Assay miniaturization: Reduces reagent and sample consumption by up to tenfold, minimizing costs while maintaining assay quality.
- Non-contact dispensing: Disposable cartridges prevent contamination and carryover between samples.
- Automation compatibility: The dispenser’s cartridges can be robotically gripped and inserted, supporting fully automated workflows.
- Software-driven customization: Built-in wizards simplify the creation of dose-response, qPCR, and drug synergy protocols without complex programming.

The instrument supports diverse fluid types—including aqueous solutions, PCR master mixes, DMSO-based reagents, and nanoparticle suspensions—offering broad applicability for research and screening environments.

Key Benefits and Performance

1. Speed and Efficiency
- Performs a typical dose-response experiment in 15 seconds, compared to 10 minutes using traditional serial dilution.
- Reduces repetitive manual steps, improving throughput and lowering risk of repetitive strain injuries.

2. Accuracy and Traceability
- Achieves a coefficient of variation (CV) ≤ 8%, ensuring uniform data quality across wells.
- The Multidrop PicoIT software logs dispensing time and reagent usage for each well, maintaining full audit trails for regulatory or QA purposes.

3. Flexibility and Ease of Use
- Dispenses any volume into any well at any time, enabling full randomization and complex experimental layouts.
- Preprogrammed templates for Applied Biosystems™ qPCR master mixes optimize reagent mixing and protocol consistency.
- Supports randomization and multiple titration modes for robust dose-response and drug combination studies.

4. Cost and Sustainability
- Enables up to 90% labware waste reduction through direct dilution within assay plates, cutting both costs and plastic usage.
- Efficient reagent use reduces compound waste and enhances sustainability in high-throughput screening workflows.

Applications

The Multidrop Pico 8 sf is optimized for a wide range of biological and chemical assays:

- Drug discovery – dose-response curves, SAR studies, and synergy testing.
- Molecular biology – qPCR setup with preprogrammed master mix templates.
- Biochemical and cell-based assays – enzyme profiling, secondary screening, DMPK workflows.
- Synthetic chemistry and spotting applications – precise microdispensing of small molecules and reagents.
- Antibody and biologic development – scalable miniaturization of complex assay setups.

Technical Highlights

- Dispensing range: 8 pL–10 µL
- Compatible plate formats: 12–1,536 wells
- Fluid compatibility: Aqueous and DMSO-based solutions, biomolecules up to 300 kDa, and nanoparticles ≤1 µm
- Automation-ready: Cartridges designed for robotic insertion
- Software: Multidrop PicoIT with experiment templates and audit trail features
- Dimensions/weight: 47 × 38 × 23 cm; 14.1 kg

Value Proposition

The Multidrop Pico 8 sf offers effortless precision and reproducible results for laboratories seeking to increase productivity and lower operational costs. By combining digital dispensing technology, intuitive software, and sustainable design, it enables researchers to:
- Streamline workflows with faster assay setup
- Reduce reagent costs and waste generation
- Improve accuracy and repeatability of experimental data
- Support automation and scalability for modern screening environments

In essence, the Multidrop Pico 8 sf empowers labs to achieve more with less—more data, more accuracy, and more throughput, with less time, cost, and waste.