Automating the Development of Aptamer-Based Biological Tools with Tecan

The ARNA Laboratory in Bordeaux, France, is using DNA and RNA aptamers to develop novel tools for biological applications. To increase throughput, the laboratory has automated its procedures on two Freedom EVO® platforms, as Inserm Research Director Dr Jean-Jacques Toulmé explained: “Our association with Tecan began when we decided to automate our selection protocols to allow us to screen large libraries of oligonucleotides.

We generally perform two selections in parallel, consisting of between 8 and 15 runs. With each run taking around six hours, the selection process is completed in about a week to 10 days. This would be difficult to do manually, and is a tedious, repetitive task for a scientist to carry out. We contacted various suppliers before choosing Tecan, investing in a Freedom EVO platform which enabled the process to be almost completely automated, freeing up staff time and helping us to achieve the desired throughput.”

“We then realized that we needed a second automated platform for our production processes, and chose a Freedom EVO with an integrated Infinite® M1000 PRO multimode reader. This gave us the capability to use additional techniques – including AlphaScreen® assays and fluorescence anisotropy – and everything is still working very smoothly. Automation has been a great benefit to our workflow.