How the I.DOT Non-contact Liquid Handler Enables More Efficient COVID-19 RT-PCR Testing

How the I.DOT  Enables Efficient

COVID-19 RT-PCR Testing

In the two years that the world has been facing the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmed cases and deaths globally have totaled nearly 228 million and over 4.6 million, respectively, according to the World Health Organization. The human, social and economic disruptions have also been severe.

By implementing aggressive testing, health officials are able to not only identify and treat the infected but also do contact tracing to prevent additional infections and more efficiently allocate resources and healthcare workers. For researchers, testing also offers important data for better understanding the SARS-CoV-2 virus and pandemic.

Of the many preventive measures, RT-PCRs testing is being widely adopted because it is sensitive, rapid, scalable and accurate. However, an RT-PCR test and the associated reagents can cost more than 100 USD, require 4 to 6 hours for analysis, and take 24 hours to turn around results. Some studies even suggest that RT-PCR workflows that use hand pipetting can lead to cross-contamination and false-positive or false-negative results if samples are incorrectly collected, stored, processed and purified.

Thankfully, the I.DOT,  manufactured by DISPENDIX, offers an automated, optimized alternative to conventional RT-PCR workflows. The noncontact liquid handler uses eight individually controlled positive pressure channels to generate droplets of 8 to 50 nanoliters from a small hole at the bottom of each well in the source plate, and each channel can generate up to 100 droplets per second for higher throughput. It can handle multiple liquid classes, produce low dead volume and features built-in droplet verification technology. By processing a 96-well plate in as little as 5 minutes, the I.DOT’s automation saves hours of hands-on lab work. Furthermore, the automation minimizes cross-contamination and enables low and accurate dispensing of costly reagents, while minimizing human error and increasing reliability.

The I.DOT helps customers streamline their research

Stockholm’s ABC Labs, founded in April 2020 to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, was an instrumental partner in saving Swedish lives. The startup developed rapid, scalable, state-of-the-art PCR testing with the I.DOT, which is still analyzing thousands of tests a day for the Public Health Agency, as well as regional and private healthcare providers across the country. Although we still have a long way to go in our fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the I.DOT’s best-in-class liquid handling platform is contributing to the fight and saving lives.