INTEGRA reports on how researchers at the Health Innovation Research Institute at RMIT University (Bundoora, Australia) are using VIAFLO II electronic pipettes in conjunction with a VIAFLO ASSIST to scale-up their screening of venoms and small compounds.
The Health Innovations Research Institute (HIRi) is an RMIT University initiative that seeks to
address key health issues facing Australia in the 21st century, with research programs that examine
how the human body functions at a molecular and cellular level. This research is targeted to provide
innovative therapeutic strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Australia and
around the world.
Bill Darby, a Researcher at HIRi, commented "We approached INTEGRA’s Australian distributor
(BioTools Pty Ltd.) for a solution to scale-up our screening of venoms and small compounds in both
96- and 384-well plates. Following a demonstration we found that the VIAFLO ASSIST pipetting
assistant met our required criteria of a cost effective and easy to use pipetting solution, which lead
us to purchase the ASSIST and 3 VIAFLO II multichannel pipettes”.
Mr Darby added “Since its introduction, the system has been running perfectly and we have been
able to achieve the scaling-up we required. The ASSIST has delivered more accurate and precise
pipetting results that have improved our assay results. Another significant benefit is that the ASSIST is very compact and easily fits in our lab hood. We have also found that the versatility of the VIAFLO II pipettes has proven especially useful for handling complicated layouts in 384-well plates”.