Acceptance Criteria for Five Life Science Workflows
| Instrument or workstation | Main liquid handling tasks | Confirm first | Acceptance priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nucleic Acid Processing | Sample preparation, washing and eluate recovery | Material to retain, extraction architecture, residual liquid and consumables | Recovery, contamination blanks and downstream reactions |
| Cell culture and transfer | Medium replenishment and cell-suspension transfer | Delivery mode, bore size, residence time and actual culture conditions | Cumulative replenishment volume, cell recovery and cell condition |
| Experimental workflow automation | Laboratory pipetting, washing and transfers between stations | Liquid classes, wetted-path architecture, consumables and sample identity | Actual delivered volume, blanks and subsequent experimental results |
| Protein and antibody processing | Protein transfer, buffer selection and sample loading | Actual formulation, wetted surfaces, residence time and pressure exposure | Recovery through the complete flow path, composition changeover and analytical response |
| Process feeding and sampling | Feeding, sampling and drainage in experimental processes | Delivery mode, sample-discard budget, maintenance and contamination-control boundary | Individual and cumulative quantities, representativeness and restart status |
Choose the fluid path around the material the experiment must retain
Start with the biological material and its receiving vessel: nucleic-acid eluate, a cell suspension and a protein fraction require different handling. Mark which fractions remain in the experiment and which go to waste before selecting metering drives, source-selection valves and wetted materials. Compare delivered volume alongside target recovery, cell condition or adsorption through the complete path. A repeatable buffer dose alone does not establish that the transferred biological material remains suitable for the next step.
Instrument or method objectiveFluid paths and operating statesWorking volume and cycle timeCandidate configurationReceipt and method validation
Roles of commonly used products in this field
| Product category | Main functions in this field |
|---|---|
| Air-displacement pipetting pump | Tip-based transfer of samples, reagents and products; robotic pipetting; tip-based protein sample preparation |
| Syringe pump | Reagent metering in fixed flow paths; periodic replenishment and discrete transfer; fixed-path dispensing and reagent transfer; discrete transfer of protein samples and buffers; metering individual feeds and samples |
| Multiport rotary valve | Selection of reagent sources and transfer destinations; selection between workstations or liquid sources; selection of buffers and sample sources; routing for feeding, sampling and maintenance |
| Bubble and pressure detection | Bubble and pressure signals for monitoring transfer and supply interruptions, load changes and protein-processing branches; the controller associates signal events with sample steps and process records. |
| Tubing and fittings | A complete flow path for recovery assessment; connections between culture vessels and liquid sources; physical flow paths between workstations; all protein-contact surfaces; connections between process vessels and fluid branches |
| Valveless metering pumps | Suitable repeated or continuous medium supply; suitable repeated and continuous feeding |
| Liquid diaphragm pump | Auxiliary culture-medium supply and washing; shared washing or replenishment supply; auxiliary buffer supply and washing |
| Tubing pinch-off solutions | Isolation of flexible-tubing branches; isolation and replacement of flexible-tubing paths |
| Gas-liquid diaphragm pump | Suitable air-containing wash-station drainage |
| High-pressure injection valve | Switching pressurized separation paths where required |
Validate component operating points and application results separately
Record delivered volume separately from experimental results. For nucleic acids, assess recovery, residual liquid and downstream usability; for cells, assess recovery and cell condition; for proteins, assess recovery through the complete flow path and analytical response. Include low volumes, sample changeovers, liquid changes and the first cycle after restart. Confirm experimental results even when platform motions have completed.
Explore related application fields by task
Information needed to start a configuration discussion
| Information category | Information needed |
|---|---|
| Experimental material | Nucleic acids, cells or proteins; actual formulations, concentrations and temperatures |
| Material retention and destinations | Solid-phase or product location, waste and receiving vessels, and allowable residual liquid |
| Operating conditions | Working volumes, consumables or fixed paths, contact duration and workstation actions |
| Acceptance target | Recovery, blanks, cell condition or method response, and interruption handling |