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Creating experiments using Library Studio

Last edited by Illimar.Rekand

Preface

Herein are a few example experiments which decribe how to design experiments using the GUI in Library Studio

Creating a transfer experiment between two plates with defined well coordinates

Designing the experiment

This guide will show you how to create a simple experiment for the HTE platform using the GUI interface in Library Studio. The experiment in question is transferring 100 uL of liquid (water) from wells B1 to B3 (from now on B1:B3) from a source microplate ("Mother") to wells C1:C3 in a target microplate ("Daughter").

  1. Start Library Studio

  2. From the Tools tab in the menu bar, click Add New Library, or click the grid symbol shown below: image

  3. Create a name for the plate. In this example, we will name the plate "Mother". Set the well parameters for this microplate. In this example, we will set Rows to 4 and Columns to 6. Click OK when you are done.

  4. Repeat the step above, but name this plate "Daughter"

  5. In the Chemicals tab (first to the left on the bottom menu), enter the Name of the chemical. In this case we will call it "Water"

    image.png

(One option is to click the "Search Chemical Inventory" button, select "Name" under Field and then type "Water" under "Value", click "Search", which yields water, with all of its precalculated properties. Check the box, then click "Add to Sources".)

  1. In the sidepane, click "Water". Then highlight the wells B1:B3 in the "Mother" plate. In the drop-down menu "Map", choose "Exists". Choose "Water" for "Source", then "ul" for "Dispense Units". Click OK.
  2. You should now have question marks inside your highlighted cells. We will now define the volumes in the wells. Click "Formula" in the sidepane, then highlight the wells you want to select. Select ul for "Unit", then type in the dialoge box: ""water" = 200" (remember to wrap the chemical name inside quotation marks!). Click OK. The cells should now have the same colour as "Water" in the left pane.
  3. We will now define how and where the source wells should be transferred to. Click "Mother" on the sidepane, then select the cell range B1:B3 in the Mother plate. Then, select the cell range C1:C3 in the daughter plate (Notice how the selection highlight changes between the two selections). Define the Map as "Uniform", then make sure the the Dispense and Design unit is set to "ul". Set "Value" to 200. You will notice that the highlighted cells will show the volume.

    By selecting "Discrete Amounts" in "Map", you can also define individual volumes per well.

    Click OK.

Validating and creating the experiment design

  1. Click "Design Creator"
  2. Under the pane "Workflow Steps", under "Add ? Water to Mother", choose "Skip Dispense Step" under "Dispense Operations". Under "Add 100 ul Mother to Daughter", select "Liquid Dispense" under "Dispense Operations". Under "Dispense Tools", select "H6TiP". Click "Next".
  3. In the "Libraries" pane, select the type of plate ("Rack 4x6 4mL vial"), the deck positions and set "Initial State" to "None". Repeat for both plates. Click "Next".
  4. In "Validate Design", you should get a confirmation that the design has been fully validated. Click "Finalize".
  5. Create a Design Name. Select "Save".

Running the experiment

Before running the design, it might be a good idea to check that the experiment will run. Using AS Tech Tool you can "Disable Hardware", which will essentially set the robot into a simulation mode. Your design might be incomplete for some reason, and running the experiment in simulation mode will produce an error which might not have been caught in the previous steps.

  1. Open Automation Studio
  2. Click "Run Experiment"
  3. Click on the green button next to Design ID and choose the right project from the left sidepane. Choose the design ID you want to run (normally the most recent one). Click "OK", then "Next". Click "Next on the "Run Experiment" page.
  4. You will see the Automation GUI show the status of your run.
  5. After the run has completed, you may also view the log of the experiment under the tab "Logs". For a more pleasureable viewing experience, click "Open log folder" and open the log in an IDE such as VSCode

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