Automated Cell Culture Maintenance and High Throughput/High Content Screening Platform

The Translational Neuroscience group studies patient-derived cellular models for brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease ex vivo. The automation platform, established in 2016, will take advantage of strong expertise in phenotypic assay development to discover neuroprotective compounds in the framework of repurposing of already approved drugs.

Our screening programs will be using FDA approved drugs with the objective to be able to propose compounds validated in therapeutics to patients with other medical indications as soon as possible.

The Platform

Our high throughput/high content platform allows maintaining induced pluripotent stem cells in culture;differentiating these cells into neurons while performing chemical or viral-vector-based genetic screenings.

		Instrument		Function
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14		BioMek FX BioMekNX Echo550 Opera Zeiss Palm ViCell X-Peel ALPS 3000 SCARA Cytomat Sigma 6K Cap-it All Sci-Print Biosafety Cabinet		Screening liquid handler Cell culture liquid handler Acoustic dispenser Confocal high content microscope Laser microscope for iPSc colony cleaning Cell viability Peeling foils on plates Sealing foils on plates Arm robot on rail Incubator (4°c to 37°c) Centrifuge Tube capper/decapper Printer / labeler BSL2 enclosure

The platform has been built with the most advanced technologies to maximize efficiency and multitasking:

• Classical pipetting (8, 96 and 384 pipetting head) : Beckman Biomek FX and NX
• Acoustic dispensing : Labcyte ECHO 550
• Cell viability and confluency measurements : ViCell, Zeiss Palm
• Cell colonies dissection : Zeiss Palm laser dissection microscope
• High content imaging : Opera automated confocal microscopy

Have a look at how it works!

 

Assets of our automated platform

1. Cell Culture Maintenance

• Maintenance of Fibroblasts, Neural Precursor Cells (smNPC) and induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC)
• Handling of many formats: 1, 6, 8, 96 and 384 well plate
• Pipetting flexibility thanks to Span 8 dispenser or 96/384 head dispenser
• Automated differentiation of Neuroprecursor cells into mature neurons
• iPSC quality control by laser dissection using the ZEISS Palm

→ Stem cell culture & High Throughput Screen can run in parallel

2. Compound Management

• Reformatting from tubes to 384 well format: 96 or/and 384 head liquid handler
• Acoustic nano liter range dispensing and cherry picking, no tips needed

→ Flexibility , accuracy & cost saving

3. High Content Screening

• In 96 and 384 wells format
• Using a variety of chemicals: >5000 FDA/EMA approved drugs
• High Content Imaging using the automated confocal Opera microscope

→ HC Imaging screening on neuronal precursor cells and/or neurons derived from patients using isogenic controls

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Ibrahim Boussaad	Gérald Cruciani