INTEGRA Biosciences’ pipetting platforms are being used to streamline the liquid handling steps involved in antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), contributing to the early detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and helping to direct patients onto the appropriate care pathway as soon as possible.
AMR has become one of the largest threats currently facing public health, with morbidity and mortality rates rising dramatically across the world. The key to effective and timely treatment is the rapid identification of antibiotic resistance, and molecular techniques are quickly gaining traction for AST, thanks to their fast turnaround times. However, this approach is often laborious and slow, involving numerous time-consuming and error-prone manual pipetting steps. This significantly holds up laboratory workflows, possibly delaying the start of treatment.
Fortunately, INTEGRA’s user-friendly pipetting platforms can simplify complicated liquid handling steps for a streamlined molecular testing workflow. For example, the ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot (pictured above) and VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipette offer automatic liquid transfer and mixing, while the MINI 96 portable electronic pipette can be used for fast sample extraction and qPCR set-up by adding 96 samples or reagents in parallel.
The ASSIST PLUS is also capable of automating the nucleic acid extraction process, enabling users to obtain consistently high-quality DNA material from samples. The VIAFLO 96 handheld electronic pipette is perfect for the hands-free purification of PCR products for sequencing, while the ASSIST PLUS and D-ONE single channel pipetting module can be used to perform effortless DNA library normalization, as well as serial dilutions and hit picking.
These robust and ergonomic products help to minimize human errors and lead to consistent, accurate and reliable results, as well as a faster lab workflow and higher productivity. This ultimately enables clinicians to prescribe the correct treatment sooner, which has the potential to improve recovery times and overall patient outcomes.