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High-Throughput Intracellular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Legionella pneumophila
Chiaraviglio, Lucius
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Notably, in the human host, the organism is believed to replicate solely within an intracellular compartment, predominantly within pulmonary macrophages. Consequently, successful therapy is predicated on antimicrobials penetrating into this intracellular growth niche. However, standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods test solely for extracellular growth inhibition. Here, we make use of a high-throughput assay to characterize intracellular growth inhibition activity of known antimicrobials. For select antimicrobials, high-resolution dose-response analysis was then performed to characterize and compare activity levels in both macrophage infection and axenic growth assays. Results support the superiority of several classes of nonpolar antimicrobials in abrogating intracellular growth. Importantly, our assay results show excellent correlations with prior clinical observations of antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, we also show the applicability of high-throughput automation to two- and three-dimensional synergy testing. High-resolution isocontour isobolograms provide in vitro support for specific combination antimicrobial therapy. Taken together, findings suggest that high-throughput screening technology may be successfully applied to identify and characterize antimicrobials that target bacterial pathogens that make use of an intracellular growth niche. PMID:26392509
High-Throughput Intracellular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Legionella pneumophila.
Chiaraviglio, Lucius; Kirby, James E
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Notably, in the human host, the organism is believed to replicate solely within an intracellular compartment, predominantly within pulmonary macrophages. Consequently, successful therapy is predicated on antimicrobials penetrating into this intracellular growth niche. However, standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods test solely for extracellular growth inhibition. Here, we make use of a high-throughput assay to characterize intracellular growth inhibition activity of known antimicrobials. For select antimicrobials, high-resolution dose-response analysis was then performed to characterize and compare activity levels in both macrophage infection and axenic growth assays. Results support the superiority of several classes of nonpolar antimicrobials in abrogating intracellular growth. Importantly, our assay results show excellent correlations with prior clinical observations of antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, we also show the applicability of high-throughput automation to two- and three-dimensional synergy testing. High-resolution isocontour isobolograms provide in vitro support for specific combination antimicrobial therapy. Taken together, findings suggest that high-throughput screening technology may be successfully applied to identify and characterize antimicrobials that target bacterial pathogens that make use of an intracellular growth niche. PMID:26392509
Predicting Novel Bulk Metallic Glasses via High- Throughput Calculations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Perim, E.; Lee, D.; Liu, Y.; Toher, C.; Gong, P.; Li, Y.; Simmons, W. N.; Levy, O.; Vlassak, J.; Schroers, J.; Curtarolo, S.
Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are materials which may combine key properties from crystalline metals, such as high hardness, with others typically presented by plastics, such as easy processability. However, the cost of the known BMGs poses a significant obstacle for the development of applications, which has lead to a long search for novel, economically viable, BMGs. The emergence of high-throughput DFT calculations, such as the library provided by the AFLOWLIB consortium, has provided new tools for materials discovery. We have used this data to develop a new glass forming descriptor combining structural factors with thermodynamics in order to quickly screen through a large number of alloy systems in the AFLOWLIB database, identifying the most promising systems and the optimal compositions for glass formation. National Science Foundation (DMR-1436151, DMR-1435820, DMR-1436268).
High-throughput synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline porphyrinic zirconium metal-organic frameworks.
Kelty, M L; Morris, W; Gallagher, A T; Anderson, J S; Brown, K A; Mirkin, C A; Harris, T D
We describe and employ a high-throughput screening method to accelerate the synthesis and identification of pure-phase, nanocrystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). We demonstrate the efficacy of this method through its application to a series of porphyrinic zirconium MOFs, resulting in the isolation of MOF-525, MOF-545, and PCN-223 on the nanoscale. PMID:27247981
High-sensitivity high-throughput chip based biosensor array for multiplexed detection of heavy metals
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yan, Hai; Tang, Naimei; Jairo, Grace A.; Chakravarty, Swapnajit; Blake, Diane A.; Chen, Ray T.
Heavy metal ions released into the environment from industrial processes lead to various health hazards. We propose an on-chip label-free detection approach that allows high-sensitivity and high-throughput detection of heavy metals. The sensing device consists of 2-dimensional photonic crystal microcavities that are combined by multimode interferometer to form a sensor array. We experimentally demonstrate the detection of cadmium-chelate conjugate with concentration as low as 5 parts-per-billion (ppb).
Incorporating Population Variability and Susceptible Subpopulations into Dosimetry for High-Throughput Toxicity Testing
Momentum is growing worldwide to use in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) to evaluate human health effects of chemicals. However, the integration of dosimetry into HTS assays and incorporation of population variability will be essential before its application in a risk assess...
Evaluation of high-throughput assays for in vitro drug susceptibility testing of Tritrichomonas foetus trophozoites.
Bader, Chris; Jesudoss Chelladurai, Jeba; Thompson, Kylie; Hall, Cindy; Carlson, Steve A; Brewer, Matthew T
Tritrichomonas foetus is a sexually transmitted protozoan parasite that causes abortions in cattle and results in severe economic losses. In the United States, there are no safe and effective treatments for this parasite and infected animals are typically culled. In order to expedite drug discovery efforts, we investigated in vitro trophozoite killing assays amenable to high-throughput screening in 96 well plate formats. We evaluated the reduction of resorufin, incorporation of propidium iodide, and a luminescence-based ATP detection assay. Of these methods, reduction of resorufin was found to be the most reliable predictor of trophozoite concentrations. We further validated this method by conducting dose-response experiments suitable for calculation of EC50 values for two established compounds with known activity against trophozoites in vitro, namely, metronidazole and ronidazole. Our results demonstrate that the resorufin method is suitable for high-throughput screening and could be used to enhance efforts targeting new treatments for bovine trichomoniasis. PMID:27198774
High-throughput screening of metal-porphyrin-like graphenes for selective capture of carbon dioxide
Bae, Hyeonhu; Park, Minwoo; Jang, Byungryul; Kang, Yura; Park, Jinwoo; Lee, Hosik; Chung, Haegeun; Chung, ChiHye; Hong, Suklyun; Kwon, Yongkyung; Yakobson, Boris I.; Lee, Hoonkyung
Nanostructured materials, such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, have been considered to capture CO2. However, their application has been limited largely because they exhibit poor selectivity for flue gases and low capture capacity under low pressures. We perform a high-throughput screening for selective CO2 capture from flue gases by using first principles thermodynamics. We find that elements with empty d orbitals selectively attract CO2 from gaseous mixtures under low CO2 pressures (~10−3 bar) at 300 K and release it at ~450 K. CO2 binding to elements involves hybridization of the metal d orbitals with the CO2 π orbitals and CO2-transition metal complexes were observed in experiments. This result allows us to perform high-throughput screening to discover novel promising CO2 capture materials with empty d orbitals (e.g., Sc– or V–porphyrin-like graphene) and predict their capture performance under various conditions. Moreover, these findings provide physical insights into selective CO2 capture and open a new path to explore CO2 capture materials. PMID:26902156
High-throughput screening of metal-porphyrin-like graphenes for selective capture of carbon dioxide.
Bae, Hyeonhu; Park, Minwoo; Jang, Byungryul; Kang, Yura; Park, Jinwoo; Lee, Hosik; Chung, Haegeun; Chung, ChiHye; Hong, Suklyun; Kwon, Yongkyung; Yakobson, Boris I; Lee, Hoonkyung
Nanostructured materials, such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, have been considered to capture CO2. However, their application has been limited largely because they exhibit poor selectivity for flue gases and low capture capacity under low pressures. We perform a high-throughput screening for selective CO2 capture from flue gases by using first principles thermodynamics. We find that elements with empty d orbitals selectively attract CO2 from gaseous mixtures under low CO2 pressures (~10(-3) bar) at 300 K and release it at ~450 K. CO2 binding to elements involves hybridization of the metal d orbitals with the CO2 π orbitals and CO2-transition metal complexes were observed in experiments. This result allows us to perform high-throughput screening to discover novel promising CO2 capture materials with empty d orbitals (e.g., Sc- or V-porphyrin-like graphene) and predict their capture performance under various conditions. Moreover, these findings provide physical insights into selective CO2 capture and open a new path to explore CO2 capture materials. PMID:26902156
High-throughput screening of metal-porphyrin-like graphenes for selective capture of carbon dioxide
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bae, Hyeonhu; Park, Minwoo; Jang, Byungryul; Kang, Yura; Park, Jinwoo; Lee, Hosik; Chung, Haegeun; Chung, Chihye; Hong, Suklyun; Kwon, Yongkyung; Yakobson, Boris I.; Lee, Hoonkyung
Nanostructured materials, such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, have been considered to capture CO2. However, their application has been limited largely because they exhibit poor selectivity for flue gases and low capture capacity under low pressures. We perform a high-throughput screening for selective CO2 capture from flue gases by using first principles thermodynamics. We find that elements with empty d orbitals selectively attract CO2 from gaseous mixtures under low CO2 pressures (~10-3 bar) at 300 K and release it at ~450 K. CO2 binding to elements involves hybridization of the metal d orbitals with the CO2 π orbitals and CO2-transition metal complexes were observed in experiments. This result allows us to perform high-throughput screening to discover novel promising CO2 capture materials with empty d orbitals (e.g., Sc- or V-porphyrin-like graphene) and predict their capture performance under various conditions. Moreover, these findings provide physical insights into selective CO2 capture and open a new path to explore CO2 capture materials.
High throughput methods for analyzing transition metals in proteins on a microgram scale.
Atanassova, Anelia; Högbom, Martin; Zamble, Deborah B
Transition metals are among the most common ligands that contribute to the biochemical and physiological properties of proteins. In the course of structural proteomic projects, the detection of transition metal cofactors prior to the determination of a high-resolution structure is extremely beneficial. This information can be used to select tractable targets from the proteomic pipeline because the presence of a metal often improves protein stability and can be used to help solve the phasing problem in x-ray crystallography. Recombinant proteins are often purified with substoichiometric amounts of metal loaded, so additional metal may be needed to obtain the homogeneous protein solution crucial for structural analysis. Furthermore, identifying a metal cofactor provides a clue about the nature of the biological role of an unclassified protein and can be applied with structural data in the assignation of a putative function. Many of the existing methods for transition metal analysis of purified proteins have limitations, which include a requirement for a large quantity of protein or a reliance on equipment with a prohibitive cost.The authors have developed two simple high throughput methods for identifying metalloproteins on a microgram scale. Each of the techniques has distinct advantages and can be applied to address divergent experimental goals. The first method, based on simple luminescence and colorimetric reactions, is fast, cheap, and semiquantitative. The second method, which employs HPLC separation, is accurate and affords unambiguous metal identification. PMID:18542873
Incorporating population variability and susceptible subpopulations into dosimetry for high-throughput toxicity testing.
Wetmore, Barbara A; Allen, Brittany; Clewell, Harvey J; Parker, Timothy; Wambaugh, John F; Almond, Lisa M; Sochaski, Mark A; Thomas, Russell S
Momentum is growing worldwide to use in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) to evaluate human health effects of chemicals. However, the integration of dosimetry into HTS assays and incorporation of population variability will be essential before its application in a risk assessment context. Previously, we employed in vitro hepatic metabolic clearance and plasma protein binding data with in vitro in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) modeling to estimate oral equivalent doses, or daily oral chemical doses required to achieve steady-state blood concentrations (Css) equivalent to media concentrations having a defined effect in an in vitro HTS assay. In this study, hepatic clearance rates of selected ToxCast chemicals were measured in vitro for 13 cytochrome P450 and five uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronysyltransferase isozymes using recombinantly expressed enzymes. The isozyme-specific clearance rates were then incorporated into an IVIVE model that captures known differences in isozyme expression across several life stages and ethnic populations. Comparison of the median Css for a healthy population against the median or the upper 95th percentile for more sensitive populations revealed differences of 1.3- to 4.3-fold or 3.1- to 13.1-fold, respectively. Such values may be used to derive chemical-specific human toxicokinetic adjustment factors. The IVIVE model was also used to estimate subpopulation-specific oral equivalent doses that were directly compared with subpopulation-specific exposure estimates. This study successfully combines isozyme and physiologic differences to quantitate subpopulation pharmacokinetic variability. Incorporation of these values with dosimetry and in vitro bioactivities provides a viable approach that could be employed within a high-throughput risk assessment framework. PMID:25145659
Wide-field single metal nanoparticle spectroscopy for high throughput localized surface plasmon resonance sensing.
Chen, Kok Hao; Hobley, Jonathan; Foo, Yong Lim; Su, Xiaodi
Noble metal nanoparticles (mNPs) have a distinct extinction spectrum arising from their ability to support Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR). Single-particle biosensing with LSPR is label free and offers a number of advantages, including single molecular sensitivity, multiplex detection, and in vivo quantification of chemical species etc. In this article, we introduce Single-particle LSPR Imaging (SLI), a wide-field spectral imaging method for high throughput LSPR biosensing. The SLI utilizes a transmission grating to generate the diffraction spectra from multiple mNPs, which are captured using a Charge Coupled Device (CCD). With the SLI, we are able to simultaneously image and track the spectral changes of up to 50 mNPs in a single (∼1 s) exposure and yet still retain a reasonable spectral resolution for biosensing. Using the SLI, we could observe spectral shift under different local refractive index environments and demonstrate biosensing using biotin-streptavidin as a model system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a transmission grating based spectral imaging approach has been used for mNPs LSPR sensing. The higher throughput LSPR sensing, offered by SLI, opens up a new possibility of performing label-free, single-molecule experiments in a high-throughput manner. PMID:21359329
Hi-Plex for high-throughput mutation screening: application to the breast cancer susceptibility gene PALB2
Background Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has revolutionised biomedical research and offers enormous capacity for clinical application. We previously reported Hi-Plex, a streamlined highly-multiplexed PCR-MPS approach, allowing a given library to be sequenced with both the Ion Torrent and TruSeq chemistries. Comparable sequencing efficiency was achieved using material derived from lymphoblastoid cell lines and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour. Methods Here, we report high-throughput application of Hi-Plex by performing blinded mutation screening of the coding regions of the breast cancer susceptibility gene PALB2 on a set of 95 blood-derived DNA samples that had previously been screened using Sanger sequencing and high-resolution melting curve analysis (n = 90), or genotyped by Taqman probe-based assays (n = 5). Hi-Plex libraries were prepared simultaneously using relatively inexpensive, readily available reagents in a simple half-day protocol followed by MPS on a single MiSeq run. Results We observed that 99.93% of amplicons were represented at ≥10X coverage. All 56 previously identified variant calls were detected and no false positive calls were assigned. Four additional variant calls were made and confirmed upon re-analysis of previous data or subsequent Sanger sequencing. Conclusions These results support Hi-Plex as a powerful approach for rapid, cost-effective and accurate high-throughput mutation screening. They further demonstrate that Hi-Plex methods are suitable for and can meet the demands of high-throughput genetic testing in research and clinical settings. PMID:24206657
Micro x-ray fluorescence as a high throughput screening method for metal chelating compounds
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Minogue, Edel M.; Havrilla, George J.; Taylor, Tammy P.; Burrell, Anthony K.; Warner, Benjamin P.
Micro X-ray Fluorescence (MXRF) has proven to be a powerful tool in the rapid and quantitative means of screening oliogpeptides. MXRF is a non-destructive method of analysis, which can detect elemental composition of a sample by measuring its characteristic X-ray emission wavelengths or energies. An effective high throughput screening technique is described for the rapid screening of bead-based libraries by MXRF in order to identify suitable chelating agents that will bind metals found in radioactive dispersive devices. It is a sensitive technique which in conjunction with the wide range of chemistry inherent in peptide libraries (e.g. varying charge, length, hydrophobicity, aromaticity etc.), provides a rapid and quantitative means for screening chelator-ion binding. The method involves the selection of a suitable library of ligands; in this case it is a bead-based library of peptides. The library is exposed to the cation of interest and immobilized on to a microarray. The array is then analyzed by MXRF enabling rapid identification of chelating agents. This enables the screening of approximately 27,500 sequences per day. Initial experiments carried out successfully identified sequences that are selective for Co under certain binding conditions. This involved the screening of 8,400 sequences in adverse environmental conditions containing possible interferences (e.g. Ca, Fe, Al, Cs, Ir), which could be encountered in our application.
Synthesis and characterization of four new metal 5-phosphonoisophthalates discovered by high-throughput experimentation
Bauer, Sebastian
A new ligand, 5-diethylphosphonoisophthalic acid ((HOOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}(C{sub 2}H{sub 5}){sub 2}, H{sub 2}Et{sub 2}L), for the hydrothermal synthesis of inorganic-organic hybrid compounds was prepared and characterized by NMR-spectroscopy. Its in situ hydrolysis leads to the corresponding 5-phosphonoisophthalic acid ((HOOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}H{sub 2}, H{sub 4}L). Applying high-throughput methods, different di- and trivalent metal salts for the synthesis of crystalline metal phosphonates based on H{sub 2}Et{sub 2}L have been screened. From the resulting discovery library, single-crystals of four new compounds, [Sm{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 4}(H(OOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}){sub 2}].2H{sub 2}O (1), [Cu{sub 3}(H{sub 2}O)(H(OOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}){sub 2}].2H{sub 2}O (2), Ca{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O)[H(OOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}H]{sub 2} (3), and Ba{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 3}(OOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3} (4), have been isolated. The single-crystal structure determination of the title compounds shows H{sub 4}L to be a versatile ligand, exhibiting different types of coordination modes between the functional groups and the metal ions. A comparison of the structural features of the title compounds shows a varying degree of M-O-M connectivities. Thus, isolated metal-oxygen clusters (compounds 1 and 2), infinite M-O-M chains (compound 3), and infinite M-O-M layers (compound 4) are observed. The title compounds 1, 2, and 3 were further characterized by IR-spectroscopy, TG-, EDX-, and elemental chemical analysis. - Graphical abstract: Applying high-throughput methods, the new ligand 5-diethylphosphonoisophtalic acid, (HOOC){sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 3}-PO{sub 3}(C{sub 2}H{sub 5}){sub 2} (H{sub 2}Et{sub 2}L), was reacted with several di- and trivalent metal salts under hydrothermal conditions. Single-crystals of four new inorganic-organic hybrid compounds were isolated from the discovery library. The single
Strategies and applications of combinatorial methods and high throughput screening to the discovery of non-noble metal catalyst
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bricker, Maureen L.; Sachtler, J. W. Adriaan; Gillespie, Ralph D.; McGonegal, Charles P.; Vega, Honorio; Bem, Dave S.; Holmgren, Jennifer S.
The integrated End-to-End™ combinatorial process for catalyst preparation and screening, with emphasis on its capability to vary both process and compositional parameters will be demonstrated. Additionally, each step of the combinatorial screening process has been validated against results from traditional screening methods. The greatest challenge of all has been the adherence to the core concepts of the combinatorial approach. Catalyst libraries have been made and tested for naphthalene dehydrogenation chemistry. The preparation of these libraries has included the application of high throughput techniques for: metal impregnation; catalyst finishing; catalyst screening. The catalyst screening system has been used to find a non-noble metal catalyst system that can replace Pt in dehydrogenation applications in the petroleum industry. A proprietary catalytic composition was developed for the dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane (MCH) to toluene starting with four non-noble metals of different proportions and four different supports (alumina, titania, zirconia and silica) prepared in different ways and applying a statistical design of experiments. These data demonstrate that all steps of catalyst preparation and screening are performed in a rapid, useful, high throughput manner. Data will be presented from the catalyst screening efforts will demonstrate that optimized metal composition is dependent on the support type.
High-Throughput Laser Peening of Metals Using a High-Average-Power Nd: Glass Laser System
Dane, C.B.; Hackel, L.A.; Halpin, J.; Daly, J.; Harrisson, J.; Harris, J.
Laser shot peening, a surface treatment for metals, is known to induce residual compressive stresses to depths of over 1 mm providing improved component resistance to various forms of failure. Recent information also suggests that thermal relaxation of the laser induced stress is significantly less than that experienced by other forms of surface stressing that involve significantly higher levels of cold work. We have developed a unique solid state laser technology employing Nd:glass amplifier slabs and SBS phase conjugation that enables this process to move into high throughput production processing.
Combinatorial electrochemical cell array for high throughput screening of micro-fuel-cells and metal/air batteries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jiang, Rongzhong
An electrochemical cell array was designed that contains a common air electrode and 16 microanodes for high throughput screening of both fuel cells (based on polymer electrolyte membrane) and metal/air batteries (based on liquid electrolyte). Electrode materials can easily be coated on the anodes of the electrochemical cell array and screened by switching a graphite probe from one cell to the others. The electrochemical cell array was used to study direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), including high throughput screening of electrode catalysts and determination of optimum operating conditions. For screening of DMFCs, there is about 6% relative standard deviation (percentage of standard deviation versus mean value) for discharge current from 10to20mA/cm2. The electrochemical cell array was also used to study tin/air batteries. The effect of Cu content in the anode electrode on the discharge performance of the tin/air battery was investigated. The relative standard deviations for screening of metal/air battery (based on zinc/air) are 2.4%, 3.6%, and 5.1% for discharge current at 50, 100, and 150mA/cm2, respectively.
Combinatorial electrochemical cell array for high throughput screening of micro-fuel-cells and metal/air batteries.
Jiang, Rongzhong
An electrochemical cell array was designed that contains a common air electrode and 16 microanodes for high throughput screening of both fuel cells (based on polymer electrolyte membrane) and metal/air batteries (based on liquid electrolyte). Electrode materials can easily be coated on the anodes of the electrochemical cell array and screened by switching a graphite probe from one cell to the others. The electrochemical cell array was used to study direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), including high throughput screening of electrode catalysts and determination of optimum operating conditions. For screening of DMFCs, there is about 6% relative standard deviation (percentage of standard deviation versus mean value) for discharge current from 10 to 20 mAcm(2). The electrochemical cell array was also used to study tin/air batteries. The effect of Cu content in the anode electrode on the discharge performance of the tin/air battery was investigated. The relative standard deviations for screening of metal/air battery (based on zinc/air) are 2.4%, 3.6%, and 5.1% for discharge current at 50, 100, and 150 mAcm(2), respectively. PMID:17672740
Discovery of surfactants for metal/semiconductor separation of single-wall carbon nanotubes via high-throughput screening.
Tanaka, Takeshi; Urabe, Yasuko; Nishide, Daisuke; Kataura, Hiromichi
We report novel surfactants that can be used for the separation of metallic (M) and semiconducting (S) single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Among the M/S separation methods using surfactants in an aqueous solution, sodium dodecyl sulfate plays a key role in density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) and agarose gel separations. In this study, we screened 100 surfactants for M/S separation using a high-throughput screening system. We identified five surfactants, which could be used for both DGU and agarose gel separations, suggesting that the basic principle of these separations is common. These surfactants have relatively low dispersibilities, which is likely due to their common structural features, i.e., straight alkyl tails and charged head groups, and appeared to enable M- and S-SWCNTs to be distinguished and separated. These surfactants should stimulate research in this field and extend the application of electrically homogeneous SWCNTs not only for electronics but also for biology and medicine. PMID:21980975
Photoreactive and Metal-Platable Copolymer Inks for High-Throughput, Room-Temperature Printing of Flexible Metal Electrodes for Thin-Film Electronics.
Yu, You; Xiao, Xiang; Zhang, Yaokang; Li, Kan; Yan, Casey; Wei, Xiaoling; Chen, Lina; Zhen, Hongyu; Zhou, Hang; Zhang, Shengdong; Zheng, Zijian
Photoreactive and metal-platable copolymer inks are reported for the first time to allow high-throughput printing of high-performance flexible electrodes at room temperature. This new copolymer ink accommodates various types of printing technologies, such as soft lithography molding, screen printing, and inkjet printing. Electronic devices including resistors, sensors, solar cells, and thin-film transistors fabricated with these printed electrodes show excellent electrical performance and mechanical flexibility. PMID:27074139
High-throughput exploration of thermoelectric and mechanical properties of amorphous NbO2 with transition metal additions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Music, Denis; Geyer, Richard W.; Hans, Marcus
To increase the thermoelectric efficiency and reduce the thermal fatigue upon cyclic heat loading, alloying of amorphous NbO2 with all 3d and 5d transition metals has systematically been investigated using density functional theory. It was found that Ta fulfills the key design criteria, namely, enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient and positive Cauchy pressure (ductility gauge). These quantum mechanical predictions were validated by assessing the thermoelectric and elastic properties on combinatorial thin films, which is a high-throughput approach. The maximum power factor is 2813 μW m-1 K-2 for the Ta/Nb ratio of 0.25, which is a hundredfold increment compared to pure NbO2 and exceeds many oxide thermoelectrics. Based on the elasticity measurements, the consistency between theory and experiment for the Cauchy pressure was attained within 2%. On the basis of the electronic structure analysis, these configurations can be perceived as metallic, which is consistent with low electrical resistivity and ductile behavior. Furthermore, a pronounced quantum confinement effect occurs, which is identified as the physical origin for the Seebeck coefficient enhancement.
A method and apparatus for high-throughput controlled synthesis of fullerenes and endohedral metal fullerenes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Churilov, G. N.; Popov, A. A.; Vnukova, N. G.; Dudnik, A. I.; Glushchenko, G. A.; Samoylova, N. A.; Dubinina, I. A.; Gulyaeva, U. E.
A method for synthesis of carbon nanostructures in a high-frequency arc discharge in the flow of helium (3-4 L/min) is presented. It is shown that the plasma-chemical synthesis of fullerenes and endohedral metal fullerenes (EMFs) can be controlled by changing helium pressure in the chamber. Temperature and electron concentration along the line normal to the discharge axis decrease upon moving away from the axis to the periphery; the larger the pressure, the sharper is the decrease in these parameters. The optimal helium pressure of 98 kPa was found in obtaining the Gd@C82 EMF which corresponds to the maximal EMF yield of 5 wt %.
High throughput continuous cryopump
Foster, C.A.
A cryocondensation pump with a unique regeneration mechanism that allows continuous operation has been constructed and tested. The pump features a device referred to as the ''Snail'' which removes the cryofrost layer as it is moved over the pumping surfaces. A forepump pumps the sublimed gas generated inside the Snail. The compression ratio of the pump is the ratio of the cryopump speed to the leakage conductance of the Snail. Deuterium had been pumped continuously at 30 torr.L/s at a speed of 2000 L/s and a compression ratio of 100. The pump, being all metal sealed and free of lubricating fluids, has many potential applications where untraclean high throughput pumping is desirable. Since the pump regenerates on a time scale of 60 seconds, the inventory in the pump is minimized - an important consideration when pumping radioactive materials such as tritium. Test data and a videotape of the Snail removing the cryofrost will be shown.
High-throughput behavioral phenotyping of drug and alcohol susceptibility traits in the expanded panel of BXD recombinant inbred strains
Philip, Vivek M; Ansah, T; Blaha, C,; Cook, Melloni N.; Hamre, Kristin M.; Lariviere, William R; Matthews, Douglas B; Goldowitz, Daniel; Chesler, Elissa J
Genetic reference populations, particularly the BXD recombinant inbred strains, are a valuable resource for the discovery of the bio-molecular substrates and genetic drivers responsible for trait variation and co- ariation. This approach can be profitably applied in the analysis of susceptibility and mechanisms of drug and alcohol use disorders for which many predisposing behaviors may predict occurrence and manifestation of increased preference for these substances. Many of these traits are modeled by common mouse behavioral assays, facilitating the detection of patterns and sources of genetic co-regulation of predisposing phenotypes and substance consumption. Members of the Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium have obtained behavioral phenotype data from 260 measures related to multiple behavioral assays across several domains: self-administration, response to, and withdrawal from cocaine, MDMA, morphine and alcohol; novelty seeking; behavioral despair and related neurological phenomena; pain sensitivity; stress sensitivity; anxiety; hyperactivity; and sleep/wake cycles. All traits have been measured in both sexes and the recently expanded panel of 69 additional BXD recombinant inbred strains (N=69). Sex differences and heritability estimates were obtained for each trait, and a comparison of early (N = 32) and recent BXD RI lines was performed. Primary data is publicly available for heritability, sex difference and genetic analyses using www.GeneNetwork.org. These analyses include QTL detection and genetic analysis of gene expression. Stored results from these analyses are available at http://ontologicaldiscovery.org for comparison to other genomic analysis results. Together with the results of related studies, these data form a public resource for integrative systems genetic analysis of neurobehavioral traits.
High-throughput continuous cryopump
Foster, C.A.
A cryopump with a unique method of regeneration which allows continuous operation at high throughput has been constructed and tested. Deuterium was pumped continuously at a throughput of 30 Torr.L/s at a speed of 2000 L/s and a compression ratio of 200. Argon was pumped at a throughput of 60 Torr.L/s at a speed of 1275 L/s. To produce continuous operation of the pump, a method of regeneration that does not thermally cycle the pump is employed. A small chamber (the ''snail'') passes over the pumping surface and removes the frost from it either by mechanical action with a scraper or by local heating. The material removed is topologically in a secondary vacuum system with low conductance into the primary vacuum; thus, the exhaust can be pumped at pressures up to an effective compression ratio determined by the ratio of the pumping speed to the leakage conductance of the snail. The pump, which is all-metal-sealed and dry and which regenerates every 60 s, would be an ideal system for pumping tritium. Potential fusion applications are for mpmp limiters, for repeating pneumatic pellet injection lines, and for the centrifuge pellet injector spin tank, all of which will require pumping tritium at high throughput. Industrial applications requiring ultraclean pumping of corrosive gases at high throughput, such as the reactive ion etch semiconductor process, may also be feasible.
Isolation and expression analysis of partial sequences of heavy metal transporters from Brassica juncea by coupling high throughput cloning with a molecular fingerprinting technique.
Das, Soumita; Sen, Monali; Saha, Chinmay; Chakraborty, Debjani; Das, Antara; Banerjee, Manidipa; Seal, Anindita
Heavy metal transporters play a key role in regulating metal accumulation and transport in plants. These are important candidate genes to study in metal tolerant and accumulator plants for their potential use in environmental clean up. We coupled a degenerate primer-based RT-PCR approach with a molecular fingerprinting technique based on amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) to identify novel ESTs corresponding to heavy metal transporters from metal accumulator Brassica juncea. We utilized this technique to clone several family members of natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMP) and yellow stripe-like proteins (YSL) in a high throughput manner to distinguish between closely related isoforms and/or allelic variants from the allopolyploid B. juncea. Partial clones of 23 Brassica juncea NRAMPs and 27 YSLs were obtained with similarity to known Arabidopsis thaliana and Noccaea (Thlaspi) caerulescens NRAMP and YSL genes. The cloned transporters showed Brassica-specific changes in domains, which can have important functional consequences. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR-based expression analysis of chosen members indicated that even closely related isoforms/allelic variants of BjNRAMP and BjYSL have distinct tissue-specific and metal-dependent expressions which might be essential for adaptive fitness and heavy metal tolerance. Consistent to this, BjYSL6.1 and BjYSL5.8 were found to show elevated expressions specifically in cadmium-treated shoots and lead-treated roots of B. juncea, respectively. PMID:21394470
Identification of the determinants of tRNA function and susceptibility to rapid tRNA decay by high-throughput in vivo analysis
Guy, Michael P.; Young, David L.; Payea, Matthew J.; Zhang, Xiaoju; Kon, Yoshiko; Dean, Kimberly M.; Grayhack, Elizabeth J.; Mathews, David H.; Fields, Stanley
Sequence variation in tRNA genes influences the structure, modification, and stability of tRNA; affects translation fidelity; impacts the activity of numerous isodecoders in metazoans; and leads to human diseases. To comprehensively define the effects of sequence variation on tRNA function, we developed a high-throughput in vivo screen to quantify the activity of a model tRNA, the nonsense suppressor SUP4oc of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using a highly sensitive fluorescent reporter gene with an ochre mutation, fluorescence-activated cell sorting of a library of SUP4oc mutant yeast strains, and deep sequencing, we scored 25,491 variants. Unexpectedly, SUP4oc tolerates numerous sequence variations, accommodates slippage in tertiary and secondary interactions, and exhibits genetic interactions that suggest an alternative functional tRNA conformation. Furthermore, we used this methodology to define tRNA variants subject to rapid tRNA decay (RTD). Even though RTD normally degrades tRNAs with exposed 5′ ends, mutations that sensitize SUP4oc to RTD were found to be located throughout the sequence, including the anti-codon stem. Thus, the integrity of the entire tRNA molecule is under surveillance by cellular quality control machinery. This approach to assess activity at high throughput is widely applicable to many problems in tRNA biology. PMID:25085423
Bulk-surface relationship of an electronic structure for high-throughput screening of metal oxide catalysts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kweun, Joshua Minwoo; Li, Chenzhe; Zheng, Yongping; Cho, Maenghyo; Kim, Yoon Young; Cho, Kyeongjae
Designing metal-oxides consisting of earth-abundant elements has been a crucial issue to replace precious metal catalysts. To achieve efficient screening of metal-oxide catalysts via bulk descriptors rather than surface descriptors, we investigated the relationship between the electronic structure of bulk and that of the surface for lanthanum-based perovskite oxides, LaMO3 (M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu). Through density functional theory calculations, we examined the d-band occupancy of the bulk and surface transition-metal atoms (nBulk and nSurf) and the adsorption energy of an oxygen atom (Eads) on (001), (110), and (111) surfaces. For the (001) surface, we observed strong correlation between the nBulk and nSurf with an R-squared value over 94%, and the result was interpreted in terms of ligand field splitting and antibonding/bonding level splitting. Moreover, the Eads on the surfaces was highly correlated with the nBulk with an R-squared value of more than 94%, and different surface relaxations could be explained by the bulk electronic structure (e.g., LaMnO3 vs. LaTiO3). These results suggest that a bulk-derived descriptor such as nBulk can be used to screen metal-oxide catalysts.
A high-throughput solid-phase extraction microchip combined with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for rapid determination of trace heavy metals in natural water.
Shih, Tsung-Ting; Hsieh, Cheng-Chuan; Luo, Yu-Ting; Su, Yi-An; Chen, Ping-Hung; Chuang, Yu-Chen; Sun, Yuh-Chang
Herein, a hyphenated system combining a high-throughput solid-phase extraction (htSPE) microchip with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for rapid determination of trace heavy metals was developed. Rather than performing multiple analyses in parallel for the enhancement of analytical throughput, we improved the processing speed for individual samples by increasing the operation flow rate during SPE procedures. To this end, an innovative device combining a micromixer and a multi-channeled extraction unit was designed. Furthermore, a programmable valve manifold was used to interface the developed microchip and ICP-MS instrumentation in order to fully automate the system, leading to a dramatic reduction in operation time and human error. Under the optimized operation conditions for the established system, detection limits of 1.64-42.54 ng L(-1) for the analyte ions were achieved. Validation procedures demonstrated that the developed method could be satisfactorily applied to the determination of trace heavy metals in natural water. Each analysis could be readily accomplished within just 186 s using the established system. This represents, to the best of our knowledge, an unprecedented speed for the analysis of trace heavy metal ions. PMID:27016435
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Zhaorui; Wu, Si; Stenoien, David L.; Paša-Tolić, Ljiljana
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based high-throughput proteomics is the core technique for large-scale protein characterization. Due to the extreme complexity of proteomes, sophisticated separation techniques and advanced MS instrumentation have been developed to extend coverage and enhance dynamic range and sensitivity. In this review, we discuss the separation and prefractionation techniques applied for large-scale analysis in both bottom-up (i.e., peptide-level) and top-down (i.e., protein-level) proteomics. Different approaches for quantifying peptides or intact proteins, including label-free and stable-isotope-labeling strategies, are also discussed. In addition, we present a brief overview of different types of mass analyzers and fragmentation techniques as well as selected emerging techniques.
High-Throughput Computational Screening of Electrical and Phonon Properties of Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Williamson, Izaak; Hernandez, Andres Correa; Wong-Ng, Winnie; Li, Lan
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) are of broadening research interest due to their novel physical, electrical, and thermoelectric properties. Having the chemical formula MX 2, where M is a transition metal and X is a chalcogen, there are many possible combinations to consider for materials-by-design exploration. By identifying novel compositions and utilizing the lower dimensionality, which allows for improved thermoelectric performance (e.g., increased Seebeck coefficients without sacrificing electron concentration), MX 2 materials are promising candidates for thermoelectric applications. However, to develop these materials into wide-scale use, it is crucial to comprehensively understand the compositional affects. This work investigates the structure, electronic, and phonon properties of 18 different MX 2 materials compositions as a benchmark to explore the impact of various elements. There is significant correlation between properties of constituent transition metals (atomic mass and radius) and the structure/properties of the corresponding 2D-TMDs. As the mass of M increases, the n-type power factor and phonon frequency gap increases. Similarly, increases in the radius of M lead to increased layer thickness and Seebeck coefficient S. Our results identify key factors to optimize MX 2 compositions for desired performance.
High throughput optical scanner
Basiji, David A.; van den Engh, Gerrit J.
A scanning apparatus is provided to obtain automated, rapid and sensitive scanning of substrate fluorescence, optical density or phosphorescence. The scanner uses a constant path length optical train, which enables the combination of a moving beam for high speed scanning with phase-sensitive detection for noise reduction, comprising a light source, a scanning mirror to receive light from the light source and sweep it across a steering mirror, a steering mirror to receive light from the scanning mirror and reflect it to the substrate, whereby it is swept across the substrate along a scan arc, and a photodetector to receive emitted or scattered light from the substrate, wherein the optical path length from the light source to the photodetector is substantially constant throughout the sweep across the substrate. The optical train can further include a waveguide or mirror to collect emitted or scattered light from the substrate and direct it to the photodetector. For phase-sensitive detection the light source is intensity modulated and the detector is connected to phase-sensitive detection electronics. A scanner using a substrate translator is also provided. For two dimensional imaging the substrate is translated in one dimension while the scanning mirror scans the beam in a second dimension. For a high throughput scanner, stacks of substrates are loaded onto a conveyor belt from a tray feeder.
High-throughput screening of microbial adaptation to environmental stress.
Bélanger, Pier-Anne; Beaudin, Julie; Roy, Sébastien
We developed a microwell plate, high-throughput, screening method aimed at quantitating the tolerance of a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to metals (Frankia sp., Escherichia coli, Cupriavidus metallidurans, Rhizobium leguminosarum, and Streptomyces scabies). Microbial viability was quantified using MTS; a tetrazolium salt converted to a water-soluble formazan through microbial reduction. In this paper, we present the stepwise development of the method, highlighting the main elements underlying its reliability, and compare results obtained with literature. We conclude the method is well suited to efficiently screen bacteria, including those that are filamentous and slow-growing, without the need for large amounts of inoculum which may not always be available. The method allows testing of compound gradients with sufficient replicates to generate statistically robust results, and is transposable to other types of cell proliferation assays such as those for antimicrobial susceptibility, and chemoresistance. PMID:21315114
High-throughput tetrad analysis.
Ludlow, Catherine L; Scott, Adrian C; Cromie, Gareth A; Jeffery, Eric W; Sirr, Amy; May, Patrick; Lin, Jake; Gilbert, Teresa L; Hays, Michelle; Dudley, Aimée M
Tetrad analysis has been a gold-standard genetic technique for several decades. Unfortunately, the need to manually isolate, disrupt and space tetrads has relegated its application to small-scale studies and limited its integration with high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies. We have developed a rapid, high-throughput method, called barcode-enabled sequencing of tetrads (BEST), that uses (i) a meiosis-specific GFP fusion protein to isolate tetrads by FACS and (ii) molecular barcodes that are read during genotyping to identify spores derived from the same tetrad. Maintaining tetrad information allows accurate inference of missing genetic markers and full genotypes of missing (and presumably nonviable) individuals. An individual researcher was able to isolate over 3,000 yeast tetrads in 3 h, an output equivalent to that of almost 1 month of manual dissection. BEST is transferable to other microorganisms for which meiotic mapping is significantly more laborious. PMID:23666411
High-Throughput Sequencing Technologies
Reuter, Jason A.; Spacek, Damek; Snyder, Michael P.
Summary The human genome sequence has profoundly altered our understanding of biology, human diversity and disease. The path from the first draft sequence to our nascent era of personal genomes and genomic medicine has been made possible only because of the extraordinary advancements in DNA sequencing technologies over the past ten years. Here, we discuss commonly used high-throughput sequencing platforms, the growing array of sequencing assays developed around them as well as the challenges facing current sequencing platforms and their clinical application. PMID:26000844
High throughput protein production screening
Beernink, Peter T.; Coleman, Matthew A.; Segelke, Brent W.
Methods, compositions, and kits for the cell-free production and analysis of proteins are provided. The invention allows for the production of proteins from prokaryotic sequences or eukaryotic sequences, including human cDNAs using PCR and IVT methods and detecting the proteins through fluorescence or immunoblot techniques. This invention can be used to identify optimized PCR and WT conditions, codon usages and mutations. The methods are readily automated and can be used for high throughput analysis of protein expression levels, interactions, and functional states.
High-throughput Tetrad Analysis
Ludlow, Catherine L.; Scott, Adrian C.; Cromie, Gareth A.; Jeffery, Eric W.; Sirr, Amy; May, Patrick; Lin, Jake; Gilbert, Teresa L.; Hays, Michelle; Dudley, Aimée M.
Tetrad analysis has been a gold standard genetic technique for several decades. Unfortunately, the manual nature of the process has relegated its application to small-scale studies and limited its integration with rapidly evolving DNA sequencing technologies. We have developed a rapid, high-throughput method, called Barcode Enabled Sequencing of Tetrads (BEST), that replaces the manual processes of isolating, disrupting and spacing tetrads. BEST uses a meiosis-specific GFP fusion protein to isolate tetrads by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and molecular barcodes that are read during genotyping to identify spores derived from the same tetrad. Maintaining tetrad information allows accurate inference of missing genetic markers and full genotypes of missing (and presumably nonviable) individuals. By removing the bottleneck of manual dissection, hundreds or even thousands of tetrads can be isolated in minutes. We demonstrate the approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but BEST is readily transferable to microorganisms in which meiotic mapping is significantly more laborious. PMID:23666411
Hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide capture in an iron-based sodalite-type metal-organic framework (Fe-BTT) discovered via high-throughput methods
Sumida, Kenji; Horike, Satoshi; Kaye, Steven S; Herm, Zoey R; Queen, Wendy L; Brown, Craig M; Grandjean, Fernande; Long, Gary J; Dailly, Anne; Long, Jeffrey R
Using high-throughput instrumentation to screen conditions, the reaction between FeCl₂ and H₃BTT∙2HCl (BTT3- = 1,3,5-benzenetristetrazolate) in a mixture of DMF and DMSO was found to afford Fe₃[(Fe₄Cl)₃(BTT)₈]₂∙22DMF∙32DMSO∙11H₂O. This compound adopts a porous three-dimensional framework structure consisting of square [Fe₄Cl]7+ units linked via triangular BTT3- bridging ligands to give an anionic 3,8-net. Mössbauer spectroscopy carried out on a DMF-solvated version of the material indicated the framework to contain high-spin Fe2+ with a distribution of local environments and confirmed the presence of extra-framework iron cations. Upon soaking the compound in methanol and heating at 135 °C for 24 h under dynamic vacuum, most of the solvent is removed to yield Fe₃[(Fe₄Cl)₃(BTT)₈(MeOH)₄]₂ (Fe-BTT), a microporous solid with a BET surface area of 2010 m2 g-1 and open Fe2+ coordination sites. Hydrogen adsorption data collected at 77 K show a steep rise in the isotherm, associated with an initial isosteric heat of adsorption of 11.9 kJ mol-1, leading to a total storage capacity of 1.1 wt% and 8.4 g L-1 at 100 bar and 298 K. Powder neutron diffraction experiments performed at 4 K under various D₂ loadings enabled identification of ten different adsorption sites, with the strongest binding site residing just 2.17(5) Å from the framework Fe2+ cation. Inelastic neutron scattering spectra are consistent with the strong rotational hindering of the H₂ molecules at low loadings, and further reveal the catalytic conversion of ortho-H₂ to para-H₂ by the paramagnetic iron centers. The exposed Fe2+ cation sites within Fe-BTT also lead to the selective adsorption of CO₂ over N₂, with isotherms collected at 298 K indicating uptake ratios of 30.7 and 10.8 by weight at 0.1 and 1.0 bar, respectively.
Workflow for High Throughput Screening of Gas Sensing Materials
Koplin, Tobias J.; Siemons, Maike; Océn-Valéntin, César; Sanders, Daniel; Simon, Ulrich
The workflow of a high throughput screening setup for the rapid identification of new and improved sensor materials is presented. The polyol method was applied to prepare nanoparticular metal oxides as base materials, which were functionalised by surface doping. Using multi-electrode substrates and high throughput impedance spectroscopy (HT-IS) a wide range of materials could be screened in a short time. Applying HT-IS in search of new selective gas sensing materials a NO2-tolerant NO sensing material with reduced sensitivities towards other test gases was identified based on iridium doped zinc oxide. Analogous behaviour was observed for iridium doped indium oxide.
High-Throughput Screening in Primary Neurons
Sharma, Punita; Ando, D. Michael; Daub, Aaron; Kaye, Julia A.; Finkbeiner, Steven
Despite years of incremental progress in our understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), there are still no disease-modifying therapeutics. The discrepancy between the number of lead compounds and approved drugs may partially be a result of the methods used to generate the leads and highlights the need for new technology to obtain more detailed and physiologically relevant information on cellular processes in normal and diseased states. Our high-throughput screening (HTS) system in a primary neuron model can help address this unmet need. HTS allows scientists to assay thousands of conditions in a short period of time which can reveal completely new aspects of biology and identify potential therapeutics in the span of a few months when conventional methods could take years or fail all together. HTS in primary neurons combines the advantages of HTS with the biological relevance of intact, fully differentiated neurons which can capture the critical cellular events or homeostatic states that make neurons uniquely susceptible to disease-associated proteins. We detail methodologies of our primary neuron HTS assay workflow from sample preparation to data reporting. We also discuss our adaptation of our HTS system into high-content screening (HCS), a type of HTS that uses multichannel fluorescence images to capture biological events in situ, and is uniquely suited to study dynamical processes in living cells. PMID:22341232
High-throughput screening in primary neurons.
Sharma, Punita; Ando, D Michael; Daub, Aaron; Kaye, Julia A; Finkbeiner, Steven
Despite years of incremental progress in our understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), there are still no disease-modifying therapeutics. The discrepancy between the number of lead compounds and approved drugs may partially be a result of the methods used to generate the leads and highlights the need for new technology to obtain more detailed and physiologically relevant information on cellular processes in normal and diseased states. Our high-throughput screening (HTS) system in a primary neuron model can help address this unmet need. HTS allows scientists to assay thousands of conditions in a short period of time which can reveal completely new aspects of biology and identify potential therapeutics in the span of a few months when conventional methods could take years or fail all together. HTS in primary neurons combines the advantages of HTS with the biological relevance of intact, fully differentiated neurons which can capture the critical cellular events or homeostatic states that make neurons uniquely susceptible to disease-associated proteins. We detail methodologies of our primary neuron HTS assay workflow from sample preparation to data reporting. We also discuss the adaptation of our HTS system into high-content screening (HCS), a type of HTS that uses multichannel fluorescence images to capture biological events in situ, and is uniquely suited to study dynamical processes in living cells. PMID:22341232
Topologically close-packed phases in binary transition-metal compounds: matching high-throughput ab initio calculations to an empirical structure map
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hammerschmidt, T.; Bialon, A. F.; Pettifor, D. G.; Drautz, R.
In steels and single-crystal superalloys the control of the formation of topologically close-packed (TCP) phases is critical for the performance of the material. The structural stability of TCP phases in multi-component transition-metal alloys may be rationalized in terms of the average valence-electron count \\bar {N} and the composition-dependent relative volume-difference \\overline {\\Delta V/V} . We elucidate the interplay of these factors by comparing density-functional theory calculations to an empirical structure map based on experimental data. In particular, we calculate the heat of formation for the TCP phases A15, C14, C15, C36, χ, μ and σ for all possible binary occupations of the Wyckoff positions. We discuss the isovalent systems V/Nb-Ta to highlight the role of atomic-size difference and observe the expected stabilization of C14/C15/C36/μ by \\overline {\\Delta V/V} at ΔN = 0 in V-Ta. In the systems V/Nb-Re, we focus on the well-known trend of A15 → σ → χ stability with increasing \\bar {N} and show that the influence of \\overline {\\Delta V/V} is too weak to stabilize C14/C15/C36/μ in Nb-Re. As an example for a significant influence of both \\bar {N} and \\overline {\\Delta V/V} , we also consider the systems Cr/Mo-Co. Here the sequence A15 → σ → χ is observed in both systems but in Mo-Co the large size-mismatch stabilizes C14/C15/C36/μ. We also include V/Nb-Co that cover the entire valence range of TCP stability and also show the stabilization of C14/C15/C36/μ. Moreover, the combination of a large volume-difference with a large mismatch in valence-electron count reduces the stability of the A15/σ/χ phases in Nb-Co as compared to V-Co. By comparison to non-magnetic calculations we also find that magnetism is of minor importance for the structural stability of TCP phases in Cr/Mo-Co and in V/Nb-Co.
High-Throughput Computational and Experimental Techniques in Structural Genomics
Chance, Mark R.; Fiser, Andras; Sali, Andrej; Pieper, Ursula; Eswar, Narayanan; Xu, Guiping; Fajardo, J. Eduardo; Radhakannan, Thirumuruhan; Marinkovic, Nebojsa
Structural genomics has as its goal the provision of structural information for all possible ORF sequences through a combination of experimental and computational approaches. The access to genome sequences and cloning resources from an ever-widening array of organisms is driving high-throughput structural studies by the New York Structural Genomics Research Consortium. In this report, we outline the progress of the Consortium in establishing its pipeline for structural genomics, and some of the experimental and bioinformatics efforts leading to structural annotation of proteins. The Consortium has established a pipeline for structural biology studies, automated modeling of ORF sequences using solved (template) structures, and a novel high-throughput approach (metallomics) to examining the metal binding to purified protein targets. The Consortium has so far produced 493 purified proteins from >1077 expression vectors. A total of 95 have resulted in crystal structures, and 81 are deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Comparative modeling of these structures has generated >40,000 structural models. We also initiated a high-throughput metal analysis of the purified proteins; this has determined that 10%-15% of the targets contain a stoichiometric structural or catalytic transition metal atom. The progress of the structural genomics centers in the U.S. and around the world suggests that the goal of providing useful structural information on most all ORF domains will be realized. This projected resource will provide structural biology information important to understanding the function of most proteins of the cell. PMID:15489337
High throughput vacuum chemical epitaxy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fraas, L. M.; Malocsay, E.; Sundaram, V.; Baird, R. W.; Mao, B. Y.; Lee, G. Y.
We have developed a vacuum chemical epitaxy (VCE) reactor which avoids the use of arsine and allows multiple wafers to be coated at one time. Our vacuum chemical epitaxy reactor closely resembles a molecular beam epitaxy system in that wafers are loaded into a stainless steel vacuum chamber through a load chamber. Also as in MBE, arsenic vapors are supplied as reactant by heating solid arsenic sources thereby avoiding the use of arsine. However, in our VCE reactor, a large number of wafers are coated at one time in a vacuum system by the substitution of Group III alkyl sources for the elemental metal sources traditionally used in MBE. Higher wafer throughput results because in VCE, the metal-alkyl sources for Ga, Al, and dopants can be mixed at room temperature and distributed uniformly though a large area injector to multiple substrates as a homogeneous array of mixed element molecular beams. The VCE reactor that we have built and that we shall describe here uniformly deposits films on 7 inch diameter substrate platters. Each platter contains seven two inch or three 3 inch diameter wafers. The load chamber contains up to nine platters. The vacuum chamber is equipped with two VCE growth zones and two arsenic ovens, one per growth zone. Finally, each oven has a 1 kg arsenic capacity. As of this writing, mirror smooth GaAs films have been grown at up to 4 μm/h growth rate on multiple wafers with good thickness uniformity. The background doping is p-type with a typical hole concentration and mobility of 1 × 10 16/cm 3 and 350 cm 2/V·s. This background doping level is low enough for the fabrication of MESFETs, solar cells, and photocathodes as well as other types of devices. We have fabricated MESFET devices using VCE-grown epi wafers with peak extrinsic transconductance as high as 210 mS/mm for a threshold voltage of - 3 V and a 0.6 μm gate length. We have also recently grown AlGaAs epi layers with up to 80% aluminum using TEAl as the aluminum alkyl source. The Al
High-throughput patterning of photonic structures with tunable periodicity
Kempa, Thomas J.; Bediako, D. Kwabena; Kim, Sun-Kyung; Park, Hong-Gyu; Nocera, Daniel G.
A patterning method termed "RIPPLE" (reactive interface patterning promoted by lithographic electrochemistry) is applied to the fabrication of arrays of dielectric and metallic optical elements. This method uses cyclic voltammetry to impart patterns onto the working electrode of a standard three-electrode electrochemical setup. Using this technique and a template stripping process, periodic arrays of Ag circular Bragg gratings are patterned in a high-throughput fashion over large substrate areas. By varying the scan rate of the cyclically applied voltage ramps, the periodicity of the gratings can be tuned in situ over micrometer and submicrometer length scales. Characterization of the periodic arrays of periodic gratings identified point-like and annular scattering modes at different planes above the structured surface. Facile, reliable, and rapid patterning techniques like RIPPLE may enable the high-throughput and low-cost fabrication of photonic elements and metasurfaces for energy conversion and sensing applications. PMID:25870280
High throughput screening of ferroelectric thin film libraries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schroeter, Christian; Wessler, Berit; Schoenecker, Andreas; Keitel, Uwe; Eng, Lukas M.
High throughput methods can significantly speed up the search for advanced materials in a multidimensional configuration space, hence keeping innovation cycles short. In the search for improved materials, high throughput methods are wanted to optimize composition and processing of promising systems, and to find candidate compounds. Such a method is described here which is applicable to the development of ferroelectric thin films. Libraries with samples of varying chemical composition were produced via the sol-gel route on structured and metallized silicon wafers. To determine the permittivity of the films, automated measurements of film thickness and capacity were established. Furthermore, ferroelectric hysterisis measurements were performed on samples with a particularly high permittivity. This high throughput route, which allows for synthesis and characterization of over hundred samples per day, was proved and tested by means of lead zirconate titanate as a standard material. It was possible to obtain films with remarkable high permittivity and low coercive field at optimal lead zirconate/lead titanate ratio and by compensating for lead loss during processing by finding the optimal lead excess added to the precursor solutions.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to High Throughput Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Pourmodheji, Hossein; Ghafar-Zadeh, Ebrahim; Magierowski, Sebastian
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a non-contact, powerful structure-elucidation technique for biochemical analysis. NMR spectroscopy is used extensively in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. However, existing NMR technology is limited in that it cannot run a large number of experiments simultaneously in one unit. Recent advances in micro-fabrication technologies have attracted the attention of researchers to overcome these limitations and significantly accelerate the drug discovery process by developing the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). In this paper, we examine this paradigm shift and explore new design strategies for the development of the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using CMOS technology. A CMOS NMR system consists of an array of high sensitivity micro-coils integrated with interfacing radio-frequency circuits on the same chip. Herein, we first discuss the key challenges and recent advances in the field of CMOS NMR technology, and then a new design strategy is put forward for the design and implementation of highly sensitive and high-throughput CMOS NMR spectrometers. We thereafter discuss the functionality and applicability of the proposed techniques by demonstrating the results. For microelectronic researchers starting to work in the field of CMOS NMR technology, this paper serves as a tutorial with comprehensive review of state-of-the-art technologies and their performance levels. Based on these levels, the CMOS NMR approach offers unique advantages for high resolution, time-sensitive and high-throughput bimolecular analysis required in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. PMID:27294925
A Multidisciplinary Approach to High Throughput Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Pourmodheji, Hossein; Ghafar-Zadeh, Ebrahim; Magierowski, Sebastian
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a non-contact, powerful structure-elucidation technique for biochemical analysis. NMR spectroscopy is used extensively in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. However, existing NMR technology is limited in that it cannot run a large number of experiments simultaneously in one unit. Recent advances in micro-fabrication technologies have attracted the attention of researchers to overcome these limitations and significantly accelerate the drug discovery process by developing the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). In this paper, we examine this paradigm shift and explore new design strategies for the development of the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using CMOS technology. A CMOS NMR system consists of an array of high sensitivity micro-coils integrated with interfacing radio-frequency circuits on the same chip. Herein, we first discuss the key challenges and recent advances in the field of CMOS NMR technology, and then a new design strategy is put forward for the design and implementation of highly sensitive and high-throughput CMOS NMR spectrometers. We thereafter discuss the functionality and applicability of the proposed techniques by demonstrating the results. For microelectronic researchers starting to work in the field of CMOS NMR technology, this paper serves as a tutorial with comprehensive review of state-of-the-art technologies and their performance levels. Based on these levels, the CMOS NMR approach offers unique advantages for high resolution, time-sensitive and high-throughput bimolecular analysis required in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. PMID:27294925
High throughput network for multiprocessor interconnections
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Raatikainen, Pertti; Zidbeck, Juha
Multiprocessor architectures are needed to support modern broadband applications, since traditional bus structures are not capable of providing high throughput. New bus structures are needed, especially in the area of network components and terminals. A study to find an efficient and cost effective interconnection topology for the future high speed products is presented. The most common bus topologies are introduced, and their characteristics are estimated to decide which one of them offers best performance and lowest implementation cost. The ring topology is chosen to be studied in more detail. Four competing bus access schemes for the high throughput ring are introduced as well as simulation models for each of them. Using transfer delay and throughput results, as well as keeping the implementation point of view in mind, the best candidate is selected to be studied and experimented in the succeeding research project.
High-throughput screening methods for nitrilases.
Xue, Ya-Ping; Yang, Yue-Kai; Lv, Sheng-Zhi; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Zheng, Yu-Guo
Nitrilases have been widely acknowledged as important alternatives to chemical catalysts, as they have been proved to transform an immense variety of nitriles under mild conditions and often in a stereoselective or regioselective manner. In the discovery of new nitrilases to establish viable industrial processes, screening plays an important role in identifying which subset of candidates contains a nitrilase of interest from a collection of organisms, clone banks, or enzyme libraries. However, the traditional methods for evaluating the nitrilases are a time-consuming, laborious, and costly process and have been regarded as a bottleneck in developing these nitrilases as industrial biocatalysts. In the past few years, a number of high-throughput screening methods have been developed for rapid evaluation and identification of nitrilases. Here, we review the various methodologies developed for high-throughput screening of nitrilases and focus on their advantages and limitations. PMID:26894402
A Novel High-Throughput Viscometer.
Deshmukh, Suraj; Bishop, Matthew T; Dermody, Daniel; Dietsche, Laura; Kuo, Tzu-Chi; Mushrush, Melissa; Harris, Keith; Zieman, Jonathan; Morabito, Paul; Orvosh, Brian; Patrick, Don
A novel, rapid, parallel, and high-throughput system for measuring viscosity of materials under different conditions of shear rate, temperature, time, etc., has been developed. This unique system utilizes the transient flow of a complex fluid through pipettes. This approach offers significant practical advantages over microfluidic-based devices for viscosity screening: no cleanup is required, the method is high throughput (<1 h for 100 samples), and only small sample volumes (<1 mL) are used. This paper details for the first time the experimental and modeling efforts to implement this mass- and pressure-based viscosity measurement concept as a robust viscosity estimation tool. This approach is very well-suited for viscosity measurements in high-throughput formulation workflows, as it is rapid and parallel and operates directly on samples in various microtiter plate formats. We present systematic experimental observations together with numerical and analytical modeling approaches to characterize instrument capabilities and limitations. The complex transient flow of fluids through these pipettes leads to data-rich pressure profiles. Numerical and analytical modeling is then used to extract viscosity and other rheological parameters from these pressure profiles. We have successfully utilized this viscosity screening tool for a multitude of complex fluids including oils, paints, solvents, and detergents. PMID:27259016
High-Throughput Investigation of Delafossite materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haycock, Barry; Kylee Underwood, M.; Lekse, Jonathan; Matranga, Christopher; Lewis, James P.
We present the application of high-throughput calculations to the intriguing problem of the forbidden optical transition in the CuGa1-xFexO2 delafossites, which is prototypical of many delafossite systems. When 5% or more of the Ga sites are replaced with Fe, there is a sudden shift to an optical band gap of 1.5eV from 2.5eV. Using high-throughput calculations and data mining techniques, we show the most likely positional configurations for x = 0.00 through x = 0.10 of the Fe atoms relative to one another. Implications of this result and applications of the techniques used are discussed, including the development of candidate materials via high-throughput analysis of constituent search-space. Funded by the National Science Foundation through NSF DMR 09-03225 and a subcontract from NETL (URS RES) for Work Activity 0004000.6.600.007.002.420.000.005 ARRA ICMI Project.
Directly susceptible, noncarbon metal ceramic composite crucible
Holcombe, Jr., Cressie E.; Kiggans, Jr., James O.; Morrow, S. Marvin; Rexford, Donald
A sintered metal ceramic crucible suitable for high temperature induction melting of reactive metals without appreciable carbon or silicon contamination of the melt. The crucible comprises a cast matrix of a thermally conductive ceramic material; a perforated metal sleeve, which serves as a susceptor for induction heating of the crucible, embedded within the ceramic cast matrix; and a thermal-shock-absorber barrier interposed between the metal sleeve and the ceramic cast matrix to allow for differential thermal expansions between the matrix and the metal sleeve and to act as a thermal-shock-absorber which moderates the effects of rapid changes of sleeve temperature on the matrix.
High Throughput Screening For Hazard and Risk of Environmental Contaminants
High throughput toxicity testing provides detailed mechanistic information on the concentration response of environmental contaminants in numerous potential toxicity pathways. High throughput screening (HTS) has several key advantages: (1) expense orders of magnitude less than an...
High throughput screening technologies for ion channels
Yu, Hai-bo; Li, Min; Wang, Wei-ping; Wang, Xiao-liang
Ion channels are involved in a variety of fundamental physiological processes, and their malfunction causes numerous human diseases. Therefore, ion channels represent a class of attractive drug targets and a class of important off-targets for in vitro pharmacological profiling. In the past decades, the rapid progress in developing functional assays and instrumentation has enabled high throughput screening (HTS) campaigns on an expanding list of channel types. Chronologically, HTS methods for ion channels include the ligand binding assay, flux-based assay, fluorescence-based assay, and automated electrophysiological assay. In this review we summarize the current HTS technologies for different ion channel classes and their applications. PMID:26657056
Clustering of High Throughput Gene Expression Data
Pirim, Harun; Ekşioğlu, Burak; Perkins, Andy; Yüceer, Çetin
High throughput biological data need to be processed, analyzed, and interpreted to address problems in life sciences. Bioinformatics, computational biology, and systems biology deal with biological problems using computational methods. Clustering is one of the methods used to gain insight into biological processes, particularly at the genomics level. Clearly, clustering can be used in many areas of biological data analysis. However, this paper presents a review of the current clustering algorithms designed especially for analyzing gene expression data. It is also intended to introduce one of the main problems in bioinformatics - clustering gene expression data - to the operations research community. PMID:23144527
Automated High Throughput Drug Target Crystallography
Rupp, B
The molecular structures of drug target proteins and receptors form the basis for 'rational' or structure guided drug design. The majority of target structures are experimentally determined by protein X-ray crystallography, which as evolved into a highly automated, high throughput drug discovery and screening tool. Process automation has accelerated tasks from parallel protein expression, fully automated crystallization, and rapid data collection to highly efficient structure determination methods. A thoroughly designed automation technology platform supported by a powerful informatics infrastructure forms the basis for optimal workflow implementation and the data mining and analysis tools to generate new leads from experimental protein drug target structures.
High throughput chemical munitions treatment system
Haroldsen, Brent L.; Stofleth, Jerome H.; Didlake, Jr., John E.; Wu, Benjamin C-P
A new High-Throughput Explosive Destruction System is disclosed. The new system is comprised of two side-by-side detonation containment vessels each comprising first and second halves that feed into a single agent treatment vessel. Both detonation containment vessels further comprise a surrounding ventilation facility. Moreover, the detonation containment vessels are designed to separate into two half-shells, wherein one shell can be moved axially away from the fixed, second half for ease of access and loading. The vessels are closed by means of a surrounding, clam-shell type locking seal mechanisms.
Preliminary High-Throughput Metagenome Assembly
Dusheyko, Serge; Furman, Craig; Pangilinan, Jasmyn; Shapiro, Harris; Tu, Hank
Metagenome data sets present a qualitatively different assembly problem than traditional single-organism whole-genome shotgun (WGS) assembly. The unique aspects of such projects include the presence of a potentially large number of distinct organisms and their representation in the data set at widely different fractions. In addition, multiple closely related strains could be present, which would be difficult to assemble separately. Failure to take these issues into account can result in poor assemblies that either jumble together different strains or which fail to yield useful results. The DOE Joint Genome Institute has sequenced a number of metagenomic projects and plans to considerably increase this number in the coming year. As a result, the JGI has a need for high-throughput tools and techniques for handling metagenome projects. We present the techniques developed to handle metagenome assemblies in a high-throughput environment. This includes a streamlined assembly wrapper, based on the JGI?s in-house WGS assembler, Jazz. It also includes the selection of sensible defaults targeted for metagenome data sets, as well as quality control automation for cleaning up the raw results. While analysis is ongoing, we will discuss preliminary assessments of the quality of the assembly results (http://fames.jgi-psf.org).
Economic consequences of high throughput maskless lithography
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hartley, John G.; Govindaraju, Lakshmi
Many people in the semiconductor industry bemoan the high costs of masks and view mask cost as one of the significant barriers to bringing new chip designs to market. All that is needed is a viable maskless technology and the problem will go away. Numerous sites around the world are working on maskless lithography but inevitably, the question asked is "Wouldn't a one wafer per hour maskless tool make a really good mask writer?" Of course, the answer is yes, the hesitation you hear in the answer isn't based on technology concerns, it's financial. The industry needs maskless lithography because mask costs are too high. Mask costs are too high because mask pattern generators (PG's) are slow and expensive. If mask PG's become much faster, mask costs go down, the maskless market goes away and the PG supplier is faced with an even smaller tool demand from the mask shops. Technical success becomes financial suicide - or does it? In this paper we will present the results of a model that examines some of the consequences of introducing high throughput maskless pattern generation. Specific features in the model include tool throughput for masks and wafers, market segmentation by node for masks and wafers and mask cost as an entry barrier to new chip designs. How does the availability of low cost masks and maskless tools affect the industries tool makeup and what is the ultimate potential market for high throughput maskless pattern generators?
High-throughput characterization for solar fuels materials discovery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mitrovic, Slobodan; Becerra, Natalie; Cornell, Earl; Guevarra, Dan; Haber, Joel; Jin, Jian; Jones, Ryan; Kan, Kevin; Marcin, Martin; Newhouse, Paul; Soedarmadji, Edwin; Suram, Santosh; Xiang, Chengxiang; Gregoire, John; High-Throughput Experimentation Team
In this talk I will present the status of the High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) project of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP). JCAP is an Energy Innovation Hub of the U.S. Department of Energy with a mandate to deliver a solar fuel generator based on an integrated photoelectrochemical cell (PEC). However, efficient and commercially viable catalysts or light absorbers for the PEC do not exist. The mission of HTE is to provide the accelerated discovery through combinatorial synthesis and rapid screening of material properties. The HTE pipeline also features high-throughput material characterization using x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). In this talk I present the currently operating pipeline and focus on our combinatorial XPS efforts to build the largest free database of spectra from mixed-metal oxides, nitrides, sulfides and alloys. This work was performed at Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Award No. DE-SC0004993.
High-Throughput Analysis of Enzyme Activities
Guoxin Lu
High-throughput screening (HTS) techniques have been applied to many research fields nowadays. Robot microarray printing technique and automation microtiter handling technique allows HTS performing in both heterogeneous and homogeneous formats, with minimal sample required for each assay element. In this dissertation, new HTS techniques for enzyme activity analysis were developed. First, patterns of immobilized enzyme on nylon screen were detected by multiplexed capillary system. The imaging resolution is limited by the outer diameter of the capillaries. In order to get finer images, capillaries with smaller outer diameters can be used to form the imaging probe. Application of capillary electrophoresis allows separation of the product from the substrate in the reaction mixture, so that the product doesn't have to have different optical properties with the substrate. UV absorption detection allows almost universal detection for organic molecules. Thus, no modifications of either the substrate or the product molecules are necessary. This technique has the potential to be used in screening of local distribution variations of specific bio-molecules in a tissue or in screening of multiple immobilized catalysts. Another high-throughput screening technique is developed by directly monitoring the light intensity of the immobilized-catalyst surface using a scientific charge-coupled device (CCD). Briefly, the surface of enzyme microarray is focused onto a scientific CCD using an objective lens. By carefully choosing the detection wavelength, generation of product on an enzyme spot can be seen by the CCD. Analyzing the light intensity change over time on an enzyme spot can give information of reaction rate. The same microarray can be used for many times. Thus, high-throughput kinetic studies of hundreds of catalytic reactions are made possible. At last, we studied the fluorescence emission spectra of ADP and obtained the detection limits for ADP under three different
A High-Throughput Radiometric Kinase Assay.
Duong-Ly, Krisna C; Peterson, Jeffrey R
Aberrant kinase signaling has been implicated in a number of diseases. While kinases have become attractive drug targets, only a small fraction of human protein kinases have validated inhibitors. Screening of libraries of compounds against a kinase or kinases of interest is routinely performed during kinase inhibitor development to identify promising scaffolds for a particular target and to identify kinase targets for compounds of interest. Screening of more focused compound libraries may also be conducted in the later stages of inhibitor development to improve potency and optimize selectivity. The dot blot kinase assay is a robust, high-throughput kinase assay that can be used to screen a number of small-molecule compounds against one kinase of interest or several kinases. Here, a protocol for a dot blot kinase assay used for measuring insulin receptor kinase activity is presented. This protocol can be readily adapted for use with other protein kinases. PMID:26501904
High-throughput cellular RNA device engineering.
Townshend, Brent; Kennedy, Andrew B; Xiang, Joy S; Smolke, Christina D
Methods for rapidly assessing sequence-structure-function landscapes and developing conditional gene-regulatory devices are critical to our ability to manipulate and interface with biology. We describe a framework for engineering RNA devices from preexisting aptamers that exhibit ligand-responsive ribozyme tertiary interactions. Our methodology utilizes cell sorting, high-throughput sequencing and statistical data analyses to enable parallel measurements of the activities of hundreds of thousands of sequences from RNA device libraries in the absence and presence of ligands. Our tertiary-interaction RNA devices performed better in terms of gene silencing, activation ratio and ligand sensitivity than optimized RNA devices that rely on secondary-structure changes. We applied our method to build biosensors for diverse ligands and determine consensus sequences that enable ligand-responsive tertiary interactions. These methods advance our ability to develop broadly applicable genetic tools and to elucidate the underlying sequence-structure-function relationships that empower rational design of complex biomolecules. PMID:26258292
High-Throughput Cell Toxicity Assays.
Murray, David; McWilliams, Lisa; Wigglesworth, Mark
Understanding compound-driven cell toxicity is vitally important for all drug discovery approaches. With high-throughput screening (HTS) being the key strategy to find hit and lead compounds for drug discovery projects in the pharmaceutical industry [1], an understanding of the cell toxicity profile of hit molecules from HTS activities is fundamentally important. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in phenotypic drug discovery and these cell-based assays are now being run in HTS labs on ever increasing numbers of compounds. As the use of cell assays increases the ability to measure toxicity of compounds on a large scale becomes increasingly important to ensure that false hits are not progressed and that compounds do not carry forward a toxic liability that may cause them to fail at later stages of a project. Here we describe methods employed in the AstraZeneca HTS laboratory to carry out very large scale cell toxicity screening. PMID:27317000
High throughput assays for analyzing transcription factors.
Li, Xianqiang; Jiang, Xin; Yaoi, Takuro
Transcription factors are a group of proteins that modulate the expression of genes involved in many biological processes, such as cell growth and differentiation. Alterations in transcription factor function are associated with many human diseases, and therefore these proteins are attractive potential drug targets. A key issue in the development of such therapeutics is the generation of effective tools that can be used for high throughput discovery of the critical transcription factors involved in human diseases, and the measurement of their activities in a variety of disease or compound-treated samples. Here, a number of innovative arrays and 96-well format assays for profiling and measuring the activities of transcription factors will be discussed. PMID:16834538
Spin susceptibility function of helical metal and RKKY interacton
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Chunxiao; Roy, Bitan; Sau, Jay; CMTC; JQI Team
Topological insulator is a peculiar material, which is insulating in the bulk, while conducting on the surface due to the topology in momentum space . Here, we study the surface of 3D topological insulator, which is also called helical metal. The Hamiltonian of the surface electrons is H = k × σ , which has spin-momentum locking and Dirac dispersion. The property that we are interested in is the spin susceptibility function of the helical metal. It describes how the system respond to the external magnetic field in the linear response regime. However, because the dispersion of helical metal is linear in momentum k, the spin susceptibility is easily divergent in terms of UV momentum cutoff. The talk we will present is focusing on how we renormalize the spin susceptibility function in the particular renormalization scheme we choose. In the second part of the talk, we will make use of the renormalized spin susceptibility to show how external magnetic impurities on the surface would interact with each other, with the interaction mediated by electrons of helical metal. This interaction is also called RKKY interaction. Treating impurities as classical spins, we show the pattern of ground state with numerical simulations. grants by NSF.
Origin and evolution of high throughput screening
Pereira, D A; Williams, J A
This article reviews the origin and evolution of high throughput screening (HTS) through the experience of an individual pharmaceutical company, revealing some of the mysteries of the early stages of drug discovery to the wider pharmacology audience. HTS in this company (Pfizer, Groton, USA) had its origin in natural products screening in 1986, by substituting fermentation broths with dimethyl sulphoxide solutions of synthetic compounds, using 96-well plates and reduced assay volumes of 50-100μl. A nominal 30mM source compound concentration provided high μM assay concentrations. Starting at 800 compounds each week, the process reached a steady state of 7200 compounds per week by 1989. Screening in the Applied Biotechnology and Screening Group was centralized with screens operating in lock-step to maximize efficiency. Initial screens were full files run in triplicate. Autoradiography and image analysis were introduced for 125I receptor ligand screens. Reverse transcriptase (RT) coupled with quantitative PCR and multiplexing addressed several targets in a single assay. By 1992 HTS produced 'hits' as starting matter for approximately 40% of the Discovery portfolio. In 1995, the HTS methodology was expanded to include ADMET targets. ADME targets required each compound to be physically detected leading to the development of automated high throughput LC-MS. In 1996, 90 compounds/week were screened in microsomal, protein binding and serum stability assays. Subsequently, the mutagenic Ames assay was adapted to a 96-well plate liquid assay and novel algorithms permitted automated image analysis of the micronucleus assay. By 1999 ADME HTS was fully integrated into the discovery cycle. PMID:17603542
High-Throughput Methods for Electron Crystallography
Stokes, David L.; Ubarretxena-Belandia, Iban; Gonen, Tamir; Engel, Andreas
Membrane proteins play a tremendously important role in cell physiology and serve as a target for an increasing number of drugs. Structural information is key to understanding their function and for developing new strategies for combating disease. However, the complex physical chemistry associated with membrane proteins has made them more difficult to study than their soluble cousins. Electron crystallography has historically been a successful method for solving membrane protein structures and has the advantage of providing the natural environment of a lipid membrane. Specifically, when membrane proteins form two-dimensional arrays within a lipid bilayer, images and diffraction can be recorded by electron microscopy. The corresponding data can be combined to produce a three-dimensional reconstruction which, under favorable conditions, can extend to atomic resolution. Like X-ray crystallography, the quality of the structures are very much dependent on the order and size of the crystals. However, unlike X-ray crystallography, high-throughput methods for screening crystallization trials for electron crystallography are not in general use. In this chapter, we describe two alternative and potentially complementary methods for high-throughput screening of membrane protein crystallization within the lipid bilayer. The first method relies on the conventional use of dialysis for removing detergent and thus reconstituting the bilayer; an array of dialysis wells in the standard 96-well format allows the use of a liquid-handling robot and greatly increases throughput. The second method relies on detergent complexation by cyclodextrin; a specialized pipetting robot has been designed not only to titrate cyclodextrin, but to use light scattering to monitor the reconstitution process. In addition, the use of liquid-handling robots for making negatively stained grids and methods for automatically imaging samples in the electron microscope are described. PMID:23132066
Copper status of exposed microorganisms influences susceptibility to metallic nanoparticles.
Reyes, Vincent C; Spitzmiller, Melissa R; Hong-Hermesdorf, Anne; Kropat, Janette; Damoiseaux, Robert D; Merchant, Sabeeha S; Mahendra, Shaily
Although interactions of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with various microorganisms have been previously explored, few studies have examined how metal sensitivity impacts NP toxicity. The present study investigated the effects of copper NPs (Cu-NP) exposure on the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the presence and absence of the essential micronutrient copper. The toxic ranges for Cu-NPs and the ionic control, CuCl2 , were determined using a high-throughput adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based fluorescence assay. The Cu-NPs caused similar mortality in copper-replete and copper-deplete cells (median inhibitory concentration [IC50]: 14-16 mg/L) but were less toxic than the ionic control, CuCl2 (IC50: 7 mg/L). Using this concentration range, the Cu-NP impacts on cell morphology, copper accumulation, chlorophyll content, and expression of stress genes under both copper supply states were assessed. Osmotic swelling, membrane damage, and chloroplast and organelle disintegration were observed by transmission electron microscopy at both conditions. Despite these similarities, copper-deplete cells showed greater accumulation of loosely bound and tightly bound copper after exposure to Cu-NPs. Furthermore, copper-replete cells experienced greater loss of chlorophyll content, 19% for Cu-NPs, compared with only an 11% net decrease in copper-deplete cells. The tightly bound copper was bioavailable as assessed by reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of CYC6, a biomarker for Cu deficiency. The increased resistance of copper-deplete cells to Cu-NPs suggests that these cells potentially metabolize excess Cu-NPs or better manage sudden influxes of ions. The results suggest that toxicity assessments must account for the nutritional status of impacted organisms and use toxicity models based on estimations of the bioavailable fractions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1148-1158. © 2015 SETAC. PMID:26387648
High Throughput Screening and Selection Methods for Directed Enzyme Evolution
Successful evolutionary enzyme engineering requires a high throughput screening or selection method, which considerably increases the chance of obtaining desired properties and reduces the time and cost. In this review, a series of high throughput screening and selection methods are illustrated with significant and recent examples. These high throughput strategies are also discussed with an emphasis on compatibility with phenotypic analysis during directed enzyme evolution. Lastly, certain limitations of current methods, as well as future developments, are briefly summarized. PMID:26074668
Data Analysis for High-Throughput RNAi Screening.
Azorsa, David O; Turnidge, Megan A; Arora, Shilpi
High-throughput RNA interference (HT-RNAi) screening is an effective technology to help identify important genes and pathways involved in a biological process. Analysis of high-throughput RNAi screening data is a critical part of this technology, and many analysis methods have been described. Here, we summarize the workflow and types of analyses commonly used in high-throughput RNAi screening. PMID:27581298
PALM and STORM: Into large fields and high-throughput microscopy with sCMOS detectors.
Almada, Pedro; Culley, Siân; Henriques, Ricardo
Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) techniques such as Photo-Activation Localization Microscopy (PALM) and Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) enable fluorescence microscopy super-resolution: the overcoming of the resolution barrier imposed by the diffraction of light. These techniques are based on acquiring hundreds or thousands of images of single molecules, locating them and reconstructing a higher-resolution image from the high-precision localizations. These methods generally imply a considerable trade-off between imaging speed and resolution, limiting their applicability to high-throughput workflows. Recent advancements in scientific Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (sCMOS) camera sensors and localization algorithms reduce the temporal requirements for SMLM, pushing it toward high-throughput microscopy. Here we outline the decisions researchers face when considering how to adapt hardware on a new system for sCMOS sensors with high-throughput in mind. PMID:26079924
High throughput sample processing and automated scoring.
Brunborg, Gunnar; Jackson, Petra; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Dahl, Hildegunn; Azqueta, Amaya; Collins, Andrew R; Gutzkow, Kristine B
The comet assay is a sensitive and versatile method for assessing DNA damage in cells. In the traditional version of the assay, there are many manual steps involved and few samples can be treated in one experiment. High throughput (HT) modifications have been developed during recent years, and they are reviewed and discussed. These modifications include accelerated scoring of comets; other important elements that have been studied and adapted to HT are cultivation and manipulation of cells or tissues before and after exposure, and freezing of treated samples until comet analysis and scoring. HT methods save time and money but they are useful also for other reasons: large-scale experiments may be performed which are otherwise not practicable (e.g., analysis of many organs from exposed animals, and human biomonitoring studies), and automation gives more uniform sample treatment and less dependence on operator performance. The HT modifications now available vary largely in their versatility, capacity, complexity, and costs. The bottleneck for further increase of throughput appears to be the scoring. PMID:25389434
High throughput sample processing and automated scoring
Brunborg, Gunnar; Jackson, Petra; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Dahl, Hildegunn; Azqueta, Amaya; Collins, Andrew R.; Gutzkow, Kristine B.
The comet assay is a sensitive and versatile method for assessing DNA damage in cells. In the traditional version of the assay, there are many manual steps involved and few samples can be treated in one experiment. High throughput (HT) modifications have been developed during recent years, and they are reviewed and discussed. These modifications include accelerated scoring of comets; other important elements that have been studied and adapted to HT are cultivation and manipulation of cells or tissues before and after exposure, and freezing of treated samples until comet analysis and scoring. HT methods save time and money but they are useful also for other reasons: large-scale experiments may be performed which are otherwise not practicable (e.g., analysis of many organs from exposed animals, and human biomonitoring studies), and automation gives more uniform sample treatment and less dependence on operator performance. The HT modifications now available vary largely in their versatility, capacity, complexity, and costs. The bottleneck for further increase of throughput appears to be the scoring. PMID:25389434
Orthogonal NGS for High Throughput Clinical Diagnostics
Chennagiri, Niru; White, Eric J.; Frieden, Alexander; Lopez, Edgardo; Lieber, Daniel S.; Nikiforov, Anastasia; Ross, Tristen; Batorsky, Rebecca; Hansen, Sherry; Lip, Va; Luquette, Lovelace J.; Mauceli, Evan; Margulies, David; Milos, Patrice M.; Napolitano, Nichole; Nizzari, Marcia M.; Yu, Timothy; Thompson, John F.
Next generation sequencing is a transformative technology for discovering and diagnosing genetic disorders. However, high-throughput sequencing remains error-prone, necessitating variant confirmation in order to meet the exacting demands of clinical diagnostic sequencing. To address this, we devised an orthogonal, dual platform approach employing complementary target capture and sequencing chemistries to improve speed and accuracy of variant calls at a genomic scale. We combined DNA selection by bait-based hybridization followed by Illumina NextSeq reversible terminator sequencing with DNA selection by amplification followed by Ion Proton semiconductor sequencing. This approach yields genomic scale orthogonal confirmation of ~95% of exome variants. Overall variant sensitivity improves as each method covers thousands of coding exons missed by the other. We conclude that orthogonal NGS offers improvements in variant calling sensitivity when two platforms are used, better specificity for variants identified on both platforms, and greatly reduces the time and expense of Sanger follow-up, thus enabling physicians to act on genomic results more quickly. PMID:27090146
High-throughput rod-induced electrospinning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wu, Dezhi; Xiao, Zhiming; Teh, Kwok Siong; Han, Zhibin; Luo, Guoxi; Shi, Chuan; Sun, Daoheng; Zhao, Jinbao; Lin, Liwei
A high throughput electrospinning process, directly from flat polymer solution surfaces induced by a moving insulating rod, has been proposed and demonstrated. Different rods made of either phenolic resin or paper with a diameter of 1–3 cm and a resistance of about 100–500 MΩ, has been successfully utilized in the process. The rod is placed approximately 10 mm above the flat polymer solution surface with a moving speed of 0.005–0.4 m s‑1 this causes the solution to generate multiple liquid jets under an applied voltage of 15–60 kV for the tip-less electrospinning process. The local electric field induced by the rod can boost electrohydrodynamic instability in order to generate Taylor cones and liquid jets. Experimentally, it is found that a large rod diameter and a small solution-to-rod distance can enhance the local electrical field to reduce the magnitude of the applied voltage. In the prototype setup with poly (ethylene oxide) polymer solution, an area of 5 cm × 10 cm and under an applied voltage of 60 kV, the maximum throughput of nanofibers is recorded to be approximately144 g m‑2 h‑1.
High-Throughput Enzyme Kinetics Using Microarrays
Guoxin Lu; Edward S. Yeung
We report a microanalytical method to study enzyme kinetics. The technique involves immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on a poly-L-lysine (PLL)- coated glass slide in a microarray format, followed by applying substrate solution onto the enzyme microarray. Enzyme molecules are immobilized on the PLL-coated glass slide through electrostatic interactions, and no further modification of the enzyme or glass slide is needed. In situ detection of the products generated on the enzyme spots is made possible by monitoring the light intensity of each spot using a scientific-grade charged-coupled device (CCD). Reactions of substrate solutions of various types and concentrations can be carried out sequentially on one enzyme microarray. To account for the loss of enzyme from washing in between runs, a standard substrate solution is used for calibration. Substantially reduced amounts of substrate solution are consumed for each reaction on each enzyme spot. The Michaelis constant K{sub m} obtained by using this method is comparable to the result for homogeneous solutions. Absorbance detection allows universal monitoring, and no chemical modification of the substrate is needed. High-throughput studies of native enzyme kinetics for multiple enzymes are therefore possible in a simple, rapid, and low-cost manner.
Fluorescent Approaches to High Throughput Crystallography
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pusey, Marc L.; Forsythe, Elizabeth; Achari, Aniruddha
We have shown that by covalently modifying a subpopulation, less than or equal to 1%, of a macromolecule with a fluorescent probe, the labeled material will add to a growing crystal as a microheterogeneous growth unit. Labeling procedures can be readily incorporated into the final stages of purification, and the presence of the probe at low concentrations does not affect the X-ray data quality or the crystallization behavior. The presence of the trace fluorescent label gives a number of advantages when used with high throughput crystallizations. The covalently attached probe will concentrate in the crystal relative to the solution, and under fluorescent illumination crystals show up as bright objects against a dark background. Non-protein structures, such as salt crystals, will not incorporate the probe and will not show up under fluorescent illumination. Brightly fluorescent crystals are readily found against less bright precipitated phases, which under white light illumination may obscure the crystals. Automated image analysis to find crystals should be greatly facilitated, without having to first define crystallization drop boundaries as the protein or protein structures is all that shows up. Fluorescence intensity is a faster search parameter, whether visually or by automated methods, than looking for crystalline features. We are now testing the use of high fluorescence intensity regions, in the absence of clear crystalline features or "hits", as a means for determining potential lead conditions. A working hypothesis is that kinetics leading to non-structured phases may overwhelm and trap more slowly formed ordered assemblies, which subsequently show up as regions of brighter fluorescence intensity. Preliminary experiments with test proteins have resulted in the extraction of a number of crystallization conditions from screening outcomes based solely on the presence of bright fluorescent regions. Subsequent experiments will test this approach using a wider
High-Throughput Baculovirus Expression System for Membrane Protein Production.
Kalathur, Ravi C; Panganiban, Marinela; Bruni, Renato
The ease of use, robustness, cost-effectiveness, and posttranslational machinery make baculovirus expression system a popular choice for production of eukaryotic membrane proteins. This system can be readily adapted for high-throughput operations. This chapter outlines the techniques and procedures for cloning, transfection, small-scale production, and purification of membrane protein samples in a high-throughput manner. PMID:27485337
High-throughput concept for tailoring switchable mirrors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Borgschulte, A.; Gremaud, R.; de Man, S.; Westerwaal, R. J.; Rector, J. H.; Dam, B.; Griessen, R.
The optical properties, the switching kinetics and the lifetime of hydrogen switchable mirrors based on Mg-Ni alloys are determined with particular regard to the composition of the optically active metal-hydride layer in combination with the thickness of the catalytic capping layer. For this, a high-throughput experiment is introduced. The switching kinetics and the reversibility of switchable mirrors are strongly thickness dependent, though the details hinge on the fine structure of the clustered capping layer. Therefore, the kinetics is correlated with the surface structures of Pd on Mg yNi 1- y as investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. The results are explained by the so-called strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) state, characterized by a complete encapsulation of the capping layer clusters by oxidized species originating from the support. The SMSI-effect is less important with increasing Pd-layer thickness, and is suppressed by a good wetting of the Pd-clusters on the optically active film. This explains the critical thickness for the catalyzed hydrogen uptake observed in many switchable mirror systems. Moreover, the degradation of the kinetics during cycling is found to depend on the Pd-layer thickness and on the gas environment. Only films, covered with at least 15 nm Pd, show small degradation caused by the SMSI-effect. The SMSI-effect is partly reversible: after changing the gas environment from hydrogen to oxygen, the oxide on the Pd-clusters can be partly removed.
Spin susceptibility of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hatami, H.; Kernreiter, T.; Zülicke, U.
We have obtained analytical expressions for the q-dependent static spin susceptibility of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides, considering both the electron-doped and hole-doped cases. Our results are applied to calculate spin-related physical observables of monolayer MoS2, focusing especially on in-plane/out-of-plane anisotropies. We find that the hole-mediated Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida exchange interaction for in-plane impurity-spin components decays with the power law R-5/2 as a function of distance R, which deviates from the R-2 power law normally exhibited by a two-dimensional Fermi liquid. In contrast, the out-of-plane spin response shows the familiar R-2 long-range behavior. We also use the spin susceptibility to define a collective g factor for hole-doped MoS2 systems and discuss its density-dependent anisotropy.
High throughput optoelectronic smart pixel systems using diffractive optics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Chih-Hao
Recent developments in digital video, multimedia technology and data networks have greatly increased the demand for high bandwidth communication channels and high throughput data processing. Electronics is particularly suited for switching, amplification and logic functions, while optics is more suitable for interconnections and communications with lower energy and crosstalk. In this research, we present the design, testing, integration and demonstration of several optoelectronic smart pixel devices and system architectures. These systems integrate electronic switching/processing capability with parallel optical interconnections to provide high throughput network communication and pipeline data processing. The Smart Pixel Array Cellular Logic processor (SPARCL) is designed in 0.8 m m CMOS and hybrid integrated with Multiple-Quantum-Well (MQW) devices for pipeline image processing. The Smart Pixel Network Interface (SAPIENT) is designed in 0.6 m m GaAs and monolithically integrated with LEDs to implement a highly parallel optical interconnection network. The Translucent Smart Pixel Array (TRANSPAR) design is implemented in two different versions. The first version, TRANSPAR-MQW, is designed in 0.5 m m CMOS and flip-chip integrated with MQW devices to provide 2-D pipeline processing and translucent networking using the Carrier- Sense-MultipleAccess/Collision-Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol. The other version, TRANSPAR-VM, is designed in 1.2 m m CMOS and discretely integrated with VCSEL-MSM (Vertical-Cavity-Surface- Emitting-Laser and Metal-Semiconductor-Metal detectors) chips and driver/receiver chips on a printed circuit board. The TRANSPAR-VM provides an option of using the token ring network protocol in addition to the embedded functions of TRANSPAR-MQW. These optoelectronic smart pixel systems also require micro-optics devices to provide high resolution, high quality optical interconnections and external source arrays. In this research, we describe an innovative
High-Throughput Pharmacokinetics for Environmental Chemicals (SOT)
High throughput screening (HTS) promises to allow prioritization of thousands of environmental chemicals with little or no in vivo information. For bioactivity identified by HTS, toxicokinetic (TK) models are essential to predict exposure thresholds below which no significant bio...
Evaluating Rapid Models for High-Throughput Exposure Forecasting (SOT)
High throughput exposure screening models can provide quantitative predictions for thousands of chemicals; however these predictions must be systematically evaluated for predictive ability. Without the capability to make quantitative, albeit uncertain, forecasts of exposure, the ...
High throughput approaches for quantifying chemical hazard, exposure, and sustainability have the potential to dramatically impact the pace and nature of risk assessments. Integrated evaluation strategies developed at the US EPA incorporate inherency,bioactivity,bioavailability, ...
MIPHENO: Data normalization for high throughput metabolic analysis.
High throughput methodologies such as microarrays, mass spectrometry and plate-based small molecule screens are increasingly used to facilitate discoveries from gene function to drug candidate identification. These large-scale experiments are typically carried out over the course...
High throughput growth and characterization of thin film materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mao, Samuel S.
It usually takes more than 10 years for a new material from initial research to its first commercial application. Therefore, accelerating the pace of discovery of new materials is critical to tackling challenges in areas ranging from clean energy to national security. As discovery of new materials has not kept pace with the product design cycles in many sectors of industry, there is a pressing need to develop and utilize high throughput screening and discovery technologies for the growth and characterization of new materials. This article presents two distinctive types of high throughput thin film material growth approaches, along with a number of high throughput characterization techniques, established in the author's group. These approaches include a second-generation "discrete" combinatorial semiconductor discovery technology that enables the creation of arrays of individually separated thin film semiconductor materials of different compositions, and a "continuous" high throughput thin film material screening technology that enables the realization of ternary alloy libraries with continuously varying elemental ratios.
High Throughput Profiling of Molecular Shapes in Crystals
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Spackman, Peter R.; Thomas, Sajesh P.; Jayatilaka, Dylan
Molecular shape is important in both crystallisation and supramolecular assembly, yet its role is not completely understood. We present a computationally efficient scheme to describe and classify the molecular shapes in crystals. The method involves rotation invariant description of Hirshfeld surfaces in terms of of spherical harmonic functions. Hirshfeld surfaces represent the boundaries of a molecule in the crystalline environment, and are widely used to visualise and interpret crystalline interactions. The spherical harmonic description of molecular shapes are compared and classified by means of principal component analysis and cluster analysis. When applied to a series of metals, the method results in a clear classification based on their lattice type. When applied to around 300 crystal structures comprising of series of substituted benzenes, naphthalenes and phenylbenzamide it shows the capacity to classify structures based on chemical scaffolds, chemical isosterism, and conformational similarity. The computational efficiency of the method is demonstrated with an application to over 14 thousand crystal structures. High throughput screening of molecular shapes and interaction surfaces in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) using this method has direct applications in drug discovery, supramolecular chemistry and materials design.
High Throughput Profiling of Molecular Shapes in Crystals.
Spackman, Peter R; Thomas, Sajesh P; Jayatilaka, Dylan
Molecular shape is important in both crystallisation and supramolecular assembly, yet its role is not completely understood. We present a computationally efficient scheme to describe and classify the molecular shapes in crystals. The method involves rotation invariant description of Hirshfeld surfaces in terms of of spherical harmonic functions. Hirshfeld surfaces represent the boundaries of a molecule in the crystalline environment, and are widely used to visualise and interpret crystalline interactions. The spherical harmonic description of molecular shapes are compared and classified by means of principal component analysis and cluster analysis. When applied to a series of metals, the method results in a clear classification based on their lattice type. When applied to around 300 crystal structures comprising of series of substituted benzenes, naphthalenes and phenylbenzamide it shows the capacity to classify structures based on chemical scaffolds, chemical isosterism, and conformational similarity. The computational efficiency of the method is demonstrated with an application to over 14 thousand crystal structures. High throughput screening of molecular shapes and interaction surfaces in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) using this method has direct applications in drug discovery, supramolecular chemistry and materials design. PMID:26908351
High Throughput Profiling of Molecular Shapes in Crystals
Spackman, Peter R.; Thomas, Sajesh P.; Jayatilaka, Dylan
Molecular shape is important in both crystallisation and supramolecular assembly, yet its role is not completely understood. We present a computationally efficient scheme to describe and classify the molecular shapes in crystals. The method involves rotation invariant description of Hirshfeld surfaces in terms of of spherical harmonic functions. Hirshfeld surfaces represent the boundaries of a molecule in the crystalline environment, and are widely used to visualise and interpret crystalline interactions. The spherical harmonic description of molecular shapes are compared and classified by means of principal component analysis and cluster analysis. When applied to a series of metals, the method results in a clear classification based on their lattice type. When applied to around 300 crystal structures comprising of series of substituted benzenes, naphthalenes and phenylbenzamide it shows the capacity to classify structures based on chemical scaffolds, chemical isosterism, and conformational similarity. The computational efficiency of the method is demonstrated with an application to over 14 thousand crystal structures. High throughput screening of molecular shapes and interaction surfaces in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) using this method has direct applications in drug discovery, supramolecular chemistry and materials design. PMID:26908351
High-throughput sequencing of cytosine methylation in plant DNA
Cytosine methylation is a significant and widespread regulatory factor in plant systems. Methods for the high-throughput sequencing of methylation have allowed a greatly improved characterisation of the methylome. Here we discuss currently available methods for generation and analysis of high-throughput sequencing of methylation data. We also discuss the results previously acquired through sequencing plant methylomes, and highlight remaining challenges in this field. PMID:23758782
Geochip: A high throughput genomic tool for linking community structure to functions
Van Nostrand, Joy D.; Liang, Yuting; He, Zhili; Li, Guanghe; Zhou, Jizhong
GeoChip is a comprehensive functional gene array that targets key functional genes involved in the geochemical cycling of N, C, and P, sulfate reduction, metal resistance and reduction, and contaminant degradation. Studies have shown the GeoChip to be a sensitive, specific, and high-throughput tool for microbial community analysis that has the power to link geochemical processes with microbial community structure. However, several challenges remain regarding the development and applications of microarrays for microbial community analysis.
A high-throughput microdialysis-parallel solid phase extraction-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry hyphenated system for continuous monitoring of extracellular metal ions in living rat brain.
Su, Cheng-Kuan; Hsia, Sheng-Chieh; Sun, Yuh-Chang
To significantly improve the temporal resolving power of in vivo trace brain metal monitoring system, in this paper we describe a novel analytical configuration combining the dual functions of online segmentation of the rat brain microdialysate and parallel solid phase extraction (SPE) of multiple segmented samples. In contrast to traditional SPE procedures, in this study the three pumped media-the buffered rat brain microdialysate, the eluent, and the air stream-were converted to a series of segmented streams through the manipulation of a flow-through stream selector. After optimizing this online automatic MD/parallel poly(vinyl chloride) SPE/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry hyphenated system for the analysis of ultra-trace metal ions, the sample volume of the microdialysate was set at 0.83μL, the analytical sequence was repeatable every 20s, and the detection limits were in the range 0.03-0.24μgL(-1), with spike analyses of Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn in a rat brain ECF sample agreeing well with expected values (88-107%). To further examine the system's practicability, we also performed (i) in vivo dynamic monitoring of these trace metal ions in living rat brain extracellular fluid post-probe implantation (the basal values for Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn were 1.17±0.18, 1.27±0.36, 2.46±0.62, 0.86±0.37, and 2.35±0.55μgL(-1), respectively) and (ii) real-time visualization of the physiological response to acute neural depolarization elicited upon perfusing a high-K(+) medium through the MD probe. PMID:24388243
Ductility dip cracking susceptibility of Inconel Filler Metal 52 and Inconel Alloy 690
Kikel, J.M.; Parker, D.M.
Alloy 690 and Filler Metal 52 have become the materials of choice for commercial nuclear steam generator applications in recent years. Filler Metal 52 exhibits improved resistance to weld solidification and weld-metal liquation cracking as compared to other nickel-based filler metals. However, recently published work indicates that Filler Metal 52 is susceptible to ductility dip cracking (DDC) in highly restrained applications. Susceptibility to fusion zone DDC was evaluated using the transverse varestraint test method, while heat affected zone (HAZ) DDC susceptibility was evaluated using a newly developed spot-on-spot varestraint test method. Alloy 690 and Filler Metal 52 cracking susceptibility was compared to the DDC susceptibility of Alloy 600, Filler Metal 52, and Filler Metal 625. In addition, the effect of grain size and orientation on cracking susceptibility was also included in this study. Alloy 690, Filler Metal 82, Filler Metal 52, and Filler Metal 625 were found more susceptible to fusion zone DDC than Alloy 600. Filler Metal 52 and Alloy 690 were found more susceptible to HAZ DDC when compared to wrought Alloy 600, Filler Metal 82 and Filler Metal 625. Filler Metal 52 exhibited the greatest susceptibility to HAZ DDC of all the weld metals evaluated. The base materials were found much more resistant to HAZ DDC in the wrought condition than when autogenously welded. A smaller grain size was found to offer greater resistance to DDC. For weld metal where grain size is difficult to control, a change in grain orientation was found to improve resistance to DDC.
Miniature high-throughput chemosensing of yield, ee, and absolute configuration from crude reaction mixtures.
Bentley, Keith W; Zhang, Peng; Wolf, Christian
High-throughput experimentation (HTE) has emerged as a widely used technology that accelerates discovery and optimization processes with parallel small-scale reaction setups. A high-throughput screening (HTS) method capable of comprehensive analysis of crude asymmetric reaction mixtures (eliminating product derivatization or isolation) would provide transformative impact by matching the pace of HTE. We report how spontaneous in situ construction of stereodynamic metal probes from readily available, inexpensive starting materials can be applied to chiroptical chemosensing of the total amount, enantiomeric excess (ee), and absolute configuration of a wide variety of amines, diamines, amino alcohols, amino acids, carboxylic acids, α-hydroxy acids, and diols. This advance and HTS potential are highlighted with the analysis of 1 mg of crude reaction mixtures of a catalytic asymmetric reaction. This operationally simple assay uses a robust mix-and-measure protocol, is amenable to microscale platforms and automation, and provides critical time efficiency and sustainability advantages over traditional serial methods. PMID:26933684
Miniature high-throughput chemosensing of yield, ee, and absolute configuration from crude reaction mixtures
Bentley, Keith W.; Zhang, Peng; Wolf, Christian
High-throughput experimentation (HTE) has emerged as a widely used technology that accelerates discovery and optimization processes with parallel small-scale reaction setups. A high-throughput screening (HTS) method capable of comprehensive analysis of crude asymmetric reaction mixtures (eliminating product derivatization or isolation) would provide transformative impact by matching the pace of HTE. We report how spontaneous in situ construction of stereodynamic metal probes from readily available, inexpensive starting materials can be applied to chiroptical chemosensing of the total amount, enantiomeric excess (ee), and absolute configuration of a wide variety of amines, diamines, amino alcohols, amino acids, carboxylic acids, α-hydroxy acids, and diols. This advance and HTS potential are highlighted with the analysis of 1 mg of crude reaction mixtures of a catalytic asymmetric reaction. This operationally simple assay uses a robust mix-and-measure protocol, is amenable to microscale platforms and automation, and provides critical time efficiency and sustainability advantages over traditional serial methods. PMID:26933684
High-Throughput Synthesis and Characterization of BiMoVOX Materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Russu, Sergio; Tromp, Moniek; Tsapatsaris, Nikolaos; Beesley, Angela M.; Schroeder, Sven L. M.; Weller, Mark T.; Evans, John
The high throughput synthesis and characterization of a particular family of ceramic materials, bismuth molybdenum vanadium oxides (BiMoVOX), suitable as inorganic yellow pigments and low temperature oxidation catalysts, is described. Samples, synthesized by calcination and peroxo sol-gel methods, are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, UV-visible and XAFS spectroscopy. A combined high-throughput XRD/XAFS study of a 54 samples array, with simultaneous refinement of data of both techniques, has been performed. Molybdenum doping of bismuth vanadate results in a phase transition from monoclinic BiVO4 to tetragonal Bi(V,Mo)O4, both of scheelite type. Both central metals, V5+ and Mo6+, remain in a tetrahedral coordination. UV/visible spectroscopy identifies a linear blue shift as a function of Mo6+ amount.
High-Throughput Synthesis and Characterization of BiMoVOX Materials
Russu, Sergio; Tromp, Moniek; Weller, Mark T.; Evans, John; Tsapatsaris, Nikolaos; Beesley, Angela M.; Schroeder, Sven L. M.
The high throughput synthesis and characterization of a particular family of ceramic materials, bismuth molybdenum vanadium oxides (BiMoVOX), suitable as inorganic yellow pigments and low temperature oxidation catalysts, is described. Samples, synthesized by calcination and peroxo sol-gel methods, are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, UV-visible and XAFS spectroscopy. A combined high-throughput XRD/XAFS study of a 54 samples array, with simultaneous refinement of data of both techniques, has been performed. Molybdenum doping of bismuth vanadate results in a phase transition from monoclinic BiVO4 to tetragonal Bi(V,Mo)O4, both of scheelite type. Both central metals, V5+ and Mo6+, remain in a tetrahedral coordination. UV/visible spectroscopy identifies a linear blue shift as a function of Mo6+ amount.
Towards high throughput screening of electrochemical stability of battery electrolytes.
Borodin, Oleg; Olguin, Marco; Spear, Carrie E; Leiter, Kenneth W; Knap, Jaroslaw
High throughput screening of solvents and additives with potential applications in lithium batteries is reported. The initial test set is limited to carbonate and phosphate-based compounds and focused on their electrochemical properties. Solvent stability towards first and second reduction and oxidation is reported from density functional theory (DFT) calculations performed on isolated solvents surrounded by implicit solvent. The reorganization energy is estimated from the difference between vertical and adiabatic redox energies and found to be especially important for the accurate prediction of reduction stability. A majority of tested compounds had the second reduction potential higher than the first reduction potential indicating that the second reduction reaction might play an important role in the passivation layer formation. Similarly, the second oxidation potential was smaller for a significant subset of tested molecules than the first oxidation potential. A number of potential sources of errors introduced during screening of the electrolyte electrochemical properties were examined. The formation of lithium fluoride during reduction of semifluorinated solvents such as fluoroethylene carbonate and the H-transfer during oxidation of solvents were found to shift the electrochemical potential by 1.5-2 V and could shrink the electrochemical stability window by as much as 3.5 V when such reactions are included in the screening procedure. The initial oxidation reaction of ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate at the surface of the completely de-lithiated LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 high voltage spinel cathode was examined using DFT. Depending on the molecular orientation at the cathode surface, a carbonate molecule either exhibited deprotonation or was found bound to the transition metal via its carbonyl oxygen. PMID:26266636
Towards high throughput screening of electrochemical stability of battery electrolytes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Borodin, Oleg; Olguin, Marco; Spear, Carrie E.; Leiter, Kenneth W.; Knap, Jaroslaw
High throughput screening of solvents and additives with potential applications in lithium batteries is reported. The initial test set is limited to carbonate and phosphate-based compounds and focused on their electrochemical properties. Solvent stability towards first and second reduction and oxidation is reported from density functional theory (DFT) calculations performed on isolated solvents surrounded by implicit solvent. The reorganization energy is estimated from the difference between vertical and adiabatic redox energies and found to be especially important for the accurate prediction of reduction stability. A majority of tested compounds had the second reduction potential higher than the first reduction potential indicating that the second reduction reaction might play an important role in the passivation layer formation. Similarly, the second oxidation potential was smaller for a significant subset of tested molecules than the first oxidation potential. A number of potential sources of errors introduced during screening of the electrolyte electrochemical properties were examined. The formation of lithium fluoride during reduction of semifluorinated solvents such as fluoroethylene carbonate and the H-transfer during oxidation of solvents were found to shift the electrochemical potential by 1.5-2 V and could shrink the electrochemical stability window by as much as 3.5 V when such reactions are included in the screening procedure. The initial oxidation reaction of ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate at the surface of the completely de-lithiated LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 high voltage spinel cathode was examined using DFT. Depending on the molecular orientation at the cathode surface, a carbonate molecule either exhibited deprotonation or was found bound to the transition metal via its carbonyl oxygen.
High-throughput Protein Purification and Quality Assessment for Crystallization
Kim, Youngchang; Babnigg, Gyorgy; Jedrzejczak, Robert; Eschenfeldt, William H.; Li, Hui; Maltseva, Natalia; Hatzos-Skintges, Catherine; Gu, Minyi; Makowska-Grzyska, Magdalena; Wu, Ruiying; An, Hao; Chhor, Gekleng; Joachimiak, Andrzej
The ultimate goal of structural biology is to understand the structural basis of proteins in cellular processes. In structural biology, the most critical issue is the availability of high-quality samples. "Structural biology-grade" proteins must be generated in the quantity and quality suitable for structure determination using X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The purification procedures must reproducibly yield homogeneous proteins or their derivatives containing marker atom(s) in milligram quantities. The choice of protein purification and handling procedures plays a critical role in obtaining high-quality protein samples. With structural genomics emphasizing a genome-based approach in understanding protein structure and function, a number of unique structures covering most of the protein folding space have been determined and new technologies with high efficiency have been developed. At the Midwest Center for Structural Genomics (MCSG), we have developed semi-automated protocols for high-throughput parallel protein expression and purification. A protein, expressed as a fusion with a cleavable affinity tag, is purified in two consecutive immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) steps: (i) the first step is an IMAC coupled with buffer-exchange, or size exclusion chromatography (IMAC-I), followed by the cleavage of the affinity tag using the highly specific Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV) protease; [1] the second step is IMAC and buffer exchange (IMAC-II) to remove the cleaved tag and tagged TEV protease. These protocols have been implemented on multidimensional chromatography workstations and, as we have shown, many proteins can be successfully produced in large-scale. All methods and protocols used for purification, some developed by MCSG, others adopted and integrated into the MCSG purification pipeline and more recently the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases (CSGID) purification pipeline, are
Advances in High-Throughput Single-Cell Microtechnologies
Weaver, Westbrook M.; Tseng, Peter; Kunze, Anja; Masaeli, Mahdohkht; Chung, Aram J.; Dudani, Jaideep S.; Kittur, Harsha; Kulkarni, Rajan P.; Di Carlo, Dino
Micro-scale biological tools that have allowed probing of individual cells - from the genetic, to proteomic, to phenotypic level - have revealed important contributions of single cells to direct normal and diseased body processes. In analyzing single cells, sample heterogeneity between and within specific cell types drives the need for high-throughput and quantitative measurement of cellular parameters. In recent years, high-throughput single-cell analysis platforms have revealed rare genetic subpopulations in growing tumors, begun to uncover the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and described the cell-to-cell variations in stem cell differentiation and immune cell response to activation by pathogens. This review surveys these recent technologies, presenting their strengths and contributions to the field, and identifies needs still unmet toward the development of high-throughput single-cell analysis tools to benefit life science research and clinical diagnostics. PMID:24484889
Perspective: Data infrastructure for high throughput materials discovery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pfeif, E. A.; Kroenlein, K.
Computational capability has enabled materials design to evolve from trial-and-error towards more informed methodologies that require large amounts of data. Expert-designed tools and their underlying databases facilitate modern-day high throughput computational methods. Standard data formats and communication standards increase the impact of traditional data, and applying these technologies to a high throughput experimental design provides dense, targeted materials data that are valuable for material discovery. Integrated computational materials engineering requires both experimentally and computationally derived data. Harvesting these comprehensively requires different methods of varying degrees of automation to accommodate variety and volume. Issues of data quality persist independent of type.
Implementation of high throughput experimentation techniques for kinetic reaction testing.
Nagy, Anton J
Successful implementation of High throughput Experimentation (EE) tools has resulted in their increased acceptance as essential tools in chemical, petrochemical and polymer R&D laboratories. This article provides a number of concrete examples of EE systems, which have been designed and successfully implemented in studies, which focus on deriving reaction kinetic data. The implementation of high throughput EE tools for performing kinetic studies of both catalytic and non-catalytic systems results in a significantly faster acquisition of high-quality kinetic modeling data, required to quantitatively predict the behavior of complex, multistep reactions. PMID:21902639
High-throughput screening for modulators of cellular contractile force†
Park, Chan Young; Zhou, Enhua H.; Tambe, Dhananjay; Chen, Bohao; Lavoie, Tera; Dowell, Maria; Simeonov, Anton; Maloney, David J.; Marinkovic, Aleksandar; Tschumperlin, Daniel J.; Burger, Stephanie; Frykenberg, Matthew; Butler, James P.; Stamer, W. Daniel; Johnson, Mark; Solway, Julian; Fredberg, Jeffrey J.
When cellular contractile forces are central to pathophysiology, these forces comprise a logical target of therapy. Nevertheless, existing high-throughput screens are limited to upstream signalling intermediates with poorly defined relationships to such a physiological endpoint. Using cellular force as the target, here we report a new screening technology and demonstrate its applications using human airway smooth muscle cells in the context of asthma and Schlemm's canal endothelial cells in the context of glaucoma. This approach identified several drug candidates for both asthma and glaucoma. We attained rates of 1000 compounds per screening day, thus establishing a force-based cellular platform for high-throughput drug discovery. PMID:25953078
Advances in high throughput DNA sequence data compression.
Sardaraz, Muhammad; Tahir, Muhammad; Ikram, Ataul Aziz
Advances in high throughput sequencing technologies and reduction in cost of sequencing have led to exponential growth in high throughput DNA sequence data. This growth has posed challenges such as storage, retrieval, and transmission of sequencing data. Data compression is used to cope with these challenges. Various methods have been developed to compress genomic and sequencing data. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of compression methods for genome and reads compression. Algorithms are categorized as referential or reference free. Experimental results and comparative analysis of various methods for data compression are presented. Finally, key challenges and research directions in DNA sequence data compression are highlighted. PMID:26846812
Substrate independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening.
Tuntland, Micheal L; Fung, L W-M
Inorganic phosphate release, [Pi], is often measured in an enzymatic reaction in a high throughput setting. Based on the published mechanism, we designed a protocol for our screening for inhibitors of SAICAR synthetase (PurC), and we found a gradual increase in [Pi] in positive control samples over the course of the day. Further investigation indicated that hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by PurC, rather than substrate-related phosphate release, was responsible for a partial contribution to the signals in the control samples. Thus substrate-independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening. PMID:27430931
C. elegans in high-throughput drug discovery
O'Reilly, Linda P.; Luke, Cliff J.; Perlmutter, David H.; Silverman, Gary A.; Pak, Stephen C.
C. elegans has proven to be a useful model organism for investigating molecular and cellular aspects of numerous human diseases. More recently, investigators have explored the use of this organism as a tool for drug discovery. Although earlier drug screens were labor-intensive and low in throughput, recent advances in high-throughput liquid workflows, imaging platforms and data analysis software have made C. elegans a viable option for automated high-throughput drug screens. This review will outline the evolution of C. elegans-based drug screening, discuss the inherent challenges of using C. elegans, and highlight recent technological advances that have paved the way for future drug screens. PMID:24333896
High throughput drug discovery with ESI-FTICR
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sannes-Lowery, Kristin A.; Cummins, Lendell L.; Chen, Shuo; Drader, Jared J.; Hofstadler, Steven A.
Ribonucleic acids (RNA) are an attractive target for drug discovery since they play critical roles in cellular functions. Because small structured subdomains are known to mimic the behavior of the entire RNA, it is possible to design RNA drug targets that are amenable to interrogation by high performance mass spectrometry. We have developed a high throughput drug discovery platform that uses electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry to investigate ligand binding to structured RNA drug targets. This assay is called multitarget affinity/specificity screening (MASS). Using MASS, we show that it is possible to screen synthetic and natural product libraries in a high throughput and robust manner.
Conceptual design of a high throughput electrorefining of a uranium by using graphite cathode
Lee, J.H.; Kang, Y.H.; Hwang, S.C.; Park, S.B.; Shim, J.B.; Lee, H.S.; Kim, E.H.; Park, S.W.
Conceptual designing of a high throughput electro-refiner was performed by using basic experimental data and a commercial computational fluid dynamic code, CFX. An electro-refiner concept equipped with a graphite cathode bundle was designed to recover a high purity uranium product continuously without a noble metal contamination. The performance of the process for a decontamination of a noble metal in a uranium product was evaluated as a function of the process parameters such as the rotation speeds of the stirrer and the anode basket. (authors)
Aspirator Gun for High-Throughput Mosquito Bioassays
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
We describe an innovative aspirator gun designed to transfer anaesthetized mosquitoes directly into glass bioassay tubes. The gun has been used for thousands of transfers with extremely low associated mortality and is the central component of a high-throughput bioassay system. The gun is constructed...
High-throughput screening, predictive modeling and computational embryology
High-throughput screening (HTS) studies are providing a rich source of data that can be applied to profile thousands of chemical compounds for biological activity and potential toxicity. EPA's ToxCast™ project, and the broader Tox21 consortium, in addition to projects worldwide,...
High-throughput screening, predictive modeling and computational embryology - Abstract
High-throughput screening (HTS) studies are providing a rich source of data that can be applied to chemical profiling to address sensitivity and specificity of molecular targets, biological pathways, cellular and developmental processes. EPA's ToxCast project is testing 960 uniq...
Aspirator gun for high-throughput mosquito bioassays.
Aldridge, Robert L; Wynn, W Wayne; Britch, Seth C; Linthicum, Kenneth J
We describe an innovative aspirator gun designed to transfer individual anesthetized mosquitoes directly into glass bioassay tubes. The gun has been used for thousands of transfers with extremely low associated mortality and is the central component of a high-throughput bioassay system. The gun is constructed using readily obtainable materials and can be modified for a range of insects. PMID:22533090
High Throughput Assays and Exposure Science (ISES annual meeting)
High throughput screening (HTS) data characterizing chemical-induced biological activity has been generated for thousands of environmentally-relevant chemicals by the US inter-agency Tox21 and the US EPA ToxCast programs. For a limited set of chemicals, bioactive concentrations r...
High Throughput Exposure Estimation Using NHANES Data (SOT)
In the ExpoCast project, high throughput (HT) exposure models enable rapid screening of large numbers of chemicals for exposure potential. Evaluation of these models requires empirical exposure data and due to the paucity of human metabolism/exposure data such evaluations includ...
High Throughput Sequence Analysis for Disease Resistance in Maize
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Preliminary results of a computational analysis of high throughput sequencing data from Zea mays and the fungus Aspergillus are reported. The Illumina Genome Analyzer was used to sequence RNA samples from two strains of Z. mays (Va35 and Mp313) collected over a time course as well as several specie...
Accounting For Uncertainty in The Application Of High Throughput Datasets
The use of high throughput screening (HTS) datasets will need to adequately account for uncertainties in the data generation process and propagate these uncertainties through to ultimate use. Uncertainty arises at multiple levels in the construction of predictors using in vitro ...
Environmental Impact on Vascular Development Predicted by High Throughput Screening
Understanding health risks to embryonic development from exposure to environmental chemicals is a significant challenge given the diverse chemical landscape and paucity of data for most of these compounds. High throughput screening (HTS) in EPA's ToxCastTM project provides vast d...
Fully Bayesian Analysis of High-throughput Targeted Metabolomics Assays
High-throughput metabolomic assays that allow simultaneous targeted screening of hundreds of metabolites have recently become available in kit form. Such assays provide a window into understanding changes to biochemical pathways due to chemical exposure or disease, and are usefu...
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
High-throughput fingerprinting techniques employing capillary electrophoresis place new demands on the editing of fingerprint files for the downstream contig assembly program, FPC. A cross-platform software application, GenoProfiler, was developed for automated editing of sized fingerprinting profil...
New High Throughput Methods to Estimate Chemical Exposure
EPA has made many recent advances in high throughput bioactivity testing. However, concurrent advances in rapid, quantitative prediction of human and ecological exposures have been lacking, despite the clear importance of both measures for a risk-based approach to prioritizing an...
A Novel High-Throughput Approach to Measure Hydroxyl Radicals Induced by Airborne Particulate Matter
Son, Yeongkwon; Mishin, Vladimir; Welsh, William; Lu, Shou-En; Laskin, Jeffrey D.; Kipen, Howard; Meng, Qingyu
Oxidative stress is one of the key mechanisms linking ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure with various adverse health effects. The oxidative potential of PM has been used to characterize the ability of PM induced oxidative stress. Hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the most destructive radical produced by PM. However, there is currently no high-throughput approach which can rapidly measure PM-induced •OH for a large number of samples with an automated system. This study evaluated four existing molecular probes (disodium terephthalate, 3′-p-(aminophenyl)fluorescein, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, and sodium benzoate) for their applicability to measure •OH induced by PM in a high-throughput cell-free system using fluorescence techniques, based on both our experiments and on an assessment of the physicochemical properties of the probes reported in the literature. Disodium terephthalate (TPT) was the most applicable molecular probe to measure •OH induced by PM, due to its high solubility, high stability of the corresponding fluorescent product (i.e., 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid), high yield compared with the other molecular probes, and stable fluorescence intensity in a wide range of pH environments. TPT was applied in a high-throughput format to measure PM (NIST 1648a)-induced •OH, in phosphate buffered saline. The formed fluorescent product was measured at designated time points up to 2 h. The fluorescent product of TPT had a detection limit of 17.59 nM. The soluble fraction of PM contributed approximately 76.9% of the •OH induced by total PM, and the soluble metal ions of PM contributed 57.4% of the overall •OH formation. This study provides a promising cost-effective high-throughput method to measure •OH induced by PM on a routine basis. PMID:26516887
Three-dimensional quantification of susceptibility artifacts from various metals in magnetic resonance images.
Imai, Haruki; Tanaka, Yoji; Nomura, Naoyuki; Tsutsumi, Yusuke; Doi, Hisashi; Kanno, Zuisei; Ohno, Kikuo; Ono, Takashi; Hanawa, Takao
Susceptibility artifacts generated in magnetic resonance (MR) images were quantitatively evaluated for various metals using a three-dimensional (3-D) artifact rendering to demonstrate the correlation between magnetic susceptibility and artifact volume. Ten metals (stainless steel, Co-Cr alloy, Nb, Ti, Zr, Mo, Al, Sn, Cu and Ag) were prepared, and their magnetic susceptibilities measured using a magnetic balance. Each metal was embedded in a Ni-doped agarose gel phantom and the MR images of the metal-containing phantoms were taken using 1.5 and 3.0 T MR scanners under both fast spin echo and gradient echo conditions. 3-D renderings of the artifacts were constructed from the images and the artifact volumes were calculated for each metal. The artifact volumes of metals decreased with decreasing magnetic susceptibility, with the exception of Ag. Although Sn possesses the lowest absolute magnetic susceptibility (1.8×10(-6)), the artifact volume from Cu (-7.8×10(-6)) was smaller than that of Sn. This is because the magnetic susceptibility of Cu was close to that of the agarose gel phantom (-7.3×10(-6)). Since the difference in magnetic susceptibility between the agarose and Sn is close to that between the agarose and Ag (-17.5×10(-6)), their artifact volumes were almost the same, although they formed artifacts that were reversed in all three dimensions. PMID:23707948
A high-throughput label-free nanoparticle analyser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fraikin, Jean-Luc; Teesalu, Tambet; McKenney, Christopher M.; Ruoslahti, Erkki; Cleland, Andrew N.
Synthetic nanoparticles and genetically modified viruses are used in a range of applications, but high-throughput analytical tools for the physical characterization of these objects are needed. Here we present a microfluidic analyser that detects individual nanoparticles and characterizes complex, unlabelled nanoparticle suspensions. We demonstrate the detection, concentration analysis and sizing of individual synthetic nanoparticles in a multicomponent mixture with sufficient throughput to analyse 500,000 particles per second. We also report the rapid size and titre analysis of unlabelled bacteriophage T7 in both salt solution and mouse blood plasma, using just ~1 × 10-6 l of analyte. Unexpectedly, in the native blood plasma we discover a large background of naturally occurring nanoparticles with a power-law size distribution. The high-throughput detection capability, scalable fabrication and simple electronics of this instrument make it well suited for diverse applications.
High-throughput theoretical design of lithium battery materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shi-Gang, Ling; Jian, Gao; Rui-Juan, Xiao; Li-Quan, Chen
The rapid evolution of high-throughput theoretical design schemes to discover new lithium battery materials is reviewed, including high-capacity cathodes, low-strain cathodes, anodes, solid state electrolytes, and electrolyte additives. With the development of efficient theoretical methods and inexpensive computers, high-throughput theoretical calculations have played an increasingly important role in the discovery of new materials. With the help of automatic simulation flow, many types of materials can be screened, optimized and designed from a structural database according to specific search criteria. In advanced cell technology, new materials for next generation lithium batteries are of great significance to achieve performance, and some representative criteria are: higher energy density, better safety, and faster charge/discharge speed. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11234013 and 51172274) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2015AA034201).
Direct assembling methodologies for high-throughput bioscreening
Rodríguez-Dévora, Jorge I.; Shi, Zhi-dong; Xu, Tao
Over the last few decades, high-throughput (HT) bioscreening, a technique that allows rapid screening of biochemical compound libraries against biological targets, has been widely used in drug discovery, stem cell research, development of new biomaterials, and genomics research. To achieve these ambitions, scaffold-free (or direct) assembly of biological entities of interest has become critical. Appropriate assembling methodologies are required to build an efficient HT bioscreening platform. The development of contact and non-contact assembling systems as a practical solution has been driven by a variety of essential attributes of the bioscreening system, such as miniaturization, high throughput, and high precision. The present article reviews recent progress on these assembling technologies utilized for the construction of HT bioscreening platforms. PMID:22021162
Fusion genes and their discovery using high throughput sequencing.
Annala, M J; Parker, B C; Zhang, W; Nykter, M
Fusion genes are hybrid genes that combine parts of two or more original genes. They can form as a result of chromosomal rearrangements or abnormal transcription, and have been shown to act as drivers of malignant transformation and progression in many human cancers. The biological significance of fusion genes together with their specificity to cancer cells has made them into excellent targets for molecular therapy. Fusion genes are also used as diagnostic and prognostic markers to confirm cancer diagnosis and monitor response to molecular therapies. High-throughput sequencing has enabled the systematic discovery of fusion genes in a wide variety of cancer types. In this review, we describe the history of fusion genes in cancer and the ways in which fusion genes form and affect cellular function. We also describe computational methodologies for detecting fusion genes from high-throughput sequencing experiments, and the most common sources of error that lead to false discovery of fusion genes. PMID:23376639
Portable thermo-powered high-throughput visual electrochemiluminescence sensor.
Hao, Nan; Xiong, Meng; Zhang, Jia-dong; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan
This paper describes a portable thermo-powered high-throughput visual electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for the first time. This sensor is composed of a tiny power supply device based on thermal-electrical conversion and a facile prepared array electrode. The ECL detection could be conducted with thermo-power, which is easily accessible. For example, hot water, a bonfire, or a lighted candle enables the detection to be conducted. And the assay can be directly monitored by the naked eye semiquantitatively or smart phones quantitatively. Combined with transparent electrode and array microreactors, a portable high-throughput sensor was achieved. The portable device, avoiding the use of an electrochemical workstation to generate potential and a photomultiplier tube to receive the signal, is not only a valuable addition for traditional methods but also a suitable device for field operation or point-of-care testing. PMID:24215560
High throughput screening of starch structures using carbohydrate microarrays.
Tanackovic, Vanja; Rydahl, Maja Gro; Pedersen, Henriette Lodberg; Motawia, Mohammed Saddik; Shaik, Shahnoor Sultana; Mikkelsen, Maria Dalgaard; Krunic, Susanne Langgaard; Fangel, Jonatan Ulrik; Willats, William George Tycho; Blennow, Andreas
In this study we introduce the starch-recognising carbohydrate binding module family 20 (CBM20) from Aspergillus niger for screening biological variations in starch molecular structure using high throughput carbohydrate microarray technology. Defined linear, branched and phosphorylated maltooligosaccharides, pure starch samples including a variety of different structures with variations in the amylopectin branching pattern, amylose content and phosphate content, enzymatically modified starches and glycogen were included. Using this technique, different important structures, including amylose content and branching degrees could be differentiated in a high throughput fashion. The screening method was validated using transgenic barley grain analysed during development and subjected to germination. Typically, extreme branching or linearity were detected less than normal starch structures. The method offers the potential for rapidly analysing resistant and slowly digested dietary starches. PMID:27468930
High-throughput screening to identify inhibitors of lysine demethylases
Gale, Molly; Yan, Qin
Lysine demethylases (KDMs) are epigenetic regulators whose dysfunction is implicated in the pathology of many human diseases including various types of cancer, inflammation and X-linked intellectual disability. Particular demethylases have been identified as promising therapeutic targets, and tremendous efforts are being devoted toward developing suitable small-molecule inhibitors for clinical and research use. Several high-throughput screening strategies have been developed to screen for small-molecule inhibitors of KDMs, each with advantages and disadvantages in terms of time, cost, effort, reliability and sensitivity. In this Special Report, we review and evaluate the high-throughput screening methods utilized for discovery of novel small-molecule KDM inhibitors. PMID:25687466
Perspectives on high-throughput technologies applied to protein crystallization.
Saridakis, Emmanuel
High-throughput crystallisation requires the rapid and accurate dispensing of protein and precipitating agent solutions at nanovolumes, but does not end there. The choice of the initial screens is very important, especially with respect to the availability of protein material. Data from previous crystallisation experiments that are scattered in the literature and only partially available in databases have to be analysed in efficient ways that will maximise their utility for designing new screens. A larger portion of crystallisation parameter space should be made accessible to screening, through the use of nucleants and seeding. Observation, assessment and scaling up of the crystallisation trials should be efficiently performed and, finally yet importantly, optimisation of conditions must also be adapted to the high-throughput environment. The above requirements are briefly addressed in the following paper. PMID:22489783
High throughput screening of starch structures using carbohydrate microarrays
Tanackovic, Vanja; Rydahl, Maja Gro; Pedersen, Henriette Lodberg; Motawia, Mohammed Saddik; Shaik, Shahnoor Sultana; Mikkelsen, Maria Dalgaard; Krunic, Susanne Langgaard; Fangel, Jonatan Ulrik; Willats, William George Tycho; Blennow, Andreas
In this study we introduce the starch-recognising carbohydrate binding module family 20 (CBM20) from Aspergillus niger for screening biological variations in starch molecular structure using high throughput carbohydrate microarray technology. Defined linear, branched and phosphorylated maltooligosaccharides, pure starch samples including a variety of different structures with variations in the amylopectin branching pattern, amylose content and phosphate content, enzymatically modified starches and glycogen were included. Using this technique, different important structures, including amylose content and branching degrees could be differentiated in a high throughput fashion. The screening method was validated using transgenic barley grain analysed during development and subjected to germination. Typically, extreme branching or linearity were detected less than normal starch structures. The method offers the potential for rapidly analysing resistant and slowly digested dietary starches. PMID:27468930
Nano-bio Hybrid Materials for a New Generation of High-throughput Diagnostic Systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nabiev, Igor
Nano-bio hybrid materials obtained by conjugation of capture molecules and plasmonic (metal) or excitonic (semiconductor) nanocrystals or microspheres encoded with fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals of different colors are the basis for development of a new generation of high-throughput diagnostic systems. Here, the general principles of development of "ideal" diagnostic nanoprobes based on oriented conjugates of capture molecules with the nanoparticles of different chemical compositions or with optically encoded microspheres are summarized and the basic requirements for individual components of the photonic nanoprobes being developed are discussed in the context of ensuring their advantages over the existing photonic diagnostic systems.
High-throughput evaluation of synthetic metabolic pathways
Klesmith, Justin R.; Whitehead, Timothy A.
A central challenge in the field of metabolic engineering is the efficient identification of a metabolic pathway genotype that maximizes specific productivity over a robust range of process conditions. Here we review current methods for optimizing specific productivity of metabolic pathways in living cells. New tools for library generation, computational analysis of pathway sequence-flux space, and high-throughput screening and selection techniques are discussed. PMID:27453919
High Throughput siRNA Screening Using Reverse Transfection.
von Schantz, Carina; Saarela, Jani
RNA interference (RNAi) is a commonly used technique to knockdown gene function. Here, we describe a high throughput screening method for siRNA mediated gene silencing of the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 using reverse transfection. Furthermore, we describe the setup for two separate methods for detecting viable and dead cells using either homogenous assays or image-based analysis. PMID:27581282
Rapid Methods for High-Throughput Detection of Sulfoxides▿
Shainsky, Janna; Derry, Netta-Lee; Leichtmann-Bardoogo, Yael; Wood, Thomas K.; Fishman, Ayelet
Enantiopure sulfoxides are prevalent in drugs and are useful chiral auxiliaries in organic synthesis. The biocatalytic enantioselective oxidation of prochiral sulfides is a direct and economical approach for the synthesis of optically pure sulfoxides. The selection of suitable biocatalysts requires rapid and reliable high-throughput screening methods. Here we present four different methods for detecting sulfoxides produced via whole-cell biocatalysis, three of which were exploited for high-throughput screening. Fluorescence detection based on the acid activation of omeprazole was utilized for high-throughput screening of mutant libraries of toluene monooxygenases, but no active variants have been discovered yet. The second method is based on the reduction of sulfoxides to sulfides, with the coupled release and measurement of iodine. The availability of solvent-resistant microtiter plates enabled us to modify the method to a high-throughput format. The third method, selective inhibition of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, was used to rapidly screen highly active and/or enantioselective variants at position V106 of toluene ortho-monooxygenase in a saturation mutagenesis library, using methyl-p-tolyl sulfide as the substrate. A success rate of 89% (i.e., 11% false positives) was obtained, and two new mutants were selected. The fourth method is based on the colorimetric detection of adrenochrome, a back-titration procedure which measures the concentration of the periodate-sensitive sulfide. Due to low sensitivity during whole-cell screening, this method was found to be useful only for determining the presence or absence of sulfoxide in the reaction. The methods described in the present work are simple and inexpensive and do not require special equipment. PMID:19465532
Condor-COPASI: high-throughput computing for biochemical networks
Background Mathematical modelling has become a standard technique to improve our understanding of complex biological systems. As models become larger and more complex, simulations and analyses require increasing amounts of computational power. Clusters of computers in a high-throughput computing environment can help to provide the resources required for computationally expensive model analysis. However, exploiting such a system can be difficult for users without the necessary expertise. Results We present Condor-COPASI, a server-based software tool that integrates COPASI, a biological pathway simulation tool, with Condor, a high-throughput computing environment. Condor-COPASI provides a web-based interface, which makes it extremely easy for a user to run a number of model simulation and analysis tasks in parallel. Tasks are transparently split into smaller parts, and submitted for execution on a Condor pool. Result output is presented to the user in a number of formats, including tables and interactive graphical displays. Conclusions Condor-COPASI can effectively use a Condor high-throughput computing environment to provide significant gains in performance for a number of model simulation and analysis tasks. Condor-COPASI is free, open source software, released under the Artistic License 2.0, and is suitable for use by any institution with access to a Condor pool. Source code is freely available for download at http://code.google.com/p/condor-copasi/, along with full instructions on deployment and usage. PMID:22834945
Promises and Pitfalls of High-Throughput Biological Assays.
Finak, Greg; Gottardo, Raphael
This chapter discusses some of the pitfalls encountered when performing biomedical research involving high-throughput "omics" data and presents some strategies and guidelines that researchers should follow when undertaking such studies. We discuss common errors in experimental design and data analysis that lead to irreproducible and non-replicable research and provide some guidelines to avoid these common mistakes so that researchers may have confidence in study outcomes, even if the results are negative. We discuss the importance of ranking and prespecifying hypotheses, performing power analysis, careful experimental design, and preplanning of statistical analyses in order to avoid the "fishing expedition" data analysis strategy, which is doomed to fail. The impact of multiple testing on false-positive rates is discussed, particularly in the context of the analysis of high-throughput data, and methods to correct for it are presented, as well as approaches to detect and correct for experimental biases and batch effects, which often plague high-throughput assays. We highlight the importance of sharing data and analysis code to facilitate reproducibility and present tools and software that are appropriate for this purpose. PMID:27115636
High-Throughput Analysis of RNA Structure and Ribonucleoprotein Assembly
McGinnis, Jennifer L.; Duncan, Caia D. S.; Weeks, Kevin M.
RNA folds to form complex structures vital to many cellular functions. Proteins facilitate RNA folding at both the secondary and tertiary structure levels. An absolute prerequisite for understanding RNA folding and ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly reactions is a complete understanding of the RNA structure at each stage of the folding or assembly process. Here we provide a guide for comprehensive and high-throughput analysis of RNA secondary and tertiary structure using SHAPE and hydroxyl radical footprinting. As an example of the strong and sometimes surprising conclusions that can emerge from high-throughput analysis of RNA folding and RNP assembly, we summarize the structure of the bI3 group I intron RNA in four distinct states. Dramatic structural rearrangements occur in both secondary and tertiary structure as the RNA folds from the free state to the active, six-component, RNP complex. As high-throughput and high-resolution approaches are applied broadly to large protein-RNA complexes, other proteins previously viewed as making simple contributions to RNA folding are also likely to be found to exert multifaceted, long-range, cooperative, and non-additive effects on RNA folding. These protein-induced contributions add another level of control, and potential regulatory function, in RNP complexes. PMID:20946765
High-throughput analysis of growth differences among phage strains.
Turner, Paul E; Draghi, Jeremy A; Wilpiszeski, Regina
Although methods such as spectrophotometry are useful for identifying growth differences among bacterial strains, it is currently difficult to similarly determine whether bacteriophage strains differ in growth using high throughput methods. Here we use automated spectrophotometry to develop an in vitro method for indirectly distinguishing fitness (growth) differences among virus strains, based on direct measures of their infected bacterial hosts. We used computer simulations of a mathematical model for phage growth to predict which features of bacterial growth curves were best associated with differences in growth among phage strains. We then tested these predictions using the in vitro method to confirm which of the inferred viral growth traits best reflected known fitness differences among genotypes of the RNA phage phi-6, when infecting a Pseudomonas syringae host. Results showed that the inferred phage trait of time-to-extinction (time required to drive bacterial density below detectable optical density) reliably correlated with genotype rankings based on absolute fitness (phage titer per ml). These data suggested that the high-throughput analysis was valuable for identifying growth differences among virus strains, and that the method may be especially useful for high throughput analyses of fitness differences among phage strains cultured and/or evolved in liquid (unstructured) environments. PMID:22101310
High-Throughput Optical Sensing Immunoassays on Smartphone.
Wang, Li-Ju; Sun, Rongrong; Vasile, Tina; Chang, Yu-Chung; Li, Lei
We present an optical sensing platform on a smartphone for high-throughput screening immunoassays. For the first time, a designed microprism array is utilized to achieve a one-time screening of 64 samples. To demonstrate the capability and the reliability of this optical sensing platform on smartphone, human interleukin 6 (IL-6) protein and six types of plant viruses are immunoassayed. The ability of quantification is shown by a sigmoidal dose-response curve fitting to analyze IL-6 protein. The accuracy in measuring the concentrations of IL-6 protein achieves 99.1%. On the other hand, to validate on-field immunoassays by our device, a total of 1030 samples are assayed using three immunoassay methods to detect six types of plant viruses. The accuracy is up to 96.2-99.9%; in addition, there is a high degree of agreement with lab instruments. The total cost for this high-throughput optical screening platform is ∼$50 USD. The reading time is only 2 s for 64 samples. The size is just as big as a portable hard drive. Our optical sensing platform on the smartphone offers a route toward in situ high-throughput screening immunoassays for viruses, pathogens, biomarkers, and toxins by decentralizing laboratory tests. With this mobile point-of-care optical platform, the spread of disease can be timely stopped within a very short turnaround time. PMID:27434250
High-throughput and in situ EDXRD investigation on the formation of two new metal aminoethylphosphonates - Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 2}) and Ca(OH)(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 3}){center_dot}2H{sub 2}O
Schmidt, Corinna; Feyand, Mark; Rothkirch, Andre; Stock, Norbert
The system Ca{sup 2+}/2-aminoethylphosphonic acid/H{sub 2}O/NaOH was systematically investigated using high-throughput methods. The experiments led to one new compound Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2} H{sub 4}NH{sub 2}) (1) and the crystal structure was determined using in house X-ray powder diffraction data (monoclinic, P2{sub 1}/c, a=9.7753(3), b=6.4931(2), c=8.4473(2) A, {beta}=106.46(2) Degree-Sign , V=514.20(2) A{sup 3}, Z=4). The formation of 1 was investigated by in situ energy dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements (EDXRD) at beamline F3 at HASYLAB (light source DORIS III), DESY, Hamburg. An intermediate, Ca(OH)(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 3}){center_dot}2H{sub 2}O (2), was observed and could be isolated from the reaction mixture at ambient temperatures by quenching the reaction. The crystal structure of 2 was determined from XRPD data using synchrotron radiation (monoclinic, P2{sub 1}/m, a=11.2193(7), b=7.1488(3), c=5.0635(2) A, {beta}=100.13(4) Degree-Sign , V=399.78(3) A{sup 3}, Z=2). - Graphical abstarct: The detailed in situ energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) investigation on the formation of the new inorganic-organic hybrid compound Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 2}) leads to the discovery of a new crystalline intermediate phase. Both crystal structures were elucidated using X-ray powder diffraction data. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High-throughput investigation led to new metal aminoethylphosphonate Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 2}). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The formation of Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 2}) was followed by in situ EDXRD measurements. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The crystalline intermediate Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 3})(OH){center_dot}2H{sub 2}O was discovered. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Isolation of Ca(O{sub 3}PC{sub 2}H{sub 4}NH{sub 3})(OH){center_dot}2H{sub 2}O was accomplished by quenching experiments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The structures were determined using X-ray powder
A high-throughput method for isolation of salicylic acid metabolic mutants
Background Salicylic acid (SA) is a key defense signal molecule against biotrophic pathogens in plants. Quantification of SA levels in plants is critical for dissecting the SA-mediated immune response. Although HPLC and GC/MS are routinely used to determine SA concentrations, they are expensive and time-consuming. We recently described a rapid method for a bacterial biosensor Acinetobacter sp. ADPWH_lux-based SA quantification, which enables high-throughput analysis. In this study we describe an improved method for fast sample preparation, and present a high-throughput strategy for isolation of SA metabolic mutants. Results On the basis of the previously described biosensor-based method, we simplified the tissue collection and the SA extraction procedure. Leaf discs were collected and boiled in Luria-Bertani (LB), and then the released SA was measured with the biosensor. The time-consuming steps of weighing samples, grinding tissues and centrifugation were avoided. The direct boiling protocol detected similar differences in SA levels among pathogen-infected wild-type, npr1 (nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes), and sid2 (SA induction-deficient) plants as did the previously described biosensor-based method and an HPLC-based approach, demonstrating the efficacy of the protocol presented here. We adapted this protocol to a high-throughput format and identified six npr1 suppressors that accumulated lower levels of SA than npr1 upon pathogen infection. Two of the suppressors were found to be allelic to the previously identified eds5 mutant. The other four are more susceptible than npr1 to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 and their identity merits further investigation. Conclusions The rapid SA extraction method by direct boiling of leaf discs further reduced the cost and time required for the biosensor Acinetobacter sp. ADPWH_lux-based SA estimation, and allowed the screening for npr1 suppressors that accumulated less SA than npr1
IRAS: High-Throughput Identification of Novel Alternative Splicing Regulators.
Zheng, S
Alternative splicing is a fundamental regulatory process of gene expression. Defects in alternative splicing can lead to various diseases, and modification of disease-causing splicing events presents great therapeutic promise. Splicing outcome is commonly affected by extracellular stimuli and signaling cascades that converge on RNA-binding splicing regulators. These trans-acting factors recognize cis-elements in pre-mRNA transcripts to affect spliceosome assembly and splice site choices. Identification of these splicing regulators and/or upstream modulators has been difficult and traditionally done by piecemeal. High-throughput screening strategies to find multiple regulators of exon splicing have great potential to accelerate the discovery process, but typically confront low sensitivity and low specificity of screening assays. Here we describe a unique screening strategy, IRAS (identifying regulators of alternative splicing), using a pair of dual-output minigene reporters to allow for sensitive detection of exon splicing changes. Each dual-output reporter produces green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP) fluorescent signals to assay the two spliced isoforms exclusively. The two complementary minigene reporters alter GFP/RFP output ratios in the opposite direction in response to splicing change. Applying IRAS in cell-based high-throughput screens allows sensitive and specific identification of splicing regulators and modulators for any alternative exons of interest. In comparison to previous high-throughput screening methods, IRAS substantially enhances the specificity of the screening assay. This strategy significantly eliminates false positives without sacrificing sensitive identification of true regulators of splicing. PMID:27241759
Controlling high-throughput manufacturing at the nano-scale
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cooper, Khershed P.
Interest in nano-scale manufacturing research and development is growing. The reason is to accelerate the translation of discoveries and inventions of nanoscience and nanotechnology into products that would benefit industry, economy and society. Ongoing research in nanomanufacturing is focused primarily on developing novel nanofabrication techniques for a variety of applications—materials, energy, electronics, photonics, biomedical, etc. Our goal is to foster the development of high-throughput methods of fabricating nano-enabled products. Large-area parallel processing and highspeed continuous processing are high-throughput means for mass production. An example of large-area processing is step-and-repeat nanoimprinting, by which nanostructures are reproduced again and again over a large area, such as a 12 in wafer. Roll-to-roll processing is an example of continuous processing, by which it is possible to print and imprint multi-level nanostructures and nanodevices on a moving flexible substrate. The big pay-off is high-volume production and low unit cost. However, the anticipated cost benefits can only be realized if the increased production rate is accompanied by high yields of high quality products. To ensure product quality, we need to design and construct manufacturing systems such that the processes can be closely monitored and controlled. One approach is to bring cyber-physical systems (CPS) concepts to nanomanufacturing. CPS involves the control of a physical system such as manufacturing through modeling, computation, communication and control. Such a closely coupled system will involve in-situ metrology and closed-loop control of the physical processes guided by physics-based models and driven by appropriate instrumentation, sensing and actuation. This paper will discuss these ideas in the context of controlling high-throughput manufacturing at the nano-scale.
Developing High-Throughput HIV Incidence Assay with Pyrosequencing Platform
Park, Sung Yong; Goeken, Nolan; Lee, Hyo Jin; Bolan, Robert; Dubé, Michael P.
ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence is an important measure for monitoring the epidemic and evaluating the efficacy of intervention and prevention trials. This study developed a high-throughput, single-measure incidence assay by implementing a pyrosequencing platform. We devised a signal-masking bioinformatics pipeline, which yielded a process error rate of 5.8 × 10−4 per base. The pipeline was then applied to analyze 18,434 envelope gene segments (HXB2 7212 to 7601) obtained from 12 incident and 24 chronic patients who had documented HIV-negative and/or -positive tests. The pyrosequencing data were cross-checked by using the single-genome-amplification (SGA) method to independently obtain 302 sequences from 13 patients. Using two genomic biomarkers that probe for the presence of similar sequences, the pyrosequencing platform correctly classified all 12 incident subjects (100% sensitivity) and 23 of 24 chronic subjects (96% specificity). One misclassified subject's chronic infection was correctly classified by conducting the same analysis with SGA data. The biomarkers were statistically associated across the two platforms, suggesting the assay's reproducibility and robustness. Sampling simulations showed that the biomarkers were tolerant of sequencing errors and template resampling, two factors most likely to affect the accuracy of pyrosequencing results. We observed comparable biomarker scores between AIDS and non-AIDS chronic patients (multivariate analysis of variance [MANOVA], P = 0.12), indicating that the stage of HIV disease itself does not affect the classification scheme. The high-throughput genomic HIV incidence marks a significant step toward determining incidence from a single measure in cross-sectional surveys. IMPORTANCE Annual HIV incidence, the number of newly infected individuals within a year, is the key measure of monitoring the epidemic's rise and decline. Developing reliable assays differentiating recent from chronic
High-throughput sequencing: a roadmap toward community ecology.
Poisot, Timothée; Péquin, Bérangère; Gravel, Dominique
High-throughput sequencing is becoming increasingly important in microbial ecology, yet it is surprisingly under-used to generate or test biogeographic hypotheses. In this contribution, we highlight how adding these methods to the ecologist toolbox will allow the detection of new patterns, and will help our understanding of the structure and dynamics of diversity. Starting with a review of ecological questions that can be addressed, we move on to the technical and analytical issues that will benefit from an increased collaboration between different disciplines. PMID:23610649
Analysis of High-Throughput ELISA Microarray Data
White, Amanda M.; Daly, Don S.; Zangar, Richard C.
Our research group develops analytical methods and software for the high-throughput analysis of quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) microarrays. ELISA microarrays differ from DNA microarrays in several fundamental aspects and most algorithms for analysis of DNA microarray data are not applicable to ELISA microarrays. In this review, we provide an overview of the steps involved in ELISA microarray data analysis and how the statistically sound algorithms we have developed provide an integrated software suite to address the needs of each data-processing step. The algorithms discussed are available in a set of open-source software tools (http://www.pnl.gov/statistics/ProMAT).
Adaptive Sampling for High Throughput Data Using Similarity Measures
Bulaevskaya, V.; Sales, A. P.
The need for adaptive sampling arises in the context of high throughput data because the rates of data arrival are many orders of magnitude larger than the rates at which they can be analyzed. A very fast decision must therefore be made regarding the value of each incoming observation and its inclusion in the analysis. In this report we discuss one approach to adaptive sampling, based on the new data point's similarity to the other data points being considered for inclusion. We present preliminary results for one real and one synthetic data set.
Creation of a small high-throughput screening facility.
Flak, Tod
The creation of a high-throughput screening facility within an organization is a difficult task, requiring a substantial investment of time, money, and organizational effort. Major issues to consider include the selection of equipment, the establishment of data analysis methodologies, and the formation of a group having the necessary competencies. If done properly, it is possible to build a screening system in incremental steps, adding new pieces of equipment and data analysis modules as the need grows. Based upon our experience with the creation of a small screening service, we present some guidelines to consider in planning a screening facility. PMID:19551356
Orchestrating high-throughput genomic analysis with Bioconductor.
Huber, Wolfgang; Carey, Vincent J; Gentleman, Robert; Anders, Simon; Carlson, Marc; Carvalho, Benilton S; Bravo, Hector Corrada; Davis, Sean; Gatto, Laurent; Girke, Thomas; Gottardo, Raphael; Hahne, Florian; Hansen, Kasper D; Irizarry, Rafael A; Lawrence, Michael; Love, Michael I; MacDonald, James; Obenchain, Valerie; Oleś, Andrzej K; Pagès, Hervé; Reyes, Alejandro; Shannon, Paul; Smyth, Gordon K; Tenenbaum, Dan; Waldron, Levi; Morgan, Martin
Bioconductor is an open-source, open-development software project for the analysis and comprehension of high-throughput data in genomics and molecular biology. The project aims to enable interdisciplinary research, collaboration and rapid development of scientific software. Based on the statistical programming language R, Bioconductor comprises 934 interoperable packages contributed by a large, diverse community of scientists. Packages cover a range of bioinformatic and statistical applications. They undergo formal initial review and continuous automated testing. We present an overview for prospective users and contributors. PMID:25633503
High throughput computing: a solution for scientific analysis
O'Donnell, M.
handle job failures due to hardware, software, or network interruptions (obviating the need to manually resubmit the job after each stoppage); be affordable; and most importantly, allow us to complete very large, complex analyses that otherwise would not even be possible. In short, we envisioned a job-management system that would take advantage of unused FORT CPUs within a local area network (LAN) to effectively distribute and run highly complex analytical processes. What we found was a solution that uses High Throughput Computing (HTC) and High Performance Computing (HPC) systems to do exactly that (Figure 1).
A probabilistic approach to high throughput drug discovery.
Labute, Paul; Nilar, Shahul; Williams, Christopher
A methodology is presented in which high throughput screening experimental data are used to construct a probabilistic QSAR model which is subsequently used to select building blocks for a virtual combinatorial library. The methodology is based upon statistical probability estimation and not regression. The methodology is applied to the construction of two focused virtual combinatorial libraries: one for cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase type V inhibitors and one for acyl-CoA:cholesterol O-acyltransferase inhibitors. The results suggest that the methodology is capable of selecting combinatorial substituents that lead to active compounds starting with binary (pass/fail) activity measurements. PMID:11966422
SSFinder: high throughput CRISPR-Cas target sites prediction tool.
Upadhyay, Santosh Kumar; Sharma, Shailesh
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system facilitates targeted genome editing in organisms. Despite high demand of this system, finding a reliable tool for the determination of specific target sites in large genomic data remained challenging. Here, we report SSFinder, a python script to perform high throughput detection of specific target sites in large nucleotide datasets. The SSFinder is a user-friendly tool, compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux operating systems, and freely available online. PMID:25089276
Computational Proteomics: High-throughput Analysis for Systems Biology
Cannon, William R.; Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo M.
High-throughput (HTP) proteomics is a rapidly developing field that offers the global profiling of proteins from a biological system. The HTP technological advances are fueling a revolution in biology, enabling analyses at the scales of entire systems (e.g., whole cells, tumors, or environmental communities). However, simply identifying the proteins in a cell is insufficient for understanding the underlying complexity and operating mechanisms of the overall system. Systems level investigations are relying more and more on computational analyses, especially in the field of proteomics generating large-scale global data.
Towards A Fully Automated High-Throughput Phototransfection System
Cappelleri, David J.; Halasz, Adam; Sul, Jai-Yoon; Kim, Tae Kyung; Eberwine, James; Kumar, Vijay
We have designed and implemented a framework for creating a fully automated high-throughput phototransfection system. Integrated image processing, laser target position calculation, and stage movements show a throughput increase of > 23X over the current manual phototransfection method while the potential for even greater throughput improvements (> 110X) is described. A software tool for automated off-line single cell morphological measurements, as well as real-time image segmentation analysis, has also been constructed and shown to be able quantify changes in the cell before and after the process, successfully characterizing them, using metrics such as cell perimeter, area, major and minor axis length, and eccentricity values. PMID:20706617
Extended length microchannels for high density high throughput electrophoresis systems
Davidson, James C.; Balch, Joseph W.
High throughput electrophoresis systems which provide extended well-to-read distances on smaller substrates, thus compacting the overall systems. The electrophoresis systems utilize a high density array of microchannels for electrophoresis analysis with extended read lengths. The microchannel geometry can be used individually or in conjunction to increase the effective length of a separation channel while minimally impacting the packing density of channels. One embodiment uses sinusoidal microchannels, while another embodiment uses plural microchannels interconnected by a via. The extended channel systems can be applied to virtually any type of channel confined chromatography.
Orchestrating high-throughput genomic analysis with Bioconductor
Huber, Wolfgang; Carey, Vincent J.; Gentleman, Robert; Anders, Simon; Carlson, Marc; Carvalho, Benilton S.; Bravo, Hector Corrada; Davis, Sean; Gatto, Laurent; Girke, Thomas; Gottardo, Raphael; Hahne, Florian; Hansen, Kasper D.; Irizarry, Rafael A.; Lawrence, Michael; Love, Michael I.; MacDonald, James; Obenchain, Valerie; Oleś, Andrzej K.; Pagès, Hervé; Reyes, Alejandro; Shannon, Paul; Smyth, Gordon K.; Tenenbaum, Dan; Waldron, Levi; Morgan, Martin
Bioconductor is an open-source, open-development software project for the analysis and comprehension of high-throughput data in genomics and molecular biology. The project aims to enable interdisciplinary research, collaboration and rapid development of scientific software. Based on the statistical programming language R, Bioconductor comprises 934 interoperable packages contributed by a large, diverse community of scientists. Packages cover a range of bioinformatic and statistical applications. They undergo formal initial review and continuous automated testing. We present an overview for prospective users and contributors. PMID:25633503
Live Cell Optical Sensing for High Throughput Applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fang, Ye
Live cell optical sensing employs label-free optical biosensors to non-invasively measure stimulus-induced dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) in live cells within the sensing volume of the biosensor. The resultant DMR signal is an integrated cellular response, and reflects cell signaling mediated through the cellular target(s) with which the stimulus intervenes. This article describes the uses of live cell optical sensing for probing cell biology and ligand pharmacology, with an emphasis of resonant waveguide grating biosensor cellular assays for high throughput applications.
High-Throughput Sequencing: A Roadmap Toward Community Ecology
Poisot, Timothée; Péquin, Bérangère; Gravel, Dominique
High-throughput sequencing is becoming increasingly important in microbial ecology, yet it is surprisingly under-used to generate or test biogeographic hypotheses. In this contribution, we highlight how adding these methods to the ecologist toolbox will allow the detection of new patterns, and will help our understanding of the structure and dynamics of diversity. Starting with a review of ecological questions that can be addressed, we move on to the technical and analytical issues that will benefit from an increased collaboration between different disciplines. PMID:23610649
Gold nanoparticles for high-throughput genotyping of long-range haplotypes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Peng; Pan, Dun; Fan, Chunhai; Chen, Jianhua; Huang, Ke; Wang, Dongfang; Zhang, Honglu; Li, You; Feng, Guoyin; Liang, Peiji; He, Lin; Shi, Yongyong
Completion of the Human Genome Project and the HapMap Project has led to increasing demands for mapping complex traits in humans to understand the aetiology of diseases. Identifying variations in the DNA sequence, which affect how we develop disease and respond to pathogens and drugs, is important for this purpose, but it is difficult to identify these variations in large sample sets. Here we show that through a combination of capillary sequencing and polymerase chain reaction assisted by gold nanoparticles, it is possible to identify several DNA variations that are associated with age-related macular degeneration and psoriasis on significant regions of human genomic DNA. Our method is accurate and promising for large-scale and high-throughput genetic analysis of susceptibility towards disease and drug resistance.
Reconfigurable microfluidic dilution for high-throughput quantitative assays.
Fan, Jinzhen; Li, Baoqing; Xing, Siyuan; Pan, Tingrui
This paper reports a reconfigurable microfluidic dilution device for high-throughput quantitative assays, which can easily produce discrete logarithmic/binary concentration profiles ranging from 1 to 100-fold dilution in parallel from a fixed sample volume (e.g., 10 μL) without any assistance of continuous fluidic pump or robotic automation. The integrated dilution generation chip consists of switchable distribution and collection channels, metering reservoirs, reaction chambers, and pressure-activatable Laplace valves. Following the sequential loading of a sample, a diluent, and a detection reagent into their individual metering chambers, the top microfluidic layer can be reconfigured to collect the metered chemicals into the reaction chambers in parallel, where detection will be conducted. To facilitate mixing and reaction in the microchambers, two acoustic microstreaming actuation mechanisms have been investigated for easy integrability and accessibility. Furthermore, the microfluidic dilution generator has been characterized by both colorimetric and fluorescent means. A further demonstration of the generic usage of the quantitative dilution chip has utilized the commonly available bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay to analyse the protein concentrations of human tissue extracts. In brief, the microfluidic dilution generator offers a high-throughput high-efficiency quantitative analytical alternative to conventional quantitative assay platforms, by simple manipulation of a minute amount of chemicals in a compact microfluidic device with minimal equipment requirement, which can serve as a facile tool for biochemical and biological analyses in regular laboratories, point-of-care settings and low-resource environments. PMID:25994379
Computational analysis of high-throughput flow cytometry data
Robinson, J Paul; Rajwa, Bartek; Patsekin, Valery; Davisson, Vincent Jo
Introduction Flow cytometry has been around for over 40 years, but only recently has the opportunity arisen to move into the high-throughput domain. The technology is now available and is highly competitive with imaging tools under the right conditions. Flow cytometry has, however, been a technology that has focused on its unique ability to study single cells and appropriate analytical tools are readily available to handle this traditional role of the technology. Areas covered Expansion of flow cytometry to a high-throughput (HT) and high-content technology requires both advances in hardware and analytical tools. The historical perspective of flow cytometry operation as well as how the field has changed and what the key changes have been discussed. The authors provide a background and compelling arguments for moving toward HT flow, where there are many innovative opportunities. With alternative approaches now available for flow cytometry, there will be a considerable number of new applications. These opportunities show strong capability for drug screening and functional studies with cells in suspension. Expert opinion There is no doubt that HT flow is a rich technology awaiting acceptance by the pharmaceutical community. It can provide a powerful phenotypic analytical toolset that has the capacity to change many current approaches to HT screening. The previous restrictions on the technology, based on its reduced capacity for sample throughput, are no longer a major issue. Overcoming this barrier has transformed a mature technology into one that can focus on systems biology questions not previously considered possible. PMID:22708834
High-throughput protein analysis integrating bioinformatics and experimental assays.
del Val, Coral; Mehrle, Alexander; Falkenhahn, Mechthild; Seiler, Markus; Glatting, Karl-Heinz; Poustka, Annemarie; Suhai, Sandor; Wiemann, Stefan
The wealth of transcript information that has been made publicly available in recent years requires the development of high-throughput functional genomics and proteomics approaches for its analysis. Such approaches need suitable data integration procedures and a high level of automation in order to gain maximum benefit from the results generated. We have designed an automatic pipeline to analyse annotated open reading frames (ORFs) stemming from full-length cDNAs produced mainly by the German cDNA Consortium. The ORFs are cloned into expression vectors for use in large-scale assays such as the determination of subcellular protein localization or kinase reaction specificity. Additionally, all identified ORFs undergo exhaustive bioinformatic analysis such as similarity searches, protein domain architecture determination and prediction of physicochemical characteristics and secondary structure, using a wide variety of bioinformatic methods in combination with the most up-to-date public databases (e.g. PRINTS, BLOCKS, INTERPRO, PROSITE SWISSPROT). Data from experimental results and from the bioinformatic analysis are integrated and stored in a relational database (MS SQL-Server), which makes it possible for researchers to find answers to biological questions easily, thereby speeding up the selection of targets for further analysis. The designed pipeline constitutes a new automatic approach to obtaining and administrating relevant biological data from high-throughput investigations of cDNAs in order to systematically identify and characterize novel genes, as well as to comprehensively describe the function of the encoded proteins. PMID:14762202
High-throughput technology for novel SO2 oxidation catalysts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Loskyll, Jonas; Stoewe, Klaus; Maier, Wilhelm F.
We review the state of the art and explain the need for better SO2 oxidation catalysts for the production of sulfuric acid. A high-throughput technology has been developed for the study of potential catalysts in the oxidation of SO2 to SO3. High-throughput methods are reviewed and the problems encountered with their adaptation to the corrosive conditions of SO2 oxidation are described. We show that while emissivity-corrected infrared thermography (ecIRT) can be used for primary screening, it is prone to errors because of the large variations in the emissivity of the catalyst surface. UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry was selected instead as a reliable analysis method of monitoring the SO2 conversion. Installing plain sugar absorbents at reactor outlets proved valuable for the detection and quantitative removal of SO3 from the product gas before the UV-Vis analysis. We also overview some elements used for prescreening and those remaining after the screening of the first catalyst generations.
High-throughput screening with micro-x-ray fluorescence
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Havrilla, George J.; Miller, Thomasin C.
Micro-x-ray fluorescence (MXRF) is a useful characterization tool for high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries. Due to the increasing threat of use of chemical warfare (CW) agents both in military actions and against civilians by terrorist extremists, there is a strong push to improve existing methods and develop means for the detection of a broad spectrum of CW agents in a minimal amount of time to increase national security. This paper describes a combinatorial high-throughput screening technique for CW receptor discovery to aid in sensor development. MXRF can screen materials for elemental composition at the mesoscale level (tens to hundreds of micrometers). The key aspect of this work is the use of commercial MXRF instrumentation coupled with the inherent heteroatom elements within the target molecules of the combinatorial reaction to provide rapid and specific identification of lead species. The method is demonstrated by screening an 11-mer oligopeptide library for selective binding of the degradation products of the nerve agent VX. The identified oligopeptides can be used as selective molecular receptors for sensor development. The MXRF screening method is nondestructive, requires minimal sample preparation or special tags for analysis, and the screening time depends on the desired sensitivity.
High-throughput assays for DNA gyrase and other topoisomerases.
Maxwell, Anthony; Burton, Nicolas P; O'Hagan, Natasha
We have developed high-throughput microtitre plate-based assays for DNA gyrase and other DNA topoisomerases. These assays exploit the fact that negatively supercoiled plasmids form intermolecular triplexes more efficiently than when they are relaxed. Two assays are presented, one using capture of a plasmid containing a single triplex-forming sequence by an oligonucleotide tethered to the surface of a microtitre plate and subsequent detection by staining with a DNA-specific fluorescent dye. The other uses capture of a plasmid containing two triplex-forming sequences by an oligonucleotide tethered to the surface of a microtitre plate and subsequent detection by a second oligonucleotide that is radiolabelled. The assays are shown to be appropriate for assaying DNA supercoiling by Escherichia coli DNA gyrase and DNA relaxation by eukaryotic topoisomerases I and II, and E.coli topoisomerase IV. The assays are readily adaptable to other enzymes that change DNA supercoiling (e.g. restriction enzymes) and are suitable for use in a high-throughput format. PMID:16936317
Empirical assessment of sequencing errors for high throughput pyrosequencing data
Background Sequencing-by-synthesis technologies significantly improve over the Sanger method in terms of speed and cost per base. However, they still usually fail to compete in terms of read length and quality. Current high-throughput implementations of the pyrosequencing technique yield reads whose length approach those of the capillary electrophoresis method. A less obvious question is whether their quality is affected by platform-specific sequencing errors. Results We present an empirical study aimed at assessing the quality and characterising sequencing errors for high throughput pyrosequencing data. We have developed a procedure for extracting sequencing error data from genome assemblies and study their characteristics, in particular the length distribution of indel gaps and their relation to the sequence contexts where they occur. We used this procedure to analyse data from three prokaryotic genomes sequenced with the GS FLX technology. We also compared two models previously employed with success for peptide sequence alignment. Conclusions We observed an overall very low error rate in the analysed data, with indel errors being much more abundant than substitutions. We also observed a dependence between the length of the gaps and that of the homopolymer context where they occur. As with protein alignments, a power-law model seems to approximate the indel errors more accurately, although the results are not so conclusive as to justify a depart from the commonly used affine gap penalty scheme. In whichever case, however, our procedure can be used to estimate more realistic error model parameters. PMID:23339526
Human transcriptome array for high-throughput clinical studies
Xu, Weihong; Seok, Junhee; Mindrinos, Michael N.; Schweitzer, Anthony C.; Jiang, Hui; Wilhelmy, Julie; Clark, Tyson A.; Kapur, Karen; Xing, Yi; Faham, Malek; Storey, John D.; Moldawer, Lyle L.; Maier, Ronald V.; Tompkins, Ronald G.; Wong, Wing Hung; Davis, Ronald W.; Xiao, Wenzhong; Toner, Mehmet; Warren, H. Shaw; Schoenfeld, David A.; Rahme, Laurence; McDonald-Smith, Grace P.; Hayden, Douglas; Mason, Philip; Fagan, Shawn; Yu, Yong-Ming; Cobb, J. Perren; Remick, Daniel G.; Mannick, John A.; Lederer, James A.; Gamelli, Richard L.; Silver, Geoffrey M.; West, Michael A.; Shapiro, Michael B.; Smith, Richard; Camp, David G.; Qian, Weijun; Tibshirani, Rob; Lowry, Stephen; Calvano, Steven; Chaudry, Irshad; Cohen, Mitchell; Moore, Ernest E.; Johnson, Jeffrey; Baker, Henry V.; Efron, Philip A.; Balis, Ulysses G. J.; Billiar, Timothy R.; Ochoa, Juan B.; Sperry, Jason L.; Miller-Graziano, Carol L.; De, Asit K.; Bankey, Paul E.; Herndon, David N.; Finnerty, Celeste C.; Jeschke, Marc G.; Minei, Joseph P.; Arnoldo, Brett D.; Hunt, John L.; Horton, Jureta; Cobb, J. Perren; Brownstein, Bernard; Freeman, Bradley; Nathens, Avery B.; Cuschieri, Joseph; Gibran, Nicole; Klein, Matthew; O'Keefe, Grant
A 6.9 million-feature oligonucleotide array of the human transcriptome [Glue Grant human transcriptome (GG-H array)] has been developed for high-throughput and cost-effective analyses in clinical studies. This array allows comprehensive examination of gene expression and genome-wide identification of alternative splicing as well as detection of coding SNPs and noncoding transcripts. The performance of the array was examined and compared with mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) results over multiple independent replicates of liver and muscle samples. Compared with RNA-Seq of 46 million uniquely mappable reads per replicate, the GG-H array is highly reproducible in estimating gene and exon abundance. Although both platforms detect similar expression changes at the gene level, the GG-H array is more sensitive at the exon level. Deeper sequencing is required to adequately cover low-abundance transcripts. The array has been implemented in a multicenter clinical program and has generated high-quality, reproducible data. Considering the clinical trial requirements of cost, sample availability, and throughput, the GG-H array has a wide range of applications. An emerging approach for large-scale clinical genomic studies is to first use RNA-Seq to the sufficient depth for the discovery of transcriptome elements relevant to the disease process followed by high-throughput and reliable screening of these elements on thousands of patient samples using custom-designed arrays. PMID:21317363
Advances, practice, and clinical perspectives in high-throughput sequencing.
Park, S-J; Saito-Adachi, M; Komiyama, Y; Nakai, K
Remarkable advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have fundamentally changed our understanding of the genetic and epigenetic molecular bases underlying human health and diseases. As these technologies continue to revolutionize molecular biology leading to fresh perspectives, it is imperative to thoroughly consider the enormous excitement surrounding the technologies by highlighting the characteristics of platforms and their global trends as well as potential benefits and limitations. To date, with a variety of platforms, the technologies provide an impressive range of applications, including sequencing of whole genomes and transcriptomes, identifying of genome modifications, and profiling of protein interactions. Because these applications produce a flood of data, simultaneous development of bioinformatics tools is required to efficiently deal with the big data and to comprehensively analyze them. This review covers the major achievements and performances of the high-throughput sequencing and further summarizes the characteristics of their applications along with introducing applicable bioinformatics tools. Moreover, a step-by-step procedure for a practical transcriptome analysis is described employing an analytical pipeline. Clinical perspectives with special consideration to human oral health and diseases are also covered. PMID:26602181
High-Throughput Screening Uncovers Novel Botulinum Neurotoxin Inhibitor Chemotypes.
Bompiani, Kristin M; Caglič, Dejan; Krutein, Michelle C; Benoni, Galit; Hrones, Morgan; Lairson, Luke L; Bian, Haiyan; Smith, Garry R; Dickerson, Tobin J
Botulism is caused by potent and specific bacterial neurotoxins that infect host neurons and block neurotransmitter release. Treatment for botulism is limited to administration of an antitoxin within a short time window, before the toxin enters neurons. Alternatively, current botulism drug development targets the toxin light chain, which is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease that is delivered into neurons and mediates long-term pathology. Several groups have identified inhibitory small molecules, peptides, or aptamers, although no molecule has advanced to the clinic due to a lack of efficacy in advanced models. Here we used a homogeneous high-throughput enzyme assay to screen three libraries of drug-like small molecules for new chemotypes that modulate recombinant botulinum neurotoxin light chain activity. High-throughput screening of 97088 compounds identified numerous small molecules that activate or inhibit metalloprotease activity. We describe four major classes of inhibitory compounds identified, detail their structure-activity relationships, and assess their relative inhibitory potency. A previously unreported chemotype in any context of enzyme inhibition is described with potent submicromolar inhibition (Ki = 200-300 nM). Additional detailed kinetic analyses and cellular cytotoxicity assays indicate the best compound from this series is a competitive inhibitor with cytotoxicity values around 4-5 μM. Given the potency and drug-like character of these lead compounds, further studies, including cellular activity assays and DMPK analysis, are justified. PMID:27314875
High throughput instruments, methods, and informatics for systems biology.
Sinclair, Michael B.; Cowie, Jim R.; Van Benthem, Mark Hilary; Wylie, Brian Neil; Davidson, George S.; Haaland, David Michael; Timlin, Jerilyn Ann; Aragon, Anthony D.; Keenan, Michael Robert; Boyack, Kevin W.; Thomas, Edward Victor; Werner-Washburne, Margaret C.; Mosquera-Caro, Monica P.; Martinez, M. Juanita; Martin, Shawn Bryan; Willman, Cheryl L.
High throughput instruments and analysis techniques are required in order to make good use of the genomic sequences that have recently become available for many species, including humans. These instruments and methods must work with tens of thousands of genes simultaneously, and must be able to identify the small subsets of those genes that are implicated in the observed phenotypes, or, for instance, in responses to therapies. Microarrays represent one such high throughput method, which continue to find increasingly broad application. This project has improved microarray technology in several important areas. First, we developed the hyperspectral scanner, which has discovered and diagnosed numerous flaws in techniques broadly employed by microarray researchers. Second, we used a series of statistically designed experiments to identify and correct errors in our microarray data to dramatically improve the accuracy, precision, and repeatability of the microarray gene expression data. Third, our research developed new informatics techniques to identify genes with significantly different expression levels. Finally, natural language processing techniques were applied to improve our ability to make use of online literature annotating the important genes. In combination, this research has improved the reliability and precision of laboratory methods and instruments, while also enabling substantially faster analysis and discovery.
Polymer Microarrays for High Throughput Discovery of Biomaterials
Hook, Andrew L.; Chang, Chien-Yi; Yang, Jing; Scurr, David J.; Langer, Robert; Anderson, Daniel G.; Atkinson, Steve; Williams, Paul; Davies, Martyn C.; Alexander, Morgan R.
The discovery of novel biomaterials that are optimized for a specific biological application is readily achieved using polymer microarrays, which allows a combinatorial library of materials to be screened in a parallel, high throughput format1. Herein is described the formation and characterization of a polymer microarray using an on-chip photopolymerization technique 2. This involves mixing monomers at varied ratios to produce a library of monomer solutions, transferring the solution to a glass slide format using a robotic printing device and curing with UV irradiation. This format is readily amenable to many biological assays, including stem cell attachment and proliferation, cell sorting and low bacterial adhesion, allowing the ready identification of 'hit' materials that fulfill a specific biological criterion3-5. Furthermore, the use of high throughput surface characterization (HTSC) allows the biological performance to be correlated with physio-chemical properties, hence elucidating the biological-material interaction6. HTSC makes use of water contact angle (WCA) measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). In particular, ToF-SIMS provides a chemically rich analysis of the sample that can be used to correlate the cell response with a molecular moiety. In some cases, the biological performance can be predicted from the ToF-SIMS spectra, demonstrating the chemical dependence of a biological-material interaction, and informing the development of hit materials5,3. PMID:22314927
High resolution hyperspectral imaging with a high throughput virtual slit
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gooding, Edward A.; Gunn, Thomas; Cenko, Andrew T.; Hajian, Arsen R.
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) device users often require both high spectral resolution, on the order of 1 nm, and high light-gathering power. A wide entrance slit assures reasonable étendue but degrades spectral resolution. Spectrometers built using High Throughput Virtual Slit™ (HTVS) technology optimize both parameters simultaneously. Two remote sensing use cases that require high spectral resolution are discussed. First, detection of atmospheric gases with intrinsically narrow absorption lines, such as hydrocarbon vapors or combustion exhaust gases such as NOx and CO2. Detecting exhaust gas species with high precision has become increasingly important in the light of recent events in the automobile industry. Second, distinguishing reflected daylight from emission spectra in the visible and NIR (VNIR) regions is most easily accomplished using the Fraunhofer absorption lines in solar spectra. While ground reflectance spectral features in the VNIR are generally quite broad, the Fraunhofer lines are narrow and provide a signature of intrinsic vs. extrinsic illumination. The High Throughput Virtual Slit enables higher spectral resolution than is achievable with conventional spectrometers by manipulating the beam profile in pupil space. By reshaping the instrument pupil with reflective optics, HTVS-equipped instruments create a tall, narrow image profile at the exit focal plane, typically delivering 5X or better the spectral resolution achievable with a conventional design.
High-throughput screening to enhance oncolytic virus immunotherapy.
Allan, K J; Stojdl, David F; Swift, S L
High-throughput screens can rapidly scan and capture large amounts of information across multiple biological parameters. Although many screens have been designed to uncover potential new therapeutic targets capable of crippling viruses that cause disease, there have been relatively few directed at improving the efficacy of viruses that are used to treat disease. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are biotherapeutic agents with an inherent specificity for treating malignant disease. Certain OV platforms - including those based on herpes simplex virus, reovirus, and vaccinia virus - have shown success against solid tumors in advanced clinical trials. Yet, many of these OVs have only undergone minimal engineering to solidify tumor specificity, with few extra modifications to manipulate additional factors. Several aspects of the interaction between an OV and a tumor-bearing host have clear value as targets to improve therapeutic outcomes. At the virus level, these include delivery to the tumor, infectivity, productivity, oncolysis, bystander killing, spread, and persistence. At the host level, these include engaging the immune system and manipulating the tumor microenvironment. Here, we review the chemical- and genome-based high-throughput screens that have been performed to manipulate such parameters during OV infection and analyze their impact on therapeutic efficacy. We further explore emerging themes that represent key areas of focus for future research. PMID:27579293
Piezo-thermal Probe Array for High Throughput Applications
Gaitas, Angelo; French, Paddy
Microcantilevers are used in a number of applications including atomic-force microscopy (AFM). In this work, deflection-sensing elements along with heating elements are integrated onto micromachined cantilever arrays to increase sensitivity, and reduce complexity and cost. An array of probes with 5–10 nm gold ultrathin film sensors on silicon substrates for high throughput scanning probe microscopy is developed. The deflection sensitivity is 0.2 ppm/nm. Plots of the change in resistance of the sensing element with displacement are used to calibrate the probes and determine probe contact with the substrate. Topographical scans demonstrate high throughput and nanometer resolution. The heating elements are calibrated and the thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR) is 655 ppm/K. The melting temperature of a material is measured by locally heating the material with the heating element of the cantilever while monitoring the bending with the deflection sensing element. The melting point value measured with this method is in close agreement with the reported value in literature. PMID:23641125
A high throughput glucocerebrosidase assay using the natural substrate glucosylceramide.
Motabar, Omid; Goldin, Ehud; Leister, William; Liu, Ke; Southall, Noel; Huang, Wenwei; Marugan, Juan J; Sidransky, Ellen; Zheng, Wei
Glucocerebrosidase is a lysosomal enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosylceramide to form ceramide and glucose. A deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase due to genetic mutations results in Gaucher disease, in which glucosylceramide accumulates in the lysosomes of certain cell types. Although enzyme replacement therapy is currently available for the treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease, the neuronopathic forms of Gaucher disease are still not treatable. Small molecule drugs that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, such as pharmacological chaperones and enzyme activators, are new therapeutic approaches for Gaucher disease. Enzyme assays for glucocerebrosidase are used to screen compound libraries to identify new lead compounds for drug development for the treatment of Gaucher disease. But the current assays use artificial substrates that are not physiologically relevant. We developed a glucocerebrosidase assay using the natural substrate glucosylceramide coupled to an Amplex-red enzyme reporting system. This assay is in a homogenous assay format and has been miniaturized in a 1,536-well plate format for high throughput screening. The assay sensitivity and robustness is similar to those seen with other glucocerebrosidase fluorescence assays. Therefore, this new glucocerebrosidase assay is an alternative approach for high throughput screening. PMID:22033823
A high throughput glucocerebrosidase assay using the natural substrate glucosylceramide
Motabar, Omid; Goldin, Ehud; Leister, William; Liu, Ke; Southall, Noel; Huang, Wenwei; Marugan, Juan J.; Sidransky, Ellen
Glucocerebrosidase is a lysosomal enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosylceramide to form ceramide and glucose. A deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase due to genetic mutations results in Gaucher disease, in which glucosylceramide accumulates in the lysosomes of certain cell types. Although enzyme replacement therapy is currently available for the treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease, the neuronopathic forms of Gaucher disease are still not treatable. Small molecule drugs that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, such as pharmacological chaperones and enzyme activators, are new therapeutic approaches for Gaucher disease. Enzyme assays for glucocerebrosidase are used to screen compound libraries to identify new lead compounds for drug development for the treatment of Gaucher disease. But the current assays use artificial substrates that are not physiologically relevant. We developed a glucocerebrosidase assay using the natural substrate glucosylceramide coupled to an Amplex-red enzyme reporting system. This assay is in a homogenous assay format and has been miniaturized in a 1,536-well plate format for high throughput screening. The assay sensitivity and robustness is similar to those seen with other glucocerebrosidase fluorescence assays. Therefore, this new glucocerebrosidase assay is an alternative approach for high throughput screening. PMID:22033823
Versatile protein biotinylation strategies for potential high-throughput proteomics.
Lue, Rina Y P; Chen, Grace Y J; Hu, Yi; Zhu, Qing; Yao, Shao Q
We present intein-mediated approaches for efficient biotinylation of proteins site-specifically. The reactive C-terminal thioester generated from intein-assisted protein splicing (either in vitro or in live cells) served as an attractive and exclusive site for attaching cysteine-containing biotin. Using these novel biotinylation strategies, we were able to efficiently biotinylate many proteins from different biological sources in a potentially high-throughput, high-content fashion. Some of these proteins were subsequently immobilized, in a very simple manner, onto different avidin-functionalized solid surfaces for applications such as protein microarray and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, highlighting the numerous advantages of using biotin over other tags (e.g., GST, His-tag, etc.) as the method of choice in protein purification/immobilization. In addition, our intein-mediated strategies provided critical advantages over other protein biotinylation strategies in a number of ways. For the first time, we also successfully demonstrated that intein-mediated protein biotinylation proceeded adequately inside both bacterial and mammalian living cells, as well as in a cell-free protein synthesis system. Taken together, our results indicate the versatility of these intein-mediated strategies for potential high-throughput proteomics applications. They may also serve as useful tools for various biochemical and biophysical studies of proteins both in vitro and in vivo. PMID:14746473
High-throughput screening with micro-x-ray fluorescence
Havrilla, George J.; Miller, Thomasin C.
Micro-x-ray fluorescence (MXRF) is a useful characterization tool for high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries. Due to the increasing threat of use of chemical warfare (CW) agents both in military actions and against civilians by terrorist extremists, there is a strong push to improve existing methods and develop means for the detection of a broad spectrum of CW agents in a minimal amount of time to increase national security. This paper describes a combinatorial high-throughput screening technique for CW receptor discovery to aid in sensor development. MXRF can screen materials for elemental composition at the mesoscale level (tens to hundreds of micrometers). The key aspect of this work is the use of commercial MXRF instrumentation coupled with the inherent heteroatom elements within the target molecules of the combinatorial reaction to provide rapid and specific identification of lead species. The method is demonstrated by screening an 11-mer oligopeptide library for selective binding of the degradation products of the nerve agent VX. The identified oligopeptides can be used as selective molecular receptors for sensor development. The MXRF screening method is nondestructive, requires minimal sample preparation or special tags for analysis, and the screening time depends on the desired sensitivity.
Benchmarking Procedures for High-Throughput Context Specific Reconstruction Algorithms
Pacheco, Maria P.; Pfau, Thomas; Sauter, Thomas
Recent progress in high-throughput data acquisition has shifted the focus from data generation to processing and understanding of how to integrate collected information. Context specific reconstruction based on generic genome scale models like ReconX or HMR has the potential to become a diagnostic and treatment tool tailored to the analysis of specific individuals. The respective computational algorithms require a high level of predictive power, robustness and sensitivity. Although multiple context specific reconstruction algorithms were published in the last 10 years, only a fraction of them is suitable for model building based on human high-throughput data. Beside other reasons, this might be due to problems arising from the limitation to only one metabolic target function or arbitrary thresholding. This review describes and analyses common validation methods used for testing model building algorithms. Two major methods can be distinguished: consistency testing and comparison based testing. The first is concerned with robustness against noise, e.g., missing data due to the impossibility to distinguish between the signal and the background of non-specific binding of probes in a microarray experiment, and whether distinct sets of input expressed genes corresponding to i.e., different tissues yield distinct models. The latter covers methods comparing sets of functionalities, comparison with existing networks or additional databases. We test those methods on several available algorithms and deduce properties of these algorithms that can be compared with future developments. The set of tests performed, can therefore serve as a benchmarking procedure for future algorithms. PMID:26834640
High-throughput screening to enhance oncolytic virus immunotherapy
Allan, KJ; Stojdl, David F; Swift, SL
High-throughput screens can rapidly scan and capture large amounts of information across multiple biological parameters. Although many screens have been designed to uncover potential new therapeutic targets capable of crippling viruses that cause disease, there have been relatively few directed at improving the efficacy of viruses that are used to treat disease. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are biotherapeutic agents with an inherent specificity for treating malignant disease. Certain OV platforms – including those based on herpes simplex virus, reovirus, and vaccinia virus – have shown success against solid tumors in advanced clinical trials. Yet, many of these OVs have only undergone minimal engineering to solidify tumor specificity, with few extra modifications to manipulate additional factors. Several aspects of the interaction between an OV and a tumor-bearing host have clear value as targets to improve therapeutic outcomes. At the virus level, these include delivery to the tumor, infectivity, productivity, oncolysis, bystander killing, spread, and persistence. At the host level, these include engaging the immune system and manipulating the tumor microenvironment. Here, we review the chemical- and genome-based high-throughput screens that have been performed to manipulate such parameters during OV infection and analyze their impact on therapeutic efficacy. We further explore emerging themes that represent key areas of focus for future research. PMID:27579293
Methods of high throughput biophysical characterization in biopharmaceutical development.
Razinkov, Vladimir I; Treuheit, Michael J; Becker, Gerald W
Discovery and successful development of biopharmaceutical products depend on a thorough characterization of the molecule both before and after formulation. Characterization of a formulated biotherapeutic, typically a protein or large peptide, requires a rigorous assessment of the molecule's physical stability. Stability of a biotherapeutic includes not only chemical stability, i.e., degradation of the molecule to form undesired modifications, but also structural stability, including the formation of aggregates. In this review, high throughput biophysical characterization techniques are described according to their specific applications during biopharmaceutical discovery, development and manufacturing. The methods presented here are classified according to these attributes, and include spectroscopic assays based on absorbance, polarization, intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance instrumentation, calorimetric methods, dynamic and static light scattering techniques, several visible particle counting and sizing methods, new viscosity assay, based on light scattering and mass spectrometry. Several techniques presented here are already implemented in industry; but, many high throughput biophysical methods are still in the initial stages of implementation or even in the prototype stage. Each technique in this report is judged by the specific application of the method through the biopharmaceutical development process. PMID:22725690
High-throughput proteomics and the fight against pathogens.
Horvatić, Anita; Kuleš, Josipa; Guillemin, Nicolas; Galan, Asier; Mrljak, Vladimir; Bhide, Mangesh
Pathogens pose a major threat to human and animal welfare. Understanding the interspecies host-pathogen protein-protein interactions could lead to the development of novel strategies to combat infectious diseases through the rapid development of new therapeutics. The first step in understanding the host-pathogen crosstalk is to identify interacting proteins in order to define crucial hot-spots in the host-pathogen interactome, such as the proposed pharmaceutical targets by means of high-throughput proteomic methodologies. In order to obtain holistic insight into the inter- and intra-species bimolecular interactions, apart from the proteomic approach, sophisticated in silico modeling is used to correlate the obtained large data sets with other omics data and clinical outcomes. Since the main focus in this area has been directed towards human medicine, it is time to extrapolate the existing expertise to a new emerging field: the 'systems veterinary medicine'. Therefore, this review addresses high-throughput mass spectrometry-based technology for monitoring protein-protein interactions in vitro and in vivo and discusses pathogen cultivation, model host cells and available bioinformatic tools employed in vaccine development. PMID:27227577
A High-Throughput Cidality Screen for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Kaur, Parvinder; Ghosh, Anirban; Krishnamurthy, Ramya Vadageri; Bhattacharjee, Deepa Gagwani; Achar, Vijayashree; Datta, Santanu; Narayanan, Shridhar; Anbarasu, Anand; Ramaiah, Sudha
Exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) aerosols is a major threat to tuberculosis (TB) researchers, even in bio-safety level-3 (BSL-3) facilities. Automation and high-throughput screens (HTS) in BSL3 facilities are essential for minimizing manual aerosol-generating interventions and facilitating TB research. In the present study, we report the development and validation of a high-throughput, 24-well 'spot-assay' for selecting bactericidal compounds against Mtb. The bactericidal screen concept was first validated in the fast-growing surrogate Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msm) and subsequently confirmed in Mtb using the following reference anti-tubercular drugs: rifampicin, isoniazid, ofloxacin and ethambutol (RIOE, acting on different targets). The potential use of the spot-assay to select bactericidal compounds from a large library was confirmed by screening on Mtb, with parallel plating by the conventional gold standard method (correlation, r2 = 0.808). An automated spot-assay further enabled an MBC90 determination on resistant and sensitive Mtb clinical isolates. The implementation of the spot-assay in kinetic screens to enumerate residual Mtb after either genetic silencing (anti-sense RNA, AS-RNA) or chemical inhibition corroborated its ability to detect cidality. This relatively simple, economical and quantitative HTS considerably minimized the bio-hazard risk and enabled the selection of novel vulnerable Mtb targets and mycobactericidal compounds. Thus, spot-assays have great potential to impact the TB drug discovery process. PMID:25693161
High-throughput search for improved transparent conducting oxides
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Miglio, Anna
High-throughput methodologies are a very useful computational tool to explore the space of binary and ternary oxides. We use these methods to search for new and improved transparent conducting oxides (TCOs). TCOs exhibit both visible transparency and good carrier mobility and underpin many energy and electronic applications (e.g. photovoltaics, transparent transistors). We find several potential new n-type and p-type TCOs with a low effective mass. Combining different ab initio approaches, we characterize candidate oxides by their effective mass (mobility), band gap (transparency) and dopability. We present several compounds, not considered previously as TCOs, and discuss the chemical rationale for their promising properties. This analysis is useful to formulate design strategies for future high mobility oxides and has led to follow-up studies including preliminary experimental characterization of a p-type TCO candidate with unexpected chemistry. G. Hautier, A. Miglio, D. Waroquiers, G.-M. Rignanese, and X. Gonze, ``How Does Chemistry Influence Electron Effective Mass in Oxides? A High-Throughput Computational Analysis'', Chem. Mater. 26, 5447 (2014). G. Hautier, A. Miglio, G. Ceder, G.-M. Rignanese, and X. Gonze, ``Identification and design principles of low hole effective mass p-type transparent conducting oxides'', Nature Commun. 4, 2292 (2013).
A High Throughput Mechanical Screening Device for Cartilage Tissue Engineering
Mohanraj, Bhavana; Hou, Chieh; Meloni, Greg R.; Cosgrove, Brian D.; Dodge, George R.; Mauck, Robert L.
Articular cartilage enables efficient and near-frictionless load transmission, but suffers from poor inherent healing capacity. As such, cartilage tissue engineering strategies have focused on mimicking both compositional and mechanical properties of native tissue in order to provide effective repair materials for the treatment of damaged or degenerated joint surfaces. However, given the large number design parameters available (e.g. cell sources, scaffold designs, and growth factors), it is difficult to conduct combinatorial experiments of engineered cartilage. This is particularly exacerbated when mechanical properties are a primary outcome given the long time required for testing of individual samples. High throughput screening is utilized widely in the pharmaceutical industry to rapidly and cost-effectively assess the effects of thousands of compounds for therapeutic discovery. Here we adapted this approach to develop a high throughput mechanical screening (HTMS) system capable of measuring the mechanical properties of up to 48 materials simultaneously. The HTMS device was validated by testing various biomaterials and engineered cartilage constructs and by comparing the HTMS results to those derived from conventional single sample compression tests. Further evaluation showed that the HTMS system was capable of distinguishing and identifying 'hits', or factors that influence the degree of tissue maturation. Future iterations of this device will focus on reducing data variability, increasing force sensitivity and range, as well as scaling-up to even larger (96-well) formats. This HTMS device provides a novel tool for cartilage tissue engineering, freeing experimental design from the limitations of mechanical testing throughput. PMID:24275442
Structuring intuition with theory: The high-throughput way
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fornari, Marco
First principles methodologies have grown in accuracy and applicability to the point where large databases can be built, shared, and analyzed with the goal of predicting novel compositions, optimizing functional properties, and discovering unexpected relationships between the data. In order to be useful to a large community of users, data should be standardized, validated, and distributed. In addition, tools to easily manage large datasets should be made available to effectively lead to materials development. Within the AFLOW consortium we have developed a simple frame to expand, validate, and mine data repositories: the MTFrame. Our minimalistic approach complement AFLOW and other existing high-throughput infrastructures and aims to integrate data generation with data analysis. We present few examples from our work on materials for energy conversion. Our intent s to pinpoint the usefulness of high-throughput methodologies to guide the discovery process by quantitatively structuring the scientific intuition. This work was supported by ONR-MURI under Contract N00014-13-1-0635 and the Duke University Center for Materials Genomics.
High-throughput GPU-based LDPC decoding
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chang, Yang-Lang; Chang, Cheng-Chun; Huang, Min-Yu; Huang, Bormin
Low-density parity-check (LDPC) code is a linear block code known to approach the Shannon limit via the iterative sum-product algorithm. LDPC codes have been adopted in most current communication systems such as DVB-S2, WiMAX, WI-FI and 10GBASE-T. LDPC for the needs of reliable and flexible communication links for a wide variety of communication standards and configurations have inspired the demand for high-performance and flexibility computing. Accordingly, finding a fast and reconfigurable developing platform for designing the high-throughput LDPC decoder has become important especially for rapidly changing communication standards and configurations. In this paper, a new graphic-processing-unit (GPU) LDPC decoding platform with the asynchronous data transfer is proposed to realize this practical implementation. Experimental results showed that the proposed GPU-based decoder achieved 271x speedup compared to its CPU-based counterpart. It can serve as a high-throughput LDPC decoder.
High-throughput nanofabrication of infrared plasmonic nanoantenna arrays for vibrational nanospectroscopy.
Aksu, Serap; Yanik, Ahmet A; Adato, Ronen; Artar, Alp; Huang, Min; Altug, Hatice
The introduction of high-throughput and high-resolution nanofabrication techniques operating at low cost and low complexity is essential for the advancement of nanoplasmonic and nanophotonic fields. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel fabrication approach based on nanostencil lithography for high-throughput fabrication of engineered infrared plasmonic nanorod antenna arrays. The technique relying on deposition of materials through a shadow mask enables plasmonic substrates supporting spectrally sharp collective resonances. We show that reflectance spectra of these antenna arrays are comparable to that of arrays fabricated by electron beam lithography. We also show that nanostencils can be reused multiple times to fabricate a series of infrared nanoantenna arrays with identical optical responses. Finally, we demonstrate fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures in a variety of shapes with a single metal deposition step on different substrates, including nonconducting ones. Our approach, by enabling the reusability of the stencil and offering flexibility on the substrate choice and nanopattern design, could facilitate the transition of plasmonic technologies to the real-world applications. PMID:20560536
An electrode probe for high-throughput screening of electrochemical libraries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jiang, Rongzhong; Chu, Deryn
A pen-shaped O2 electrode probe is designed for high-throughput screening of electrochemical libraries. The electrode probe consists of a large-area O2 electrode and a cylindrical electrolyte sponge with a short cone tip for screening. This type of design can easily minimize the probe resistance contributed by the electrolyte. A zinc electrode library is generated using a nonautomated method to deposit metal zinc on a graphite plate. The zinc electrode library and the O2-electrode probe form an electrochemical library containing 128 micro zinc/air batteries. High-throughput screening of the zinc/air batteries are carried out by moving the tip of the electrode probe under constant potential (1.0V) and measuring the current. A Gaussian distribution is used for statistical analysis of the experimental data. These data obtained with the combinatorial method have a relative standard deviation of 8.9% based on a nonautomated coating procedure. The O2 electrode probe is used to study the effect of addition of Cu in the anode on the performance of the zinc/air battery.
High-throughput screening of small-molecule adsorption in MOF-74
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thonhauser, T.; Canepa, P.
Using high-throughput screening coupled with state-of-the-art van der Waals density functional theory, we investigate the adsorption properties of four important molecules, H2, CO2, CH4, and H2O in MOF-74- with = Be, Mg, Al, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ru, Rh, Pd, La, W, Os, Ir, and Pt. We show that high-throughput techniques can aid in speeding up the development and refinement of effective materials for hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and gas separation. The exploration of the configurational adsorption space allows us to extract crucial information concerning, for example, the competition of water with CO2 for the adsorption binding sites. We find that only a few noble metals--Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, and Pt--favor the adsorption of CO2 and hence are potential candidates for effective carbon-capture materials. Our findings further reveal significant differences in the binding characteristics of H2, CO2, CH4, and H2O within the MOF structure, indicating that molecular blends can be successfully separated by these nano-porous materials. Supported by DOE DE-FG02-08ER46491.
High-throughput microcavitation bubble induced cellular mechanotransduction
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Compton, Jonathan Lee
inhibitor to IP 3 induced Ca2+ release. This capability opens the development of a high-throughput screening platform for molecules that modulate cellular mechanotransduction. We have applied this approach to screen the effects of a small set of small molecules, in a 96-well plate in less than an hour. These detailed studies offer a basis for the design, development, and implementation of a novel high-throughput mechanotransduction assay to rapidly screen the effect of small molecules on cellular mechanotransduction at high throughput.
Ultra-Sensitive, High Throughput and Quantitative Proteomics Measurements
Jacobs, Jon M.; Monroe, Matthew E.; Qian, Weijun; Shen, Yufeng; Anderson, Gordon A.; Smith, Richard D.
We describe the broad basis and application of an approach for very high throughput, ultra-sensitive, and quantitative proteomic measurements based upon the use of ultra-high performance separations and mass spectrometry. An overview of the accurate mass and time (AMT) tag approach and a description of the incorporated data analysis pipeline necessary for efficient proteomic studies are presented. Adjunct technologies, including stable-isotope labeling methodologies and improvements in the utilization of LC-MS peak intensity information for quantitative purposes are discussed. Related areas include the use of automated sample handling for improving analysis reproducibility, methods for using information from the separation for more confident peptide peak identification, and the utilization of smaller diameter capillary columns having lower volumetric flow rates to increase electrospray ionization efficiency and allow for more predictable and quantitative results. The developments are illustrated in the context of studies of complex biological systems.
High-throughput analysis of behavior for drug discovery.
Alexandrov, Vadim; Brunner, Dani; Hanania, Taleen; Leahy, Emer
Drug testing with traditional behavioral assays constitutes a major bottleneck in the development of novel therapies. PsychoGenics developed three comprehensive high-throughput systems, SmartCube(®), NeuroCube(®) and PhenoCube(®) systems, to increase the efficiency of the drug screening and phenotyping in rodents. These three systems capture different domains of behavior, namely, cognitive, motor, circadian, social, anxiety-like, gait and others, using custom-built computer vision software and machine learning algorithms for analysis. This review exemplifies the use of the three systems and explains how they can advance drug screening with their applications to phenotyping of disease models, drug screening, selection of lead candidates, behavior-driven lead optimization, and drug repurposing. PMID:25592319
Proteomics equipped with multiplexing toward ultra high throughput.
Kim, Min-Sik
MS-based quantitative proteomics is a powerful technology to study virtually almost all biological and clinical samples. Although it has been known to be a high-throughput method, an MS analysis of a higher number of samples remains to be challenging practically and economically. In this issue, the use of multiplexing strategy for quantitative analysis of proteomes and phosphoproteomes has been demonstrated by Paulo et al. (Proteomics 2015, 15, 462-473) to better understand in vivo effects of two small molecule inhibitors on a mouse model. Within the short period of drug treatment, it has been found that the protein alteration is minimal in three tissues tested, whereas the phosphorylation level was widely altered. PMID:25522341
Characterizing immune repertoires by high throughput sequencing: strategies and applications
Calis, Jorg J.A.; Rosenberg, Brad R.
As the key cellular effectors of adaptive immunity, T and B lymphocytes utilize specialized receptors to recognize, respond to, and neutralize a diverse array of extrinsic threats. These receptors (immunoglobulins in B lymphocytes, T cell receptors in T lymphocytes) are incredibly variable, the products of specialized genetic diversification mechanisms that generate complex lymphocyte repertoires with extensive collections of antigen specificities. Recent advances in high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have transformed our ability to examine antigen receptor repertoires at single nucleotide, and more recently, single cell, resolution. Here we review current approaches to examining antigen receptor repertoires by HTS, and discuss inherent biological and technical challenges. We further describe emerging applications of this powerful methodology for exploring the adaptive immune system. PMID:25306219
Towards high throughput screening of nanoparticle flotation collectors.
Abarca, Carla; Yang, Songtao; Pelton, Robert H
To function as flotation collectors for mineral processing, polymeric nanoparticles require a delicate balance of surface properties to give mineral-specific deposition and colloidal stability in high ionic strength alkaline media, while remaining sufficiently hydrophobic to promote flotation. Combinatorial nanoparticle surface modification, in conjunction with high throughput screening, is a promising approach for nanoparticle development. However, efficient automated screening assays are required to reject ineffective particles without having to undergo time consuming flotation testing. Herein we demonstrate that determining critical coagulation concentrations of sodium carbonate in combination with measuring the advancing water contact angle of nanoparticle-saturated glass surfaces can be used to screen ineffective nanoparticles. Finally, none of our first nanoparticle library based on poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEG-methacrylate) were effective flotation collectors because the nanoparticles were too hydrophilic. PMID:26319325
High Throughput In Situ XAFS Screening of Catalysts
Tsapatsaris, Nikolaos; Beesley, Angela M.; Weiher, Norbert; Tatton, Helen; Schroeder, Sven L. M.; Dent, Andy J.; Mosselmans, Frederick J. W.; Tromp, Moniek; Russu, Sergio; Evans, John; Harvey, Ian; Hayama, Shu
We outline and demonstrate the feasibility of high-throughput (HT) in situ XAFS for synchrotron radiation studies. An XAS data acquisition and control system for the analysis of dynamic materials libraries under control of temperature and gaseous environments has been developed. The system is compatible with the 96-well industry standard and coupled to multi-stream quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) analysis of reactor effluents. An automated analytical workflow generates data quickly compared to traditional individual spectrum acquisition and analyses them in quasi-real time using an HT data analysis tool based on IFFEFIT. The system was used for the automated characterization of a library of 91 catalyst precursors containing ternary combinations of Cu, Pt, and Au on {gamma}-Al2O3, and for the in situ characterization of Au catalysts supported on Al2O3 and TiO2.
Design and implementation of high throughput screening assays.
Macarrón, Ricardo; Hertzberg, Robert P
High throughput screening (HTS) is at the core of the drug discovery process, and so it is critical to design and implement HTS assays in a comprehensive fashion involving scientists from the disciplines of biology, chemistry, engineering, and informatics. This requires careful analysis of many variables, starting with the choice of assay target and ending with the discovery of lead compounds. At every step in this process, there are decisions to be made that can greatly impact the outcome of the HTS effort, to the point of making it a success or a failure. Although specific guidelines should be established to insure that the screening assay reaches an acceptable level of quality, many choices require pragmatism and the ability to compromise opposing forces. PMID:20865348
Design of a High-Throughput Plasma-Processing System
Darkazalli, Ghazi; Matthei, Keith; Ruby, Douglas S.
Sandia National Laboratories has demonstrated significant performance gains in crystalline silicon solar cell technology through the use of plasma-processing for the deposition of silicon nitride by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), plasma-hydrogenation of the nitride layer, and reactive-ion etching of the silicon surface prior to the deposition to decrease the reflectivity of the surface. One of the major problems of implementing plasma processing into a cell production line is the batch configuration and/or low throughput of the systems currently available. This report describes the concept of a new in-line plasma processing system that could meet the industrial requirements for a high-throughput and cost effective solution for mass production of solar cells.
High-throughput ab-initio dilute solute diffusion database
Wu, Henry; Mayeshiba, Tam; Morgan, Dane
We demonstrate automated generation of diffusion databases from high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A total of more than 230 dilute solute diffusion systems in Mg, Al, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt host lattices have been determined using multi-frequency diffusion models. We apply a correction method for solute diffusion in alloys using experimental and simulated values of host self-diffusivity. We find good agreement with experimental solute diffusion data, obtaining a weighted activation barrier RMS error of 0.176 eV when excluding magnetic solutes in non-magnetic alloys. The compiled database is the largest collection of consistently calculated ab-initio solute diffusion data in the world. PMID:27434308
High Throughput Screening Method to Explore Protein Interactions with Nanoparticles.
Nasir, Irem; Fatih, Warda; Svensson, Anja; Radu, Dennis; Linse, Sara; Cabaleiro Lago, Celia; Lundqvist, Martin
The interactions of biological macromolecules with nanoparticles underlie a wide variety of current and future applications in the fields of biotechnology, medicine and bioremediation. The same interactions are also responsible for mediating potential biohazards of nanomaterials. Some applications require that proteins adsorb to the nanomaterial and that the protein resists or undergoes structural rearrangements. This article presents a screening method for detecting nanoparticle-protein partners and conformational changes on time scales ranging from milliseconds to days. Mobile fluorophores are used as reporters to study the interaction between proteins and nanoparticles in a high-throughput manner in multi-well format. Furthermore, the screening method may reveal changes in colloidal stability of nanomaterials depending on the physicochemical conditions. PMID:26313757
Quantitative High-Throughput Luciferase Screening in Identifying CAR Modulators.
Lynch, Caitlin; Zhao, Jinghua; Wang, Hongbing; Xia, Menghang
The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) is responsible for the transcription of multiple drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. There are two possible methods of activation for CAR, direct ligand binding and a ligand-independent method, which makes this a unique nuclear receptor. Both of these mechanisms require translocation of CAR from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. Interestingly, CAR is constitutively active in immortalized cell lines due to the basal nuclear location of this receptor. This creates an important challenge in most in vitro assay models because immortalized cells cannot be used without inhibiting the high basal activity. In this book chapter, we go into detail of how to perform quantitative high-throughput screens to identify hCAR1 modulators through the employment of a double stable cell line. Using this line, we are able to identify activators, as well as deactivators, of the challenging nuclear receptor, CAR. PMID:27518621
UAV-based high-throughput phenotyping in legume crops
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sankaran, Sindhuja; Khot, Lav R.; Quirós, Juan; Vandemark, George J.; McGee, Rebecca J.
In plant breeding, one of the biggest obstacles in genetic improvement is the lack of proven rapid methods for measuring plant responses in field conditions. Therefore, the major objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing high-throughput remote sensing technology for rapid measurement of phenotyping traits in legume crops. The plant responses of several chickpea and peas varieties to the environment were assessed with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) integrated with multispectral imaging sensors. Our preliminary assessment showed that the vegetation indices are strongly correlated (p<0.05) with seed yield of legume crops. Results endorse the potential of UAS-based sensing technology to rapidly measure those phenotyping traits.
High-throughput sequencing in veterinary infection biology and diagnostics.
Belák, S; Karlsson, O E; Leijon, M; Granberg, F
Sequencing methods have improved rapidly since the first versions of the Sanger techniques, facilitating the development of very powerful tools for detecting and identifying various pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and other microbes. The ongoing development of high-throughput sequencing (HTS; also known as next-generation sequencing) technologies has resulted in a dramatic reduction in DNA sequencing costs, making the technology more accessible to the average laboratory. In this White Paper of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Collaborating Centre for the Biotechnology-based Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Veterinary Medicine (Uppsala, Sweden), several approaches and examples of HTS are summarised, and their diagnostic applicability is briefly discussed. Selected future aspects of HTS are outlined, including the need for bioinformatic resources, with a focus on improving the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases in veterinary medicine. PMID:24761741
Microfluidics for High-Throughput Quantitative Studies of Early Development.
Levario, Thomas J; Lim, Bomyi; Shvartsman, Stanislav Y; Lu, Hang
Developmental biology has traditionally relied on qualitative analyses; recently, however, as in other fields of biology, researchers have become increasingly interested in acquiring quantitative knowledge about embryogenesis. Advances in fluorescence microscopy are enabling high-content imaging in live specimens. At the same time, microfluidics and automation technologies are increasing experimental throughput for studies of multicellular models of development. Furthermore, computer vision methods for processing and analyzing bioimage data are now leading the way toward quantitative biology. Here, we review advances in the areas of fluorescence microscopy, microfluidics, and data analysis that are instrumental to performing high-content, high-throughput studies in biology and specifically in development. We discuss a case study of how these techniques have allowed quantitative analysis and modeling of pattern formation in the Drosophila embryo. PMID:26928208
Learning robust cell signalling models from high throughput proteomic data
Koch, Mitchell; Broom, Bradley M.; Subramanian, Devika
We propose a framework for learning robust Bayesian network models of cell signalling from high-throughput proteomic data. We show that model averaging using Bayesian bootstrap resampling generates more robust structures than procedures that learn structures using all of the data. We also develop an algorithm for ranking the importance of network features using bootstrap resample data. We apply our algorithms to derive the T-cell signalling network from the flow cytometry data of Sachs et al. (2005). Our learning algorithm has identified, with high confidence, several new crosstalk mechanisms in the T-cell signalling network. Many of them have already been confirmed experimentally in the recent literature and six new crosstalk mechanisms await experimental validation. PMID:19525198
High-throughput sequencing of immune repertoires in multiple sclerosis.
Lossius, Andreas; Johansen, Jorunn N; Vartdal, Frode; Holmøy, Trygve
T cells and B cells are crucial in the initiation and maintenance of multiple sclerosis (MS), and the activation of these cells is believed to be mediated through specific recognition of antigens by the T- and B-cell receptors. The antigen receptors are highly polymorphic due to recombination (T- and B-cell receptors) and mutation (B-cell receptors) of the encoding genes, which can therefore be used as fingerprints to track individual T- and B-cell clones. Such studies can shed light on mechanisms driving the immune responses and provide new insights into the pathogenesis. Here, we summarize studies that have explored the T- and B-cell receptor repertoires using earlier methodological approaches, and we focus on how high-throughput sequencing has provided new knowledge by surveying the immune repertoires in MS in even greater detail and with unprecedented depth. PMID:27081660
Interactive Visual Analysis of High Throughput Text Streams
Steed, Chad A; Potok, Thomas E; Patton, Robert M; Goodall, John R; Maness, Christopher S; Senter, James K; Potok, Thomas E
The scale, velocity, and dynamic nature of large scale social media systems like Twitter demand a new set of visual analytics techniques that support near real-time situational awareness. Social media systems are credited with escalating social protest during recent large scale riots. Virtual communities form rapidly in these online systems, and they occasionally foster violence and unrest which is conveyed in the users language. Techniques for analyzing broad trends over these networks or reconstructing conversations within small groups have been demonstrated in recent years, but state-of- the-art tools are inadequate at supporting near real-time analysis of these high throughput streams of unstructured information. In this paper, we present an adaptive system to discover and interactively explore these virtual networks, as well as detect sentiment, highlight change, and discover spatio- temporal patterns.
Proposed high throughput electrorefining treatment for spent N- Reactor fuel
Gay, E.C.; Miller, W.E.; Laidler, J.J.
A high-throughput electrorefining process is being adapted to treat spent N-Reactor fuel for ultimate disposal in a geologic repository. Anodic dissolution tests were made with unirradiated N-Reactor fuel to determine the type of fragmentation necessary to provide fuel segments suitable for this process. Based on these tests, a conceptual design was produced of a plant-scale electrorefiner. In this design, the diameter of an electrode assembly is about 1.07 m (42 in.). Three of these assemblies in an electrorefiner would accommodate a 3-metric-ton batch of N-Reactor fuel that would be processed at a rate of 42 kg of uranium per hour.
High-throughput determination of RNA structure by proximity ligation.
Ramani, Vijay; Qiu, Ruolan; Shendure, Jay
We present an unbiased method to globally resolve RNA structures through pairwise contact measurements between interacting regions. RNA proximity ligation (RPL) uses proximity ligation of native RNA followed by deep sequencing to yield chimeric reads with ligation junctions in the vicinity of structurally proximate bases. We apply RPL in both baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and human cells and generate contact probability maps for ribosomal and other abundant RNAs, including yeast snoRNAs, the RNA subunit of the signal recognition particle and the yeast U2 spliceosomal RNA homolog. RPL measurements correlate with established secondary structures for these RNA molecules, including stem-loop structures and long-range pseudoknots. We anticipate that RPL will complement the current repertoire of computational and experimental approaches in enabling the high-throughput determination of secondary and tertiary RNA structures. PMID:26237516
Printing Proteins as Microarrays for High-Throughput Function Determination
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
MacBeath, Gavin; Schreiber, Stuart L.
Systematic efforts are currently under way to construct defined sets of cloned genes for high-throughput expression and purification of recombinant proteins. To facilitate subsequent studies of protein function, we have developed miniaturized assays that accommodate extremely low sample volumes and enable the rapid, simultaneous processing of thousands of proteins. A high-precision robot designed to manufacture complementary DNA microarrays was used to spot proteins onto chemically derivatized glass slides at extremely high spatial densities. The proteins attached covalently to the slide surface yet retained their ability to interact specifically with other proteins, or with small molecules, in solution. Three applications for protein microarrays were demonstrated: screening for protein-protein interactions, identifying the substrates of protein kinases, and identifying the protein targets of small molecules.
High Throughput Substrate Phage Display for Protease Profiling
Ratnikov, Boris; Cieplak, Piotr; Smith, Jeffrey W.
Summary The interplay between a protease and its substrates is controlled at many different levels, including coexpression, colocalization, binding driven by ancillary contacts, and the presence of natural inhibitors. Here we focus on the most basic parameter that guides substrate recognition by a protease, the recognition specificity at the catalytic cleft. An understanding of this substrate specificity can be used to predict the putative substrates of a protease, to design protease activated imaging agents, and to initiate the design of active site inhibitors. Our group has characterized protease specificities of several matrix metalloproteinases using substrate phage display. Recently, we have adapted this method to a semiautomated platform that includes several high-throughput steps. The semiautomated platform allows one to obtain an order of magnitude more data, thus permitting precise comparisons among related proteases to define their functional distinctions. PMID:19377968
High throughput substrate phage display for protease profiling.
Ratnikov, Boris; Cieplak, Piotr; Smith, Jeffrey W
The interplay between a protease and its substrates is controlled at many different levels, including coexpression, colocalization, binding driven by ancillary contacts, and the presence of natural inhibitors. Here we focus on the most basic parameter that guides substrate recognition by a protease, the recognition specificity at the catalytic cleft. An understanding of this substrate specificity can be used to predict the putative substrates of a protease, to design protease activated imaging agents, and to initiate the design of active site inhibitors. Our group has characterized protease specificities of several matrix metalloproteinases using substrate phage display. Recently, we have adapted this method to a semiautomated platform that includes several high-throughput steps. The semiautomated platform allows one to obtain an order of magnitude more data, thus permitting precise comparisons among related proteases to define their functional distinctions. PMID:19377968
High-throughput ballistic injection nanorheology to measure cell mechanics.
Wu, Pei-Hsun; Hale, Christopher M; Chen, Wei-Chiang; Lee, Jerry S H; Tseng, Yiider; Wirtz, Denis
High-throughput ballistic injection nanorheology is a method for the quantitative study of cell mechanics. Cell mechanics are measured by ballistic injection of submicron particles into the cytoplasm of living cells and tracking the spontaneous displacement of the particles at high spatial resolution. The trajectories of the cytoplasm-embedded particles are transformed into mean-squared displacements, which are subsequently transformed into frequency-dependent viscoelastic moduli and time-dependent creep compliance of the cytoplasm. This method allows for the study of a wide range of cellular conditions, including cells inside a 3D matrix, cell subjected to shear flows and biochemical stimuli, and cells in a live animal. Ballistic injection lasts <1 min and is followed by overnight incubation. Multiple particle tracking for one cell lasts <1 min. Forty cells can be examined in <1 h. PMID:22222790
High Throughput Screening Method to Explore Protein Interactions with Nanoparticles
Nasir, Irem; Fatih, Warda; Svensson, Anja; Radu, Dennis; Linse, Sara; Cabaleiro Lago, Celia; Lundqvist, Martin
The interactions of biological macromolecules with nanoparticles underlie a wide variety of current and future applications in the fields of biotechnology, medicine and bioremediation. The same interactions are also responsible for mediating potential biohazards of nanomaterials. Some applications require that proteins adsorb to the nanomaterial and that the protein resists or undergoes structural rearrangements. This article presents a screening method for detecting nanoparticle-protein partners and conformational changes on time scales ranging from milliseconds to days. Mobile fluorophores are used as reporters to study the interaction between proteins and nanoparticles in a high-throughput manner in multi-well format. Furthermore, the screening method may reveal changes in colloidal stability of nanomaterials depending on the physicochemical conditions. PMID:26313757
High-throughput characterization of protein–RNA interactions
Cook, Kate B.; Hughes, Timothy R.
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are important regulators of eukaryotic gene expression. Genomes typically encode dozens to hundreds of proteins containing RNA-binding domains, which collectively recognize diverse RNA sequences and structures. Recent advances in high-throughput methods for assaying the targets of RBPs in vitro and in vivo allow large-scale derivation of RNA-binding motifs as well as determination of RNA–protein interactions in living cells. In parallel, many computational methods have been developed to analyze and interpret these data. The interplay between RNA secondary structure and RBP binding has also been a growing theme. Integrating RNA–protein interaction data with observations of post-transcriptional regulation will enhance our understanding of the roles of these important proteins. PMID:25504152
A Microfluidic Platform for High-Throughput Multiplexed Protein Quantitation
Volpetti, Francesca; Garcia-Cordero, Jose; Maerkl, Sebastian J.
We present a high-throughput microfluidic platform capable of quantitating up to 384 biomarkers in 4 distinct samples by immunoassay. The microfluidic device contains 384 unit cells, which can be individually programmed with pairs of capture and detection antibody. Samples are quantitated in each unit cell by four independent MITOMI detection areas, allowing four samples to be analyzed in parallel for a total of 1,536 assays per device. We show that the device can be pre-assembled and stored for weeks at elevated temperature and we performed proof-of-concept experiments simultaneously quantitating IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, PSA, and GFP. Finally, we show that the platform can be used to identify functional antibody combinations by screening 64 antibody combinations requiring up to 384 unique assays per device. PMID:25680117
Multiple-injection high-throughput gas chromatography analysis.
Schafer, Wes; Wang, Heather; Welch, Christopher J
Multiple-injection techniques have been shown to be a simple way to perform high-throughput analysis where the entire experiment resides in a single chromatogram, simplifying the data analysis and interpretation. In this study, multiple-injection techniques are applied to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and mass detection to significantly increase sample throughput. The unique issues of implementing a traditional "Fast" injection mode of multiple-injection techniques with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are discussed. Stacked injections are also discussed as means to increase the throughput of longer methods where mass detection is unable to distinguish between analytes of the same mass and longer retentions are required to resolve components of interest. Multiple-injection techniques are shown to increase instrument throughput by up to 70% and to simplify data analysis, allowing hits in multiple parallel experiments to be identified easily. PMID:27292909
Representation and classification for high-throughput data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wessels, Lodewyk F. A.; Reinders, Marcel J. T.; van Welsem, Tibor; Nederlof, Petra M.
Survival prediction and optimal treatment choice for cancer patients are dependent on correct disease classification. This classification can be improved significantly when high- throughput data such as microarray expression analysis is employed. These data sets usually suffer from the dimensionality problem: many features and few patients. Consequently, care must be taken when feature selection is performed and classifiers for disease classification are designed. In this paper we investigate several issues associated with this problem, including 1) data representation; 2) the type of classifier employed and 3) classifier construction, with specific emphasis on feature selection approaches. More specifically, 'filter' and 'wrapper' approaches for feature selection are studied. The different representations, selection criteria, classifiers and feature selection approaches are evaluated with regard to the effect on true classification performance. As test cases we employ a Comparative Genomic Hybridization breast cancer data sets and two publicly available gene expression data sets.
Integrated control system environment for high-throughput tomography
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khokhriakov, Igor; Lottermoser, Lars; Gehrke, Rainer; Kracht, Thorsten; Wintersberger, Eugen; Kopmann, Andreas; Vogelgesang, Matthias; Beckmann, Felix
A new control system for high-throughput experiments (X-Ray, Neutrons) is introduced in this article. The system consists of several software components which are required to make optimized use of the beamtime and to fulfill the demand to implement the new standardized data format established within the Helmholtz Association in Germany. The main components are: PreExperiment Data Collector; Status server; Data Format Server. Especially for tomography a concept for an online reconstruction based on GPU computing is presented. One of the main goals of the system is to collect data that extends standard experimental data, e.g. instrument's hardware state, preinvestigation data, experiment description data etc. The collected data is stored together with the experiment data in the permanent storage of the user. The stored data is then used for post processing and analysis of the experiment.
High-throughput rheology in a microfluidic device
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Furst, Eric; Schultz, Kelly; Han, Hyejin; Kim, Chongyoup
High-throughput rheological measurements in a microfluidic device are demonstrated. A series of microrheology samples is generated as droplets in an immiscible spacer fluid using a microfluidic T-junction. The compositions of the sample droplets are continuously varied over a wide range. Rheology measurements are made in each droplet using multiple particle tracking microrheology. We review critical design and operating parameters, including the droplet size, flow rates and rapid fabrication methods. Validation experiments are performed by measuring the solution viscosity of glycerine and the biopolymer heparin as a function of concentration. Finally, an analysis of droplet mixing is performed in order to optimize the device performance. Overall, the combination of microrheology with microfluidics maximizes the number of rheological measurements while simultaneously minimizing the sample preparation time and amount of material, and should be particularly suited to the characterization of scarce or expensive materials. We acknowledge financial support from the NSF (CBET-0730292).
High-throughput screening of binary catalysts for oxygen electroreduction
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Jing Hua; Jeon, Min Ku; Woo, Seong Ihl
A series of Pt based and non-Pt catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) have been evaluated towards oxygen reduction, by high-throughput optical screening. Fluorescein was first used as pH indicator for detecting pH change of the electrolyte in the vicinity of cathode caused by oxygen reduction. Arrays of catalyst spot comprised of binary catalysts and pure Pt were prepared by using robotic micro-dispenser. The analysis of fluorescence images has showed that some of Pt based catalysts including PtBi, PtCu, PtSe, PtTe and PtIr, as well as RuFe, as a non-Pt catalyst, exhibited higher activities and methanol tolerance than pure Pt. Moreover, acceptable stability of these catalysts at high potential in acid environment suits them to the requirements of cathode catalyst in PEMFC or DMFC.
Biological Processes Discovered by High-Throughput Sequencing.
Reon, Brian J; Dutta, Anindya
Advances in DNA and RNA sequencing technologies have completely transformed the field of genomics. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is now a widely used and accessible technology that allows scientists to sequence an entire transcriptome or genome in a timely and cost-effective manner. Application of HTS techniques has led to many key discoveries, including the identification of long noncoding RNAs, microDNAs, a family of small extrachromosomal circular DNA species, and tRNA-derived fragments, which are a group of small non-miRNAs that are derived from tRNAs. Furthermore, public sequencing repositories provide unique opportunities for laboratories to parse large sequencing databases to identify proteins and noncoding RNAs at a scale that was not possible a decade ago. Herein, we review how HTS has led to the discovery of novel nucleic acid species and uncovered new biological processes during the course. PMID:26828742
High throughput parametric studies of the structure of complex nanomaterials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tian, Peng
The structure of nanoscale materials is difficult to study because crystallography, the gold-standard for structure studies, no longer works at the nanoscale. New tools are needed to study nanostructure. Furthermore, it is important to study the evolution of nanostructure of complex nanostructured materials as a function of various parameters such as temperature or other environmental variables. These are called parametric studies because an environmental parameter is being varied. This means that the new tools for studying nanostructure also need to be extended to work quickly and on large numbers of datasets. This thesis describes the development of new tools for high throughput studies of complex and nanostructured materials, and their application to study the structural evolution of bulk, and nanoparticles of, MnAs as a function of temperature. The tool for high throughput analysis of the bulk material was developed as part of this PhD thesis work and is called SrRietveld. A large part of making a new tool is to validate it and we did this for SrRietveld by carrying out a high-throughput study of uncertainties coming from the program using different ways of estimating the uncertainty. This tool was applied to study structural changes in MnAs as a function of temperature. We were also interested in studying different MnAs nanoparticles fabricated through different methods because of their applications in information storage. PDFgui, an existing tool for analyzing nanoparticles using Pair distribution function (PDF) refinement, was used in these cases. Comparing the results from the analysis by SrRietveld and PDFgui, we got more comprehensive structure information about MnAs. The layout of the thesis is as follows. First, the background knowledge about material structures is given. The conventional crystallographic analysis is introduced in both theoretical and practical ways. For high throughput study, the next-generation Rietveld analysis program: Sr
EDITORIAL: Combinatorial and High-Throughput Materials Research
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Potyrailo, Radislav A.; Takeuchi, Ichiro
The success of combinatorial and high-throughput methodologies relies greatly on the availability of various characterization tools with new and improved capabilities [1]. Indeed, how useful can a combinatorial library of 250, 400, 25 000 or 2 000 000 compounds be [2-5] if one is unable to characterize its properties of interest fairly quickly? How useful can a set of thousands of spectra or chromatograms be if one is unable to analyse them in a timely manner? For these reasons, the development of new approaches for materials characterization is one of the most active areas in combinatorial materials science. The importance of this aspect of research in the field has been discussed in numerous conferences including the Pittsburgh Conferences, the American Chemical Society Meetings, the American Physical Society Meetings, the Materials Research Society Symposia and various Gordon Research Conferences. Naturally, the development of new measurement instrumentation attracts the attention not only of practitioners of combinatorial materials science but also of those who design new software for data manipulation and mining. Experimental designs of combinatorial libraries are pursued with available and realistic synthetic and characterization capabilities in mind. It is becoming increasingly critical to link the design of new equipment for high-throughput parallel materials synthesis with integrated measurement tools in order to enhance the efficacy of the overall experimental strategy. We have received an overwhelming response to our proposal and call for papers for this Special Issue on Combinatorial Materials Science. The papers in this issue of Measurement Science and Technology are a very timely collection that captures the state of modern combinatorial materials science. They demonstrate the significant advances that are taking place in the field. In some cases, characterization tools are now being operated in the factory mode. At the same time, major challenges
A Colloidal Stability Assay Suitable for High-Throughput Screening.
Abarca, Carla; Ali, M Monsur; Yang, Songtao; Dong, Xiaofei; Pelton, Robert H
A library of 32 polystyrene copolymer latexes, with diameters ranging between 53 and 387 nm, was used to develop and demonstrate a high-throughput assay using a 96-well microplate platform to measure critical coagulation concentrations, a measure of colloidal stability. The most robust assay involved an automated centrifugation-decantation step to remove latex aggregates before absorbance measurements, eliminating aggregate interference with optical measurements made through the base of the multiwell plates. For smaller nanoparticles (diameter <150 nm), the centrifugation-decantation step was not required as the interference was less than with larger particles. Parallel measurements with a ChemiDoc MP plate scanner gave indications of aggregation; however, the results were less sensitive than the absorbance measurements. PMID:26857643
High-Throughput Sequencing of Complete Mitochondrial Genomes.
Briscoe, Andrew George; Hopkins, Kevin Peter; Waeschenbach, Andrea
Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized mitogenomics, turning a cottage industry into a high throughput process. This chapter outlines methodologies used to sequence, assemble, and annotate mitogenomes of non-model organisms using Illumina sequencing technology, utilizing either long-range PCR amplicons or gDNA as starting template. Instructions are given on how to extract DNA, conduct long-range PCR amplifications, generate short Sanger barcode tag sequences, prepare equimolar sample pools, construct and assess quality library preparations, assemble Illumina reads using either seeded reference mapping or de novo assembly, and annotate mitogenomes in the absence of an automated pipeline. Notes and recommendations, derived from our own experience, are given throughout this chapter. PMID:27460369
Numerical techniques for high-throughput reflectance interference biosensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sevenler, Derin; Ünlü, M. Selim
We have developed a robust and rapid computational method for processing the raw spectral data collected from thin film optical interference biosensors. We have applied this method to Interference Reflectance Imaging Sensor (IRIS) measurements and observed a 10,000 fold improvement in processing time, unlocking a variety of clinical and scientific applications. Interference biosensors have advantages over similar technologies in certain applications, for example highly multiplexed measurements of molecular kinetics. However, processing raw IRIS data into useful measurements has been prohibitively time consuming for high-throughput studies. Here we describe the implementation of a lookup table (LUT) technique that provides accurate results in far less time than naive methods. We also discuss an additional benefit that the LUT method can be used with a wider range of interference layer thickness and experimental configurations that are incompatible with methods that require fitting the spectral response.
High Throughput In Situ XAFS Screening of Catalysts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tsapatsaris, Nikolaos; Beesley, Angela M.; Weiher, Norbert; Tatton, Helen; Dent, Andy J.; Mosselmans, Frederick J. W.; Tromp, Moniek; Russu, Sergio; Evans, John; Harvey, Ian; Hayama, Shu; Schroeder, Sven L. M.
We outline and demonstrate the feasibility of high-throughput (HT) in situ XAFS for synchrotron radiation studies. An XAS data acquisition and control system for the analysis of dynamic materials libraries under control of temperature and gaseous environments has been developed. The system is compatible with the 96-well industry standard and coupled to multi-stream quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) analysis of reactor effluents. An automated analytical workflow generates data quickly compared to traditional individual spectrum acquisition and analyses them in quasi-real time using an HT data analysis tool based on IFFEFIT. The system was used for the automated characterization of a library of 91 catalyst precursors containing ternary combinations of Cu, Pt, and Au on γ-Al2O3, and for the in situ characterization of Au catalysts supported on Al2O3 and TiO2.
High-throughput ab-initio dilute solute diffusion database.
Wu, Henry; Mayeshiba, Tam; Morgan, Dane
We demonstrate automated generation of diffusion databases from high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A total of more than 230 dilute solute diffusion systems in Mg, Al, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt host lattices have been determined using multi-frequency diffusion models. We apply a correction method for solute diffusion in alloys using experimental and simulated values of host self-diffusivity. We find good agreement with experimental solute diffusion data, obtaining a weighted activation barrier RMS error of 0.176 eV when excluding magnetic solutes in non-magnetic alloys. The compiled database is the largest collection of consistently calculated ab-initio solute diffusion data in the world. PMID:27434308
High-throughput determination of RNA structure by proximity ligation
Ramani, Vijay; Qiu, Ruolan; Shendure, Jay
We present an unbiased method to globally resolve RNA structures through pairwise contact measurements between interacting regions. RNA Proximity Ligation (RPL) uses proximity ligation of native RNA followed by deep sequencing to yield chimeric reads with ligation junctions in the vicinity of structurally proximate bases. We apply RPL in both baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and human cells and generate contact probability maps for ribosomal and other abundant RNAs, including yeast snoRNAs, the RNA subunit of the signal recognition particle, and the yeast U2 spliceosomal RNA homolog. RPL measurements correlate with established secondary structures for these RNA molecules, including stem-loop structures and long-range pseudoknots. We anticipate that RPL will complement the current repertoire of computational and experimental approaches in enabling the high-throughput determination of secondary and tertiary RNA structures. PMID:26237516
Microfluidic cell chips for high-throughput drug screening.
Chi, Chun-Wei; Ahmed, Ah Rezwanuddin; Dereli-Korkut, Zeynep; Wang, Sihong
The current state of screening methods for drug discovery is still riddled with several inefficiencies. Although some widely used high-throughput screening platforms may enhance the drug screening process, their cost and oversimplification of cell-drug interactions pose a translational difficulty. Microfluidic cell-chips resolve many issues found in conventional HTS technology, providing benefits such as reduced sample quantity and integration of 3D cell culture physically more representative of the physiological/pathological microenvironment. In this review, we introduce the advantages of microfluidic devices in drug screening, and outline the critical factors which influence device design, highlighting recent innovations and advances in the field including a summary of commercialization efforts on microfluidic cell chips. Future perspectives of microfluidic cell devices are also provided based on considerations of present technological limitations and translational barriers. PMID:27071838
A high-throughput chemically induced inflammation assay in zebrafish
Background Studies on innate immunity have benefited from the introduction of zebrafish as a model system. Transgenic fish expressing fluorescent proteins in leukocyte populations allow direct, quantitative visualization of an inflammatory response in vivo. It has been proposed that this animal model can be used for high-throughput screens aimed at the identification of novel immunomodulatory lead compounds. However, current assays require invasive manipulation of fish individually, thus preventing high-content screening. Results Here we show that specific, noninvasive damage to lateral line neuromast cells can induce a robust acute inflammatory response. Exposure of fish larvae to sublethal concentrations of copper sulfate selectively damages the sensory hair cell population inducing infiltration of leukocytes to neuromasts within 20 minutes. Inflammation can be assayed in real time using transgenic fish expressing fluorescent proteins in leukocytes or by histochemical assays in fixed larvae. We demonstrate the usefulness of this method for chemical and genetic screens to detect the effect of immunomodulatory compounds and mutations affecting the leukocyte response. Moreover, we transformed the assay into a high-throughput screening method by using a customized automated imaging and processing system that quantifies the magnitude of the inflammatory reaction. Conclusions This approach allows rapid screening of thousands of compounds or mutagenized zebrafish for effects on inflammation and enables the identification of novel players in the regulation of innate immunity and potential lead compounds toward new immunomodulatory therapies. We have called this method the chemically induced inflammation assay, or ChIn assay. See Commentary article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/148. PMID:21176202
A robust robotic high-throughput antibody purification platform.
Schmidt, Peter M; Abdo, Michael; Butcher, Rebecca E; Yap, Min-Yin; Scotney, Pierre D; Ramunno, Melanie L; Martin-Roussety, Genevieve; Owczarek, Catherine; Hardy, Matthew P; Chen, Chao-Guang; Fabri, Louis J
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become the fastest growing segment in the drug market with annual sales of more than 40 billion US$ in 2013. The selection of lead candidate molecules involves the generation of large repertoires of antibodies from which to choose a final therapeutic candidate. Improvements in the ability to rapidly produce and purify many antibodies in sufficient quantities reduces the lead time for selection which ultimately impacts on the speed with which an antibody may transition through the research stage and into product development. Miniaturization and automation of chromatography using micro columns (RoboColumns(®) from Atoll GmbH) coupled to an automated liquid handling instrument (ALH; Freedom EVO(®) from Tecan) has been a successful approach to establish high throughput process development platforms. Recent advances in transient gene expression (TGE) using the high-titre Expi293F™ system have enabled recombinant mAb titres of greater than 500mg/L. These relatively high protein titres reduce the volume required to generate several milligrams of individual antibodies for initial biochemical and biological downstream assays, making TGE in the Expi293F™ system ideally suited to high throughput chromatography on an ALH. The present publication describes a novel platform for purifying Expi293F™-expressed recombinant mAbs directly from cell-free culture supernatant on a Perkin Elmer JANUS-VariSpan ALH equipped with a plate shuttle device. The purification platform allows automated 2-step purification (Protein A-desalting/size exclusion chromatography) of several hundred mAbs per week. The new robotic method can purify mAbs with high recovery (>90%) at sub-milligram level with yields of up to 2mg from 4mL of cell-free culture supernatant. PMID:27283099
Quantitative high throughput analytics to support polysaccharide production process development.
Noyes, Aaron; Godavarti, Ranga; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel; Coffman, Jonathan; Mukhopadhyay, Tarit
The rapid development of purification processes for polysaccharide vaccines is constrained by a lack of analytical tools current technologies for the measurement of polysaccharide recovery and process-related impurity clearance are complex, time-consuming, and generally not amenable to high throughput process development (HTPD). HTPD is envisioned to be central to the improvement of existing polysaccharide manufacturing processes through the identification of critical process parameters that potentially impact the quality attributes of the vaccine and to the development of de novo processes for clinical candidates, across the spectrum of downstream processing. The availability of a fast and automated analytics platform will expand the scope, robustness, and evolution of Design of Experiment (DOE) studies. This paper details recent advances in improving the speed, throughput, and success of in-process analytics at the micro-scale. Two methods, based on modifications of existing procedures, are described for the rapid measurement of polysaccharide titre in microplates without the need for heating steps. A simplification of a commercial endotoxin assay is also described that features a single measurement at room temperature. These assays, along with existing assays for protein and nucleic acids are qualified for deployment in the high throughput screening of polysaccharide feedstreams. Assay accuracy, precision, robustness, interference, and ease of use are assessed and described. In combination, these assays are capable of measuring the product concentration and impurity profile of a microplate of 96 samples in less than one day. This body of work relies on the evaluation of a combination of commercially available and clinically relevant polysaccharides to ensure maximum versatility and reactivity of the final assay suite. Together, these advancements reduce overall process time by up to 30-fold and significantly reduce sample volume over current practices. The
High-Throughput Genomics Enhances Tomato Breeding Efficiency
Barone, A; Di Matteo, A; Carputo, D; Frusciante, L
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is considered a model plant species for a group of economically important crops, such as potato, pepper, eggplant, since it exhibits a reduced genomic size (950 Mb), a short generation time, and routine transformation technologies. Moreover, it shares with the other Solanaceous plants the same haploid chromosome number and a high level of conserved genomic organization. Finally, many genomic and genetic resources are actually available for tomato, and the sequencing of its genome is in progress. These features make tomato an ideal species for theoretical studies and practical applications in the genomics field. The present review describes how structural genomics assist the selection of new varieties resistant to pathogens that cause damage to this crop. Many molecular markers highly linked to resistance genes and cloned resistance genes are available and could be used for a high-throughput screening of multiresistant varieties. Moreover, a new genomics-assisted breeding approach for improving fruit quality is presented and discussed. It relies on the identification of genetic mechanisms controlling the trait of interest through functional genomics tools. Following this approach, polymorphisms in major gene sequences responsible for variability in the expression of the trait under study are then exploited for tracking simultaneously favourable allele combinations in breeding programs using high-throughput genomic technologies. This aims at pyramiding in the genetic background of commercial cultivars alleles that increase their performances. In conclusion, tomato breeding strategies supported by advanced technologies are expected to target increased productivity and lower costs of improved genotypes even for complex traits. PMID:19721805
Review of high-throughput techniques for detecting solid phase Transformation from material libraries produced by combinatorial methods
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Jonathan A.
High-throughput measurement techniques are reviewed for solid phase transformation from materials produced by combinatorial methods, which are highly efficient concepts to fabricate large variety of material libraries with different compositional gradients on a single wafer. Combinatorial methods hold high potential for reducing the time and costs associated with the development of new materials, as compared to time-consuming and labor-intensive conventional methods that test large batches of material, one- composition at a time. These high-throughput techniques can be automated to rapidly capture and analyze data, using the entire material library on a single wafer, thereby accelerating the pace of materials discovery and knowledge generation for solid phase transformations. The review covers experimental techniques that are applicable to inorganic materials such as shape memory alloys, graded materials, metal hydrides, ferric materials, semiconductors and industrial alloys.
High-throughput screening of chemical exchange saturation transfer MR contrast agents.
Liu, Guanshu; Gilad, Assaf A; Bulte, Jeff W M; van Zijl, Peter C M; McMahon, Michael T
A new high-throughput MRI method for screening chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) agents is demonstrated, allowing simultaneous testing of multiple samples with minimal attention to sample configuration and shimming of the main magnetic field (B(0)). This approach, which is applicable to diamagnetic, paramagnetic and liposome CEST agents, employs a set of inexpensive glass or plastic capillary tubes containing CEST agents put together in a cheap plastic tube holder, without the need for liquid between the tubes to reduce magnetic susceptibility effects. In this setup, a reference image of direct water saturation spectra is acquired in order to map the absolute water frequency for each volume element (voxel) in the sample image, followed by an image of saturation transfer spectra to determine the CEST properties. Even though the field over the total sample is very inhomogeneous due to air-tube interfaces, the shape of the direct saturation spectra is not affected, allowing removal of susceptibility shift effects from the CEST data by using the absolute water frequencies from the reference map. As a result, quantitative information such as the mean CEST intensity for each sample can be extracted for multiple CEST agents at once. As an initial application, we demonstrate rapid screening of a library of 16 polypeptides for their CEST properties, but in principle the number of tubes is limited only by the available signal-noise-ratio, field of view and gradient strength for imaging. PMID:20586030
Parallel tools in HEVC for high-throughput processing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhou, Minhua; Sze, Vivienne; Budagavi, Madhukar
HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is the next-generation video coding standard being jointly developed by the ITU-T VCEG and ISO/IEC MPEG JCT-VC team. In addition to the high coding efficiency, which is expected to provide 50% more bit-rate reduction when compared to H.264/AVC, HEVC has built-in parallel processing tools to address bitrate, pixel-rate and motion estimation (ME) throughput requirements. This paper describes how CABAC, which is also used in H.264/AVC, has been redesigned for improved throughput, and how parallel merge/skip and tiles, which are new tools introduced for HEVC, enable high-throughput processing. CABAC has data dependencies which make it difficult to parallelize and thus limit its throughput. The prediction error/residual, represented as quantized transform coefficients, accounts for the majority of the CABAC workload. Various improvements have been made to the context selection and scans in transform coefficient coding that enable CABAC in HEVC to potentially achieve higher throughput and increased coding gains relative to H.264/AVC. The merge/skip mode is a coding efficiency enhancement tool in HEVC; the parallel merge/skip breaks dependency between the regular and merge/skip ME, which provides flexibility for high throughput and high efficiency HEVC encoder designs. For ultra high definition (UHD) video, such as 4kx2k and 8kx4k resolutions, low-latency and real-time processing may be beyond the capability of a single core codec. Tiles are an effective tool which enables pixel-rate balancing among the cores to achieve parallel processing with a throughput scalable implementation of multi-core UHD video codec. With the evenly divided tiles, a multi-core video codec can be realized by simply replicating single core codec and adding a tile boundary processing core on top of that. These tools illustrate that accounting for implementation cost when designing video coding algorithms can enable higher processing speed and reduce
Silicon microphysiometer for high-throughput drug screening
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Verhaegen, Katarina; Baert, Christiaan; Puers, Bob; Sansen, Willy; Simaels, Jeannine; Van Driessche, Veerle; Hermans, Lou; Mertens, Robert P.
We report on a micromachined silicon chip that is capable of providing a high-throughput functional assay based on calorimetry. A prototype twin microcalorimeter based on the Seebeck effect has been fabricated by IC technology and micromachined postprocessing techniques. A biocompatible liquid rubber membrane supports two identical 0.5 X 2 cm2 measurement chambers, situated at the cold and hot junction of a 666-junction aluminum/p+-polysilicon thermopile. The chambers can house up to 106 eukaryotic cells cultured to confluence. The advantage of the device over microcalorimeters on the market, is the integration of the measurement channels on chip, rendering microvolume reaction vessels, ranging from 10 to 600 (mu) l, in the closest possible contact with the thermopile sensor (no springs are needed). Power and temperature sensitivity of the sensor are 23 V/W and 130 mV/K, respectively. The small thermal inertia of the microchannels results in the short response time of 70 s, when filled with 50 (mu) l of water. Biological experiments were done with cultured kidney cells of Xenopus laevis (A6). The thermal equilibration time of the device is 45 min. Stimulation of transport mechanisms by reducing bath osmolality by 50% increased metabolism by 20%. Our results show that it is feasible to apply this large-area, small- volume whole-cell biosensor for drug discovery, where the binding assays that are commonly used to provide high- throughput need to be complemented with a functional assay. Solutions are brought onto the sensor by a simple pipette, making the use of an industrial microtiterplate dispenser feasible on a nx96-array of the microcalorimeter biosensor. Such an array of biosensors has been designed based on a new set of requirements as set forth by people in the field as this project moved on. The results obtained from the prototype large-area sensor were used to obtain an accurate model of the calorimeter, checked for by the simulation software ANSYS. At
A Primer on High-Throughput Computing for Genomic Selection
Wu, Xiao-Lin; Beissinger, Timothy M.; Bauck, Stewart; Woodward, Brent; Rosa, Guilherme J. M.; Weigel, Kent A.; Gatti, Natalia de Leon; Gianola, Daniel
High-throughput computing (HTC) uses computer clusters to solve advanced computational problems, with the goal of accomplishing high-throughput over relatively long periods of time. In genomic selection, for example, a set of markers covering the entire genome is used to train a model based on known data, and the resulting model is used to predict the genetic merit of selection candidates. Sophisticated models are very computationally demanding and, with several traits to be evaluated sequentially, computing time is long, and output is low. In this paper, we present scenarios and basic principles of how HTC can be used in genomic selection, implemented using various techniques from simple batch processing to pipelining in distributed computer clusters. Various scripting languages, such as shell scripting, Perl, and R, are also very useful to devise pipelines. By pipelining, we can reduce total computing time and consequently increase throughput. In comparison to the traditional data processing pipeline residing on the central processors, performing general-purpose computation on a graphics processing unit provide a new-generation approach to massive parallel computing in genomic selection. While the concept of HTC may still be new to many researchers in animal breeding, plant breeding, and genetics, HTC infrastructures have already been built in many institutions, such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which can be leveraged for genomic selection, in terms of central processing unit capacity, network connectivity, storage availability, and middleware connectivity. Exploring existing HTC infrastructures as well as general-purpose computing environments will further expand our capability to meet increasing computing demands posed by unprecedented genomic data that we have today. We anticipate that HTC will impact genomic selection via better statistical models, faster solutions, and more competitive products (e.g., from design of marker panels to realized
Magntic susceptibility as a proxy to heavy metal content in the sediments of Anzali wetland, Iran
Heavy metal concentrations and magnetic susceptibility of sediment samples were analyzed as indicators of urban and industrial contamination in Anzali wetland in Gilan, Iran. The aim was to investigate the suitability of magnetic properties measurements for indicating heavy metal pollution. The concentration of six heavy metals (Ni, Cr, Cd, Zn, Fe, and Pb) was determined in different depths of four sediment core samples within four different regions of the wetland (Abkenar, Hendekhaleh, Shijan and Siakeshim). Average concentration of heavy metals in the sediment cores was higher than the severe effect level (SEL) for Ni, Cr and Fe (77.26, 113.63 ppm and 5.2%, respectively) and lower than SEL for Cd, Zn and Pb (0.84, 137.7, 29.77 ppm, respectively). It was found that the trend of metal concentrations with the depth is different in each core and is related to the pollution discharges into the rivers entering the wetland. Core magnetic susceptibility measurements also showed different magnetic properties in each core. Cluster analysis was applied using Pearson correlation coefficient between heavy metal concentrations and magnetic properties across each core. Significant relationship was found to exist between magnetic susceptibility and the concentration of Ni in Abkenar and the concentration of Fe in other regions. Whereas Abkenar is almost the isolated and uncontaminated region of the wetland, it revealed a difference in magnetic properties between contaminated and uncontaminated sediments. It was concluded that magnetic properties of samples from contaminated zone were mostly related to Fe content. The result of this study demonstrated that magnetic susceptibility measurements could be applied as a proxy method for heavy metal pollution determination in marine environments in Iran especially as a rapid and cost-effective introductory site assessments. PMID:23369299
Susceptibility of metallic magnesium implants to bacterial biofilm infections.
Rahim, Muhammad Imran; Rohde, Manfred; Rais, Bushra; Seitz, Jan-Marten; Mueller, Peter P
Magnesium alloys have promising mechanical and biological properties as biodegradable medical implant materials for temporary applications during bone healing or as vascular stents. Whereas conventional implants are prone to colonization by treatment resistant microbial biofilms in which bacteria are embedded in a protective matrix, magnesium alloys have been reported to act antibacterial in vitro. To permit a basic assessment of antibacterial properties of implant materials in vivo an economic but robust animal model was established. Subcutaneous magnesium implants were inoculated with bacteria in a mouse model. Contrary to the expectations, bacterial activity was enhanced and prolonged in the presence of magnesium implants. Systemic antibiotic treatments were remarkably ineffective, which is a typical property of bacterial biofilms. Biofilm formation was further supported by electron microscopic analyses that revealed highly dense bacterial populations and evidence for the presence of extracellular matrix material. Bacterial agglomerates could be detected not only on the implant surface but also at a limited distance in the peri-implant tissue. Therefore, precautions may be necessary to minimize risks of metallic magnesium-containing implants in prospective clinical applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1489-1499, 2016. PMID:26860452
A high throughput method for the detection of metalloproteins on a microgram scale.
Högbom, Martin; Ericsson, Ulrika B; Lam, Robert; Bakali H, M Amin; Kuznetsova, Ekaterina; Nordlund, Pär; Zamble, Deborah B
Proteins that bind transition metals make up a substantial portion of the proteome, and the identification of a metal cofactor in a protein can greatly facilitate its functional assignment and help place it in the context of known cellular pathways. Existing methods for the detection of metalloproteins generally consume large amounts of protein, require expensive equipment, or are very labor intensive, rendering them unsuitable for use in high throughput proteomic initiatives. Here we present a method for the identification of metalloproteins that contain iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, nickel, and/or zinc that is sensitive, quick, robust, inexpensive, and can be performed with standard laboratory equipment. The assay is based on a combination of chemiluminescence and colorimetric detection methods, it typically consumes only 10 microg of protein, and most common chemical components of protein solutions do not interfere with metal detection. Analysis of 52 protein samples was compared with the results from inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry to verify the accuracy and sensitivity of the method. The assay is conducted in a 384-well format and requires about 3 h for completion, including a 2-h wait; so whole proteomes can be assayed for metal content in a matter of days. PMID:15772113
A Microfluidic, High Throughput Protein Crystal Growth Method for Microgravity
Carruthers Jr, Carl W.; Gerdts, Cory; Johnson, Michael D.; Webb, Paul
The attenuation of sedimentation and convection in microgravity can sometimes decrease irregularities formed during macromolecular crystal growth. Current terrestrial protein crystal growth (PCG) capabilities are very different than those used during the Shuttle era and that are currently on the International Space Station (ISS). The focus of this experiment was to demonstrate the use of a commercial off-the-shelf, high throughput, PCG method in microgravity. Using Protein BioSolutions' microfluidic Plug Maker™/CrystalCard™ system, we tested the ability to grow crystals of the regulator of glucose metabolism and adipogenesis: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (apo-hPPAR-γ LBD), as well as several PCG standards. Overall, we sent 25 CrystalCards™ to the ISS, containing ~10,000 individual microgravity PCG experiments in a 3U NanoRacks NanoLab (1U = 103 cm.). After 70 days on the ISS, our samples were returned with 16 of 25 (64%) microgravity cards having crystals, compared to 12 of 25 (48%) of the ground controls. Encouragingly, there were more apo-hPPAR-γ LBD crystals in the microgravity PCG cards than the 1g controls. These positive results hope to introduce the use of the PCG standard of low sample volume and large experimental density to the microgravity environment and provide new opportunities for macromolecular samples that may crystallize poorly in standard laboratories. PMID:24278480
High Throughput Multispectral Image Processing with Applications in Food Science.
Tsakanikas, Panagiotis; Pavlidis, Dimitris; Nychas, George-John
Recently, machine vision is gaining attention in food science as well as in food industry concerning food quality assessment and monitoring. Into the framework of implementation of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) in the food industry, image processing can be used not only in estimation and even prediction of food quality but also in detection of adulteration. Towards these applications on food science, we present here a novel methodology for automated image analysis of several kinds of food products e.g. meat, vanilla crème and table olives, so as to increase objectivity, data reproducibility, low cost information extraction and faster quality assessment, without human intervention. Image processing's outcome will be propagated to the downstream analysis. The developed multispectral image processing method is based on unsupervised machine learning approach (Gaussian Mixture Models) and a novel unsupervised scheme of spectral band selection for segmentation process optimization. Through the evaluation we prove its efficiency and robustness against the currently available semi-manual software, showing that the developed method is a high throughput approach appropriate for massive data extraction from food samples. PMID:26466349
A high throughput screening for rarely transcribed differentially expressed genes.
von Stein, O D; Thies, W G; Hofmann, M
A novel method combining elements of suppression subtractive hybridization with high throughput differential screening permits the efficient and rapid cloning of rarely transcribed differentially expressed genes. The experimental strategy virtually excludes the possibility of isolating false positive clones. The potential of the method is demonstrated by the isolation of 625 differentially expressed cDNAs from the metastatic adenocarcinoma cell line Bsp73-ASML when subtracted from its non-metastatic counterpart Bsp73-1AS. Northern analysis of 72 randomly selected clones demonstrated that 68 were differentially expressed with respect to Bsp73-ASML, indicating a true positive rate of 94%. Additionally, a large proportion of these clones represented rare transcripts as determined by the exposure time required to detect a signal. Sequence data indicated that of the 625 clones obtained, 92 clones scored perfect or near perfect matches with already known genes. Two hundred and eighty one clones scored between 60 and 95% homology to known human and mouse genes, whereas 252 clones scored no match with any sequences in the public databases. The method we describe is ideally suited whenever subtle changes in gene expression profiles need to be determined. PMID:9185570
Advances in High Throughput Screening of Biomass Recalcitrance (Poster)
Turner, G. B.; Decker, S. R.; Tucker, M. P.; Law, C.; Doeppke, C.; Sykes, R. W.; Davis, M. F.; Ziebell, A.
This was a poster displayed at the Symposium. Advances on previous high throughput screening of biomass recalcitrance methods have resulted in improved conversion and replicate precision. Changes in plate reactor metallurgy, improved preparation of control biomass, species-specific pretreatment conditions, and enzymatic hydrolysis parameters have reduced overall coefficients of variation to an average of 6% for sample replicates. These method changes have improved plate-to-plate variation of control biomass recalcitrance and improved confidence in sugar release differences between samples. With smaller errors plant researchers can have a higher degree of assurance more low recalcitrance candidates can be identified. Significant changes in plate reactor, control biomass preparation, pretreatment conditions and enzyme have significantly reduced sample and control replicate variability. Reactor plate metallurgy significantly impacts sugar release aluminum leaching into reaction during pretreatment degrades sugars and inhibits enzyme activity. Removal of starch and extractives significantly decreases control biomass variability. New enzyme formulations give more consistent and higher conversion levels, however required re-optimization for switchgrass. Pretreatment time and temperature (severity) should be adjusted to specific biomass types i.e. woody vs. herbaceous. Desalting of enzyme preps to remove low molecular weight stabilizers and improved conversion levels likely due to water activity impacts on enzyme structure and substrate interactions not attempted here due to need to continually desalt and validate precise enzyme concentration and activity.
High-Throughput Screening Based Identification of Paramyxovirus Inhibitors
Yoon, Jeong-Jeong; Chawla, Dhruv; Paal, Tanja; Ndungu, Maina; Du, Yuhong; Kurtkaya, Serdar; Sun, Aiming; Snyder, James P; Plemper, Richard K
Paramyxoviruses are negative strand non-segmented RNA viruses. Several members of this family constitute major human pathogens that, collectively, are responsible for major morbidity and mortality worldwide. In an effort to ultimately develop novel therapeutics against measles virus (MV), a prominent member of the paramyxovirus family, we report a high-throughput screening protocol that allows hit identification using non-recombinant primary MV strains as targets. Implementation of the assay has yielded 60 hit candidates from a 137,500-entry library. Counterscreening and generation of dose-response curves narrows this pool to 35 compounds with active concentrations ≤15.3 μM against the MV-Alaska strain and specificity indices ranging from 36 to >500. Library mining for structural analogs of several confirmed hits combined with re-testing of identified candidates reveals a low false-negative rate and, thus, a high accuracy of primary hit identification. Eleven of the confirmed hits were found to interfere with the viral entry machinery, while the remaining 24 compounds target post-entry steps of the viral life cycle. Activity testing against selected members of the paramyxovirus family reveals three patterns of activity: 1) exclusively MV-specific blockers; 2) inhibitors of MV and related viruses of the same genus; 3) broader-range inhibitors with activity against a different paramyxovirinae genus. Representatives of the last class may open avenues for the development of broad-range paramyxovirus inhibitors through hit-to-lead chemistry. PMID:18626114
Translational informatics: enabling high-throughput research paradigms
Embi, Peter J.; Sen, Chandan K.
A common thread throughout the clinical and translational research domains is the need to collect, manage, integrate, analyze, and disseminate large-scale, heterogeneous biomedical data sets. However, well-established and broadly adopted theoretical and practical frameworks and models intended to address such needs are conspicuously absent in the published literature or other reputable knowledge sources. Instead, the development and execution of multidisciplinary, clinical, or translational studies are significantly limited by the propagation of "silos" of both data and expertise. Motivated by this fundamental challenge, we report upon the current state and evolution of biomedical informatics as it pertains to the conduct of high-throughput clinical and translational research and will present both a conceptual and practical framework for the design and execution of informatics-enabled studies. The objective of presenting such findings and constructs is to provide the clinical and translational research community with a common frame of reference for discussing and expanding upon such models and methodologies. PMID:19737991
A fully automated high-throughput training system for rodents.
Poddar, Rajesh; Kawai, Risa; Ölveczky, Bence P
Addressing the neural mechanisms underlying complex learned behaviors requires training animals in well-controlled tasks, an often time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can severely limit the feasibility of such studies. To overcome this constraint, we developed a fully computer-controlled general purpose system for high-throughput training of rodents. By standardizing and automating the implementation of predefined training protocols within the animal's home-cage our system dramatically reduces the efforts involved in animal training while also removing human errors and biases from the process. We deployed this system to train rats in a variety of sensorimotor tasks, achieving learning rates comparable to existing, but more laborious, methods. By incrementally and systematically increasing the difficulty of the task over weeks of training, rats were able to master motor tasks that, in complexity and structure, resemble ones used in primate studies of motor sequence learning. By enabling fully automated training of rodents in a home-cage setting this low-cost and modular system increases the utility of rodents for studying the neural underpinnings of a variety of complex behaviors. PMID:24349451
Savant: genome browser for high-throughput sequencing data
Fiume, Marc; Williams, Vanessa; Brook, Andrew; Brudno, Michael
Motivation: The advent of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies has made it affordable to sequence many individuals' genomes. Simultaneously the computational analysis of the large volumes of data generated by the new sequencing machines remains a challenge. While a plethora of tools are available to map the resulting reads to a reference genome, and to conduct primary analysis of the mappings, it is often necessary to visually examine the results and underlying data to confirm predictions and understand the functional effects, especially in the context of other datasets. Results: We introduce Savant, the Sequence Annotation, Visualization and ANalysis Tool, a desktop visualization and analysis browser for genomic data. Savant was developed for visualizing and analyzing HTS data, with special care taken to enable dynamic visualization in the presence of gigabases of genomic reads and references the size of the human genome. Savant supports the visualization of genome-based sequence, point, interval and continuous datasets, and multiple visualization modes that enable easy identification of genomic variants (including single nucleotide polymorphisms, structural and copy number variants), and functional genomic information (e.g. peaks in ChIP-seq data) in the context of genomic annotations. Availability: Savant is freely available at http://compbio.cs.toronto.edu/savant Contact: email@example.com PMID:20562449
Validation of high throughput sequencing and microbial forensics applications
High throughput sequencing (HTS) generates large amounts of high quality sequence data for microbial genomics. The value of HTS for microbial forensics is the speed at which evidence can be collected and the power to characterize microbial-related evidence to solve biocrimes and bioterrorist events. As HTS technologies continue to improve, they provide increasingly powerful sets of tools to support the entire field of microbial forensics. Accurate, credible results allow analysis and interpretation, significantly influencing the course and/or focus of an investigation, and can impact the response of the government to an attack having individual, political, economic or military consequences. Interpretation of the results of microbial forensic analyses relies on understanding the performance and limitations of HTS methods, including analytical processes, assays and data interpretation. The utility of HTS must be defined carefully within established operating conditions and tolerances. Validation is essential in the development and implementation of microbial forensics methods used for formulating investigative leads attribution. HTS strategies vary, requiring guiding principles for HTS system validation. Three initial aspects of HTS, irrespective of chemistry, instrumentation or software are: 1) sample preparation, 2) sequencing, and 3) data analysis. Criteria that should be considered for HTS validation for microbial forensics are presented here. Validation should be defined in terms of specific application and the criteria described here comprise a foundation for investigators to establish, validate and implement HTS as a tool in microbial forensics, enhancing public safety and national security. PMID:25101166
BOOGIE: Predicting Blood Groups from High Throughput Sequencing Data
Giollo, Manuel; Minervini, Giovanni; Scalzotto, Marta; Leonardi, Emanuela; Ferrari, Carlo; Tosatto, Silvio C. E.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed an incredible growth in the amount of available genotype data due to high throughput sequencing (HTS) techniques. This information may be used to predict phenotypes of medical relevance, and pave the way towards personalized medicine. Blood phenotypes (e.g. ABO and Rh) are a purely genetic trait that has been extensively studied for decades, with currently over thirty known blood groups. Given the public availability of blood group data, it is of interest to predict these phenotypes from HTS data which may translate into more accurate blood typing in clinical practice. Here we propose BOOGIE, a fast predictor for the inference of blood groups from single nucleotide variant (SNV) databases. We focus on the prediction of thirty blood groups ranging from the well known ABO and Rh, to the less studied Junior or Diego. BOOGIE correctly predicted the blood group with 94% accuracy for the Personal Genome Project whole genome profiles where good quality SNV annotation was available. Additionally, our tool produces a high quality haplotype phase, which is of interest in the context of ethnicity-specific polymorphisms or traits. The versatility and simplicity of the analysis make it easily interpretable and allow easy extension of the protocol towards other phenotypes. BOOGIE can be downloaded from URL http://protein.bio.unipd.it/download/. PMID:25893845
High Throughput, Continuous, Mass Production of Photovoltaic Modules
Kurt Barth
AVA Solar has developed a very low cost solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing process and has demonstrated the significant economic and commercial potential of this technology. This I & I Category 3 project provided significant assistance toward accomplishing these milestones. The original goals of this project were to design, construct and test a production prototype system, fabricate PV modules and test the module performance. The original module manufacturing costs in the proposal were estimated at $2/Watt. The objectives of this project have been exceeded. An advanced processing line was designed, fabricated and installed. Using this automated, high throughput system, high efficiency devices and fully encapsulated modules were manufactured. AVA Solar has obtained 2 rounds of private equity funding, expand to 50 people and initiated the development of a large scale factory for 100+ megawatts of annual production. Modules will be manufactured at an industry leading cost which will enable AVA Solar's modules to produce power that is cost-competitive with traditional energy resources. With low manufacturing costs and the ability to scale manufacturing, AVA Solar has been contacted by some of the largest customers in the PV industry to negotiate long-term supply contracts. The current market for PV has continued to grow at 40%+ per year for nearly a decade and is projected to reach $40-$60 Billion by 2012. Currently, a crystalline silicon raw material supply shortage is limiting growth and raising costs. Our process does not use silicon, eliminating these limitations.
High-throughput optical screening of cellular mechanotransduction
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Compton, Jonathan L.; Luo, Justin C.; Ma, Huan; Botvinick, Elliot; Venugopalan, Vasan
We introduce an optical platform for rapid, high-throughput screening of exogenous molecules that affect cellular mechanotransduction. Our method initiates mechanotransduction in adherent cells using single laser-microbeam generated microcavitation bubbles without requiring flow chambers or microfluidics. These microcavitation bubbles expose adherent cells to a microtsunami, a transient microscale burst of hydrodynamic shear stress, which stimulates cells over areas approaching 1 mm2. We demonstrate microtsunami-initiated mechanosignalling in primary human endothelial cells. This observed signalling is consistent with G-protein-coupled receptor stimulation, resulting in Ca2+ release by the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, we demonstrate the dose-dependent modulation of microtsunami-induced Ca2+ signalling by introducing a known inhibitor to this pathway. The imaging of Ca2+ signalling and its modulation by exogenous molecules demonstrates the capacity to initiate and assess cellular mechanosignalling in real time. We utilize this capability to screen the effects of a set of small molecules on cellular mechanotransduction in 96-well plates using standard imaging cytometry.
High-throughput screening of phosphodiesterase activity in living cells.
Rich, Thomas C; Karpen, Jeffrey W
Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) hydrolyze the second messengers cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) and play a crucial role in the termination and spatial segregation of cyclic nucleotide signals. Despite a wealth of molecular information, very little is known about how PDEs regulate cAMP and cGMP signals in living cells because conventional methods lack the necessary spatial and temporal resolution. We present here a sensitive optical method for monitoring cAMP levels and PDE activity near the membrane, using cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels as sensors. These channels are directly opened by the binding of cyclic nucleotides and allow cations to cross the membrane. The olfactory channel A subunit (CNGA2) has been genetically modified to improve its cAMP sensitivity and specificity. Channel activity is assessed by measuring Ca2+ influx using standard fluorometric techniques. In addition to studying PDEs in their native setting, the approach should be particularly useful in high-throughput screening assays to test for compounds that affect PDE activity, as well as the activities of the many G protein-coupled receptors that cause changes in intracellular cAMP. PMID:15988054
High Throughput Interrogation of Behavioral Transitions in C. elegans
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Mochi; Shaevitz, Joshua; Leifer, Andrew
We present a high-throughput method to probe transformations from neural activity to behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans to better understand how organisms change behavioral states. We optogenetically deliver white-noise stimuli to target sensory or inter neurons while simultaneously recording the movement of a population of worms. Using all the postural movement data collected, we computationally classify stereotyped behaviors in C. elegans by clustering based on the spectral properties of the instantaneous posture. (Berman et al., 2014) Transitions between these behavioral clusters indicate discrete behavioral changes. To study the neural correlates dictating these transitions, we perform model-driven experiments and employ Linear-Nonlinear-Poisson cascades that take the white-noise stimulus as the input. The parameters of these models are fitted by reverse-correlation from our measurements. The parameterized models of behavioral transitions predict the worm's response to novel stimuli and reveal the internal computations the animal makes before carrying out behavioral decisions. Preliminary results are shown that describe the neural-behavioral transformation between neural activity in mechanosensory neurons and reversal behavior.
Salmonella Serotype Determination Utilizing High-Throughput Genome Sequencing Data
Zhang, Shaokang; Yin, Yanlong; Jones, Marcus B.; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Deatherage Kaiser, Brooke L.; Dinsmore, Blake A.; Fitzgerald, Collette; Fields, Patricia I.
Serotyping forms the basis of national and international surveillance networks for Salmonella, one of the most prevalent foodborne pathogens worldwide (1–3). Public health microbiology is currently being transformed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS), which opens the door to serotype determination using WGS data. SeqSero (www.denglab.info/SeqSero) is a novel Web-based tool for determining Salmonella serotypes using high-throughput genome sequencing data. SeqSero is based on curated databases of Salmonella serotype determinants (rfb gene cluster, fliC and fljB alleles) and is predicted to determine serotype rapidly and accurately for nearly the full spectrum of Salmonella serotypes (more than 2,300 serotypes), from both raw sequencing reads and genome assemblies. The performance of SeqSero was evaluated by testing (i) raw reads from genomes of 308 Salmonella isolates of known serotype; (ii) raw reads from genomes of 3,306 Salmonella isolates sequenced and made publicly available by GenomeTrakr, a U.S. national monitoring network operated by the Food and Drug Administration; and (iii) 354 other publicly available draft or complete Salmonella genomes. We also demonstrated Salmonella serotype determination from raw sequencing reads of fecal metagenomes from mice orally infected with this pathogen. SeqSero can help to maintain the well-established utility of Salmonella serotyping when integrated into a platform of WGS-based pathogen subtyping and characterization. PMID:25762776
Automated Filtration-Based High-Throughput Plasmid Preparation System
Itoh, Masayoshi; Kitsunai, Tokuji; Akiyama, Junichi; Shibata, Kazuhiro; Izawa, Masaki; Kawai, Jun; Tomaru, Yasuhiro; Carninci, Piero; Shibata, Yuko; Ozawa, Yasuhiro; Muramatsu, Masami; Okazaki, Yasushi; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide
Current methods of plasmid preparation do not allow for large capacity automated processing. We have developed an automated high-throughput system that prepares plasmid DNA for large-scale sequencing. This system is based on our previously reported filtration method. In this method, cell harvesting, alkaline lysis, and plasmid purification occur in a single 96-well microtiter plate from which sequence-ready DNA samples are collected. The plates are designed to allow all reagents to be injected from above the wells and the spent reagents to be aspirated from below. This design has enabled us to build a linear process plasmid preparation system consisting of an automated filter plate stacker and a 21-stage automated plasmid preparator. The 96-well plates used are outfitted with glass-filters that trap Escherichia coli before the plates are stacked in the automated stacker. The plates move from the stacker to each of the 21 stages of the preparator. At specific stages, various reagents or chemicals are injected into the wells from above. Finally, the plates are collected in the second stacker. The optimal throughput of the preparator is 40,000 samples in 17.5 hr. Here, we describe a pilot experiment preparing 15,360 templates in 160 specially designed 96-well glass-filter plates. The prepared plasmids were subjected to restriction digestion, DNA sequencing, and transcriptional sequencing. PMID:10330126
High throughput determination of glucan and xylan fractions in lignocelluloses.
Selig, Michael J; Tucker, Melvin P; Law, Cody; Doeppke, Crissa; Himmel, Michael E; Decker, Stephen R
The analysis of structural glucan and xylan in lignocellulose was scaled down from original two-stage sulfuric acid hydrolysis methods (Moore WE and Johnson DB 1967 Procedures for the chemical analysis of wood and wood products. U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture., Madison, WI) and integrated into a recently-developed, high throughput pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification system. Novel 96×1.8 ml-well Hastelloy reactor plates (128×86×51 mm) based on previously described 96-well pretreatment reactor plates were paired with custom aluminum filler plates (128×86×18 mm) for use in Symyx Powdernium solids dispensing systems. The incorporation of glucose oxidase and xylose dehydrogenase linked assays to speed post-hydrolysis sugar analysis dramatically reduced the time for analysis of large lignocellulosic sample sets. The current system permits the determination of the glucan and xylan content of 96 replicates (per reactor plate) in under 6 h and parallel plate processing increases the analysis throughput substantially. PMID:21287235
High-Throughput, Data-Rich Cellular RNA Device Engineering
Townshend, Brent; Kennedy, Andrew B.; Xiang, Joy S.; Smolke, Christina D.
Methods for rapidly assessing sequence-structure-function landscapes and developing conditional gene-regulatory devices are critical to our ability to manipulate and interface with biology. We describe a framework for engineering RNA devices from preexisting aptamers that exhibit ligand-responsive ribozyme tertiary interactions. Our methodology utilizes cell sorting, high-throughput sequencing, and statistical data analyses to enable parallel measurements of the activities of hundreds of thousands of sequences from RNA device libraries in the absence and presence of ligands. Our tertiary interaction RNA devices exhibit improved performance in terms of gene silencing, activation ratio, and ligand sensitivity as compared to optimized RNA devices that rely on secondary structure changes. We apply our method to building biosensors for diverse ligands and determine consensus sequences that enable ligand-responsive tertiary interactions. These methods advance our ability to develop broadly applicable genetic tools and to elucidate understanding of the underlying sequence-structure-function relationships that empower rational design of complex biomolecules. PMID:26258292
High-throughput analysis of protein-DNA binding affinity.
Franco-Zorrilla, José M; Solano, Roberto
Sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions mediate most regulatory processes underlying gene expression, such as transcriptional regulation by transcription factors (TFs) or chromatin organization. Current knowledge about DNA-binding specificities of TFs is based mostly on low- to medium-throughput methodologies that are time-consuming and often fail to identify DNA motifs recognized by a TF with lower affinity but retaining biological relevance. The use of protein-binding microarrays (PBMs) offers a high-throughput alternative for the identification of protein-DNA specificities. PBM consists in an array of pseudorandomized DNA sequences that are optimized to include all the possible 10- or 11-mer DNA sequences, allowing the determination of binding specificities of most eukaryotic TFs. PBMs that can be synthesized by several manufacturing companies as single-stranded DNA are converted into double-stranded in a simple primer extension reaction. The protein of interest fused to an epitope tag is then incubated onto the PBM, and specific DNA-protein complexes are revealed in a series of immunological reactions coupled to a fluorophore. After scanning and quantifying PBMs, specific DNA motifs recognized by the protein are identified with ready-to-use scripts, generating comprehensive but accessible information about the DNA-binding specificity of the protein. This chapter describes detailed procedures for preparation of double-stranded PBMs, incubation with recombinant protein, and detection of protein-DNA complexes. Finally, we outline some cues for evaluating the biological role of DNA motifs obtained in vitro. PMID:24057393
High throughput cherry-picking of solvated samples.
Schmitt, Robert; Traphagen, Linda; Hajduk, Phillip
Advances in the design of automated compound storage systems have made it possible to store large collections of research compounds in individual single-use aliquots dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and rapidly retrieve a specific group off them. This 'cherry-picking' approach offers researchers the opportunity to request large numbers of compounds desired for testing without having to also retrieve all the other compounds stored on the same rack or plate. This makes it possible to meet the increasing demand for samples from High Throughput Screening and Therapeutic Area teams without adding staff to dispense from powder each time, without the constraints imposed by storing in solvated compounds in fixed-well 96- or 384-way plates, and without sacrificing sample quality or shelf life by storing at room temperature. We describe how this approach has been implemented at Abbott Laboratories' central compound repository to provide smaller amounts of more compounds faster and with high quality. In doing so, we have been able to better support the innovation of our Drug Discovery colleagues. PMID:20426754
Probabilistic Assessment of High-Throughput Wireless Sensor Networks
Kim, Robin E.; Mechitov, Kirill; Sim, Sung-Han; Spencer, Billie F.; Song, Junho
Structural health monitoring (SHM) using wireless smart sensors (WSS) has the potential to provide rich information on the state of a structure. However, because of their distributed nature, maintaining highly robust and reliable networks can be challenging. Assessing WSS network communication quality before and after finalizing a deployment is critical to achieve a successful WSS network for SHM purposes. Early studies on WSS network reliability mostly used temporal signal indicators, composed of a smaller number of packets, to assess the network reliability. However, because the WSS networks for SHM purpose often require high data throughput, i.e., a larger number of packets are delivered within the communication, such an approach is not sufficient. Instead, in this study, a model that can assess, probabilistically, the long-term performance of the network is proposed. The proposed model is based on readily-available measured data sets that represent communication quality during high-throughput data transfer. Then, an empirical limit-state function is determined, which is further used to estimate the probability of network communication failure. Monte Carlo simulation is adopted in this paper and applied to a small and a full-bridge wireless networks. By performing the proposed analysis in complex sensor networks, an optimized sensor topology can be achieved. PMID:27258270
High-throughput optical screening of cellular mechanotransduction.
Compton, Jonathan L; Luo, Justin C; Ma, Huan; Botvinick, Elliot; Venugopalan, Vasan
We introduce an optical platform for rapid, high-throughput screening of exogenous molecules that affect cellular mechanotransduction. Our method initiates mechanotransduction in adherent cells using single laser-microbeam generated micro-cavitation bubbles (μCBs) without requiring flow chambers or microfluidics. These μCBs expose adherent cells to a microTsunami, a transient microscale burst of hydrodynamic shear stress, which stimulates cells over areas approaching 1mm(2). We demonstrate microTsunami-initiated mechanosignalling in primary human endothelial cells. This observed signalling is consistent with G-protein-coupled receptor stimulation resulting in Ca(2+) release by the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, we demonstrate the dose-dependent modulation of microTsunami-induced Ca(2+) signalling by introducing a known inhibitor to this pathway. The imaging of Ca(2+) signalling, and its modulation by exogenous molecules, demonstrates the capacity to initiate and assess cellular mechanosignalling in real-time. We utilize this capability to screen the effects of a set of small molecules on cellular mechanotransduction in 96-well plates using standard imaging cytometry. PMID:25309621
Probabilistic Assessment of High-Throughput Wireless Sensor Networks.
Kim, Robin E; Mechitov, Kirill; Sim, Sung-Han; Spencer, Billie F; Song, Junho
Structural health monitoring (SHM) using wireless smart sensors (WSS) has the potential to provide rich information on the state of a structure. However, because of their distributed nature, maintaining highly robust and reliable networks can be challenging. Assessing WSS network communication quality before and after finalizing a deployment is critical to achieve a successful WSS network for SHM purposes. Early studies on WSS network reliability mostly used temporal signal indicators, composed of a smaller number of packets, to assess the network reliability. However, because the WSS networks for SHM purpose often require high data throughput, i.e., a larger number of packets are delivered within the communication, such an approach is not sufficient. Instead, in this study, a model that can assess, probabilistically, the long-term performance of the network is proposed. The proposed model is based on readily-available measured data sets that represent communication quality during high-throughput data transfer. Then, an empirical limit-state function is determined, which is further used to estimate the probability of network communication failure. Monte Carlo simulation is adopted in this paper and applied to a small and a full-bridge wireless networks. By performing the proposed analysis in complex sensor networks, an optimized sensor topology can be achieved. PMID:27258270
A High-Throughput Yeast Halo Assay for Bioactive Compounds.
Bray, Walter; Lokey, R Scott
When a disk of filter paper is impregnated with a cytotoxic or cytostatic drug and added to solid medium seeded with yeast, a visible clear zone forms around the disk whose size depends on the concentration and potency of the drug. This is the traditional "halo" assay and provides a convenient, if low-throughput, read-out of biological activity that has been the mainstay of antifungal and antibiotic testing for decades. Here, we describe a protocol for a high-throughput version of the halo assay, which uses an array of 384 pins to deliver ∼200 nL of stock solutions from compound plates onto single-well plates seeded with yeast. Using a plate reader in the absorbance mode, the resulting halos can be quantified and the data archived in the form of flat files that can be connected to compound databases with standard software. This assay has the convenience associated with the visual readout of the traditional halo assay but uses far less material and can be automated to screen thousands of compounds per day. PMID:27587777
Validation of high throughput sequencing and microbial forensics applications.
Budowle, Bruce; Connell, Nancy D; Bielecka-Oder, Anna; Colwell, Rita R; Corbett, Cindi R; Fletcher, Jacqueline; Forsman, Mats; Kadavy, Dana R; Markotic, Alemka; Morse, Stephen A; Murch, Randall S; Sajantila, Antti; Schmedes, Sarah E; Ternus, Krista L; Turner, Stephen D; Minot, Samuel
High throughput sequencing (HTS) generates large amounts of high quality sequence data for microbial genomics. The value of HTS for microbial forensics is the speed at which evidence can be collected and the power to characterize microbial-related evidence to solve biocrimes and bioterrorist events. As HTS technologies continue to improve, they provide increasingly powerful sets of tools to support the entire field of microbial forensics. Accurate, credible results allow analysis and interpretation, significantly influencing the course and/or focus of an investigation, and can impact the response of the government to an attack having individual, political, economic or military consequences. Interpretation of the results of microbial forensic analyses relies on understanding the performance and limitations of HTS methods, including analytical processes, assays and data interpretation. The utility of HTS must be defined carefully within established operating conditions and tolerances. Validation is essential in the development and implementation of microbial forensics methods used for formulating investigative leads attribution. HTS strategies vary, requiring guiding principles for HTS system validation. Three initial aspects of HTS, irrespective of chemistry, instrumentation or software are: 1) sample preparation, 2) sequencing, and 3) data analysis. Criteria that should be considered for HTS validation for microbial forensics are presented here. Validation should be defined in terms of specific application and the criteria described here comprise a foundation for investigators to establish, validate and implement HTS as a tool in microbial forensics, enhancing public safety and national security. PMID:25101166
Viscoelasticity as a Biomarker for High-Throughput Flow Cytometry
Sawetzki, Tobias; Eggleton, Charles D.; Desai, Sanjay A.; Marr, David W.M.
The mechanical properties of living cells are a label-free biophysical marker of cell viability and health; however, their use has been greatly limited by low measurement throughput. Although examining individual cells at high rates is now commonplace with fluorescence activated cell sorters, development of comparable techniques that nondestructively probe cell mechanics remains challenging. A fundamental hurdle is the signal response time. Where light scattering and fluorescence signatures are virtually instantaneous, the cell stress relaxation, typically occurring on the order of seconds, limits the potential speed of elastic property measurement. To overcome this intrinsic barrier to rapid analysis, we show here that cell viscoelastic properties measured at frequencies far higher than those associated with cell relaxation can be used as a means of identifying significant differences in cell phenotype. In these studies, we explore changes in erythrocyte mechanical properties caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum and find that the elastic response alone fails to detect malaria at high frequencies. At timescales associated with rapid assays, however, we observe that the inelastic response shows significant changes and can be used as a reliable indicator of infection, establishing the dynamic viscoelasticity as a basis for nondestructive mechanical analogs of current high-throughput cell classification methods. PMID:24268140
Robust, high-throughput solution for blood group genotyping.
Le Goff, Gaelle C; Brès, Jean-Charles; Rigal, Dominique; Blum, Loïc J; Marquette, Christophe A
With the concomitant increase of blood transfusions and safety rules, there is a growing need to integrate high-throughput and multiparametric assays within blood qualification centers. Using a robust and automated solution, we describe a new method for extended blood group genotyping (HiFi-Blood 96) bringing together the throughput possibilities of complete automation and the microarray multiplexed analysis potential. Our approach provides a useful resource for upgrading blood qualification center facilities. A set of six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with clinically important blood group antigens (Kell, Kidd, Duffy, and MNS systems) were selected and the corresponding genotyping assays developed. A panel of 293 blood samples was used to validate the approach. The resulting genotypes were compared to phenotypes previously determined by standard serologic techniques, and excellent correlations were found for five SNPs out of six. For the Kell, Kidd, Duffy, and MNS3/MNS4 systems, high matching percentages of 100%, 98.9%, 97.7%, and 97.4% were obtained, respectively, whereas a concordance percentage of 83.3% only was attained for the MNS1/MNS2 polymorphism. PMID:20560530
High-throughput single-microparticle imaging flow analyzer
Goda, Keisuke; Ayazi, Ali; Gossett, Daniel R.; Sadasivam, Jagannath; Lonappan, Cejo K.; Sollier, Elodie; Fard, Ali M.; Hur, Soojung Claire; Adam, Jost; Murray, Coleman; Wang, Chao; Brackbill, Nora; Di Carlo, Dino; Jalali, Bahram
Optical microscopy is one of the most widely used diagnostic methods in scientific, industrial, and biomedical applications. However, while useful for detailed examination of a small number (< 10,000) of microscopic entities, conventional optical microscopy is incapable of statistically relevant screening of large populations (> 100,000,000) with high precision due to its low throughput and limited digital memory size. We present an automated flow-through single-particle optical microscope that overcomes this limitation by performing sensitive blur-free image acquisition and nonstop real-time image-recording and classification of microparticles during high-speed flow. This is made possible by integrating ultrafast optical imaging technology, self-focusing microfluidic technology, optoelectronic communication technology, and information technology. To show the system's utility, we demonstrate high-throughput image-based screening of budding yeast and rare breast cancer cells in blood with an unprecedented throughput of 100,000 particles/s and a record false positive rate of one in a million. PMID:22753513
High-throughput optical screening of cellular mechanotransduction
Compton, Jonathan L.; Luo, Justin C.; Ma, Huan; Botvinick, Elliot; Venugopalan, Vasan
We introduce an optical platform for rapid, high-throughput screening of exogenous molecules that affect cellular mechanotransduction. Our method initiates mechanotransduction in adherent cells using single laser-microbeam generated micro-cavitation bubbles (μCBs) without requiring flow chambers or microfluidics. These μCBs expose adherent cells to a microTsunami, a transient microscale burst of hydrodynamic shear stress, which stimulates cells over areas approaching 1mm2. We demonstrate microTsunami-initiated mechanosignalling in primary human endothelial cells. This observed signalling is consistent with G-protein-coupled receptor stimulation resulting in Ca2+ release by the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, we demonstrate the dose-dependent modulation of microTsunami-induced Ca2+ signalling by introducing a known inhibitor to this pathway. The imaging of Ca2+ signalling, and its modulation by exogenous molecules, demonstrates the capacity to initiate and assess cellular mechanosignalling in real-time. We utilize this capability to screen the effects of a set of small molecules on cellular mechanotransduction in 96-well plates using standard imaging cytometry. PMID:25309621
High-throughput automated refolding screening of inclusion bodies
Vincentelli, Renaud; Canaan, Stéphane; Campanacci, Valérie; Valencia, Christel; Maurin, Damien; Frassinetti, Frédéric; Scappucini-Calvo, Loréna; Bourne, Yves; Cambillau, Christian; Bignon, Christophe
One of the main stumbling blocks encountered when attempting to express foreign proteins in Escherichia coli is the occurrence of amorphous aggregates of misfolded proteins, called inclusion bodies (IB). Developing efficient protein native structure recovery procedures based on IB refolding is therefore an important challenge. Unfortunately, there is no "universal" refolding buffer: Experience shows that refolding buffer composition varies from one protein to another. In addition, the methods developed so far for finding a suitable refolding buffer suffer from a number of weaknesses. These include the small number of refolding formulations, which often leads to negative results, solubility assays incompatible with high-throughput, and experiment formatting not suitable for automation. To overcome these problems, it was proposed in the present study to address some of these limitations. This resulted in the first completely automated IB refolding screening procedure to be developed using a 96-well format. The 96 refolding buffers were obtained using a fractional factorial approach. The screening procedure is potentially applicable to any nonmembrane protein, and was validated with 24 proteins in the framework of two Structural Genomics projects. The tests used for this purpose included the use of quality control methods such as circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, and crystallogenesis. Out of the 24 proteins, 17 remained soluble in at least one of the 96 refolding buffers, 15 passed large-scale purification tests, and five gave crystals. PMID:15388864
A High-Throughput Screen for Antibiotic Drug Discovery
Scanlon, Thomas C.; Dostal, Sarah M.; Griswold, Karl E.
We describe an ultra-high-throughput screening platform enabling discovery and/or engineering of natural product antibiotics. The methodology involves creation of hydrogel-in-oil emulsions in which recombinant microorganisms are co-emulsified with bacterial pathogens; antibiotic activity is assayed by use of a fluorescent viability dye. We have successfully utilized both bulk emulsification and microfluidic technology for the generation of hydrogel microdroplets that are size-compatible with conventional flow cytometry. Hydrogel droplets are ~25 pL in volume, and can be synthesized and sorted at rates exceeding 3,000 drops/s. Using this technique, we have achieved screening throughputs exceeding 5 million clones/day. Proof-of-concept experiments demonstrate efficient selection of antibiotic-secreting yeast from a vast excess of negative controls. In addition, we have successfully used this technique to screen a metagenomic library for secreted antibiotics that kill the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Our results establish the practical utility of the screening platform, and we anticipate that the accessible nature of our methods will enable others seeking to identify and engineer the next generation of antibacterial biomolecules. PMID:23955804
Dimensioning storage and computing clusters for efficient high throughput computing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Accion, E.; Bria, A.; Bernabeu, G.; Caubet, M.; Delfino, M.; Espinal, X.; Merino, G.; Lopez, F.; Martinez, F.; Planas, E.
Scientific experiments are producing huge amounts of data, and the size of their datasets and total volume of data continues increasing. These data are then processed by researchers belonging to large scientific collaborations, with the Large Hadron Collider being a good example. The focal point of scientific data centers has shifted from efficiently coping with PetaByte scale storage to deliver quality data processing throughput. The dimensioning of the internal components in High Throughput Computing (HTC) data centers is of crucial importance to cope with all the activities demanded by the experiments, both the online (data acceptance) and the offline (data processing, simulation and user analysis). This requires a precise setup involving disk and tape storage services, a computing cluster and the internal networking to prevent bottlenecks, overloads and undesired slowness that lead to losses cpu cycles and batch jobs failures. In this paper we point out relevant features for running a successful data storage and processing service in an intensive HTC environment.
A Fully Automated High-Throughput Training System for Rodents
Poddar, Rajesh; Kawai, Risa; Ölveczky, Bence P.
Addressing the neural mechanisms underlying complex learned behaviors requires training animals in well-controlled tasks, an often time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can severely limit the feasibility of such studies. To overcome this constraint, we developed a fully computer-controlled general purpose system for high-throughput training of rodents. By standardizing and automating the implementation of predefined training protocols within the animal's home-cage our system dramatically reduces the efforts involved in animal training while also removing human errors and biases from the process. We deployed this system to train rats in a variety of sensorimotor tasks, achieving learning rates comparable to existing, but more laborious, methods. By incrementally and systematically increasing the difficulty of the task over weeks of training, rats were able to master motor tasks that, in complexity and structure, resemble ones used in primate studies of motor sequence learning. By enabling fully automated training of rodents in a home-cage setting this low-cost and modular system increases the utility of rodents for studying the neural underpinnings of a variety of complex behaviors. PMID:24349451
Adaptation to high throughput batch chromatography enhances multivariate screening.
Barker, Gregory A; Calzada, Joseph; Herzer, Sibylle; Rieble, Siegfried
High throughput process development offers unique approaches to explore complex process design spaces with relatively low material consumption. Batch chromatography is one technique that can be used to screen chromatographic conditions in a 96-well plate. Typical batch chromatography workflows examine variations in buffer conditions or comparison of multiple resins in a given process, as opposed to the assessment of protein loading conditions in combination with other factors. A modification to the batch chromatography paradigm is described here where experimental planning, programming, and a staggered loading approach increase the multivariate space that can be explored with a liquid handling system. The iterative batch chromatography (IBC) approach is described, which treats every well in a 96-well plate as an individual experiment, wherein protein loading conditions can be varied alongside other factors such as wash and elution buffer conditions. As all of these factors are explored in the same experiment, the interactions between them are characterized and the number of follow-up confirmatory experiments is reduced. This in turn improves statistical power and throughput. Two examples of the IBC method are shown and the impact of the load conditions are assessed in combination with the other factors explored. PMID:25914370
Compound Management for Quantitative High-Throughput Screening
Yasgar, Adam; Shinn, Paul; Jadhav, Ajit; Auld, Douglas; Michael, Sam; Zheng, Wei; Austin, Christopher P.; Inglese, James; Simeonov, Anton
An efficient and versatile Compound Management operation is essential for the success of all downstream processes in high-throughput screening (HTS) and small molecule lead development. Staff, equipment, and processes need to be not only reliable, but remain flexible and prepared to incorporate paradigm changes. In the present report, we describe a system and associated processes which enable handling of compounds for both screening and follow-up purposes at the NIH Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC), a recently-established HTS and probe development center within the Molecular Libraries Initiative of the NIH Roadmap. Our screening process, termed quantitative HTS (qHTS), involves assaying the complete compound library, currently containing >200,000 members, at a series of dilutions to construct a full concentration-response profile. As such, Compound Management at the NCGC has been uniquely tasked to prepare, store, register, and track a vertically-developed plate dilution series (i.e., inter-plate titrations) in the 384-well format. These are compressed into a series of 1,536-well plates and are registered to track all subsequent plate storage. Here, we present details on the selection of equipment to enable automated, reliable and parallel compound manipulation in 384- and 1,536-well formats, protocols for preparation of inter-plate dilution series for qHTS, as well as qHTS-specific processes and issues. PMID:18496600
High-Throughput RNA Interference Screening: Tricks of the Trade
Nebane, N. Miranda; Coric, Tatjana; Whig, Kanupriya; McKellip, Sara; Woods, LaKeisha; Sosa, Melinda; Sheppard, Russell; Rasmussen, Lynn; Bjornsti, Mary-Ann; White, E. Lucile
The process of validating an assay for high-throughput screening (HTS) involves identifying sources of variability and developing procedures that minimize the variability at each step in the protocol. The goal is to produce a robust and reproducible assay with good metrics. In all good cell-based assays, this means coefficient of variation (CV) values of less than 10% and a signal window of fivefold or greater. HTS assays are usually evaluated using Z′ factor, which incorporates both standard deviation and signal window. A Z′ factor value of 0.5 or higher is acceptable for HTS. We used a standard HTS validation procedure in developing small interfering RNA (siRNA) screening technology at the HTS center at Southern Research. Initially, our assay performance was similar to published screens, with CV values greater than 10% and Z′ factor values of 0.51 ± 0.16 (average ± standard deviation). After optimizing the siRNA assay, we got CV values averaging 7.2% and a robust Z′ factor value of 0.78 ± 0.06 (average ± standard deviation). We present an overview of the problems encountered in developing this whole-genome siRNA screening program at Southern Research and how equipment optimization led to improved data quality. PMID:23616418
High Throughput Multispectral Image Processing with Applications in Food Science
Tsakanikas, Panagiotis; Pavlidis, Dimitris; Nychas, George-John
Recently, machine vision is gaining attention in food science as well as in food industry concerning food quality assessment and monitoring. Into the framework of implementation of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) in the food industry, image processing can be used not only in estimation and even prediction of food quality but also in detection of adulteration. Towards these applications on food science, we present here a novel methodology for automated image analysis of several kinds of food products e.g. meat, vanilla crème and table olives, so as to increase objectivity, data reproducibility, low cost information extraction and faster quality assessment, without human intervention. Image processing's outcome will be propagated to the downstream analysis. The developed multispectral image processing method is based on unsupervised machine learning approach (Gaussian Mixture Models) and a novel unsupervised scheme of spectral band selection for segmentation process optimization. Through the evaluation we prove its efficiency and robustness against the currently available semi-manual software, showing that the developed method is a high throughput approach appropriate for massive data extraction from food samples. PMID:26466349
Microfluidic system for high throughput characterisation of echogenic particles.
Rademeyer, Paul; Carugo, Dario; Lee, Jeong Yu; Stride, Eleanor
Echogenic particles, such as microbubbles and volatile liquid micro/nano droplets, have shown considerable potential in a variety of clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The accurate prediction of their response to ultrasound excitation is however extremely challenging, and this has hindered the optimisation of techniques such as quantitative ultrasound imaging and targeted drug delivery. Existing characterisation techniques, such as ultra-high speed microscopy provide important insights, but suffer from a number of limitations; most significantly difficulty in obtaining large data sets suitable for statistical analysis and the need to physically constrain the particles, thereby altering their dynamics. Here a microfluidic system is presented that overcomes these challenges to enable the measurement of single echogenic particle response to ultrasound excitation. A co-axial flow focusing device is used to direct a continuous stream of unconstrained particles through the combined focal region of an ultrasound transducer and a laser. Both the optical and acoustic scatter from individual particles are then simultaneously recorded. Calibration of the device and example results for different types of echogenic particle are presented, demonstrating a high throughput of up to 20 particles per second and the ability to resolve changes in particle radius down to 0.1 μm with an uncertainty of less than 3%. PMID:25367757
A microfluidic, high throughput protein crystal growth method for microgravity.
Carruthers, Carl W; Gerdts, Cory; Johnson, Michael D; Webb, Paul
The attenuation of sedimentation and convection in microgravity can sometimes decrease irregularities formed during macromolecular crystal growth. Current terrestrial protein crystal growth (PCG) capabilities are very different than those used during the Shuttle era and that are currently on the International Space Station (ISS). The focus of this experiment was to demonstrate the use of a commercial off-the-shelf, high throughput, PCG method in microgravity. Using Protein BioSolutions' microfluidic Plug Maker™/CrystalCard™ system, we tested the ability to grow crystals of the regulator of glucose metabolism and adipogenesis: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (apo-hPPAR-γ LBD), as well as several PCG standards. Overall, we sent 25 CrystalCards™ to the ISS, containing ~10,000 individual microgravity PCG experiments in a 3U NanoRacks NanoLab (1U = 10(3) cm.). After 70 days on the ISS, our samples were returned with 16 of 25 (64%) microgravity cards having crystals, compared to 12 of 25 (48%) of the ground controls. Encouragingly, there were more apo-hPPAR-γ LBD crystals in the microgravity PCG cards than the 1g controls. These positive results hope to introduce the use of the PCG standard of low sample volume and large experimental density to the microgravity environment and provide new opportunities for macromolecular samples that may crystallize poorly in standard laboratories. PMID:24278480
High-Throughput Preparation of New Photoactive Nanocomposites.
Conterosito, Eleonora; Benesperi, Iacopo; Toson, Valentina; Saccone, Davide; Barbero, Nadia; Palin, Luca; Barolo, Claudia; Gianotti, Valentina; Milanesio, Marco
New low-cost photoactive hybrid materials based on organic luminescent molecules inserted into hydrotalcite (layered double hydroxides; LDH) were produced, which exploit the high-throughput liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) method. These materials are conceived for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as a co-absorbers and in silicon photovoltaic (PV) panels to improve their efficiency as they are able to emit where PV modules show the maximum efficiency. A molecule that shows a large Stokes' shift was designed, synthesized, and intercalated into LDH. Two dyes already used in DSSCs were also intercalated to produce two new nanocomposites. LDH intercalation allows the stability of organic dyes to be improved and their direct use in polymer melt blending. The prepared nanocomposites absorb sunlight from UV to visible and emit from blue to near-IR and thus can be exploited for light-energy management. Finally one nanocomposite was dispersed by melt blending into a poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(n-butyl acrylate) copolymer to obtain a photoactive film. PMID:27137753
Towards Prebiotic Catalytic Amyloids Using High Throughput Screening
Friedmann, Michael P.; Torbeev, Vladimir; Zelenay, Viviane; Sobol, Alexander; Greenwald, Jason; Riek, Roland
Enzymes are capable of directing complex stereospecific transformations and of accelerating reaction rates many orders of magnitude. As even the simplest known enzymes comprise thousands of atoms, the question arises as to how such exquisite catalysts evolved. A logical predecessor would be shorter peptides, but they lack the defined structure and size that are apparently necessary for enzyme functions. However, some very short peptides are able to assemble into amyloids, thereby forming a well-defined tertiary structure called the cross-β-sheet, which bestows unique properties upon the peptides. We have hypothesized that amyloids could have been the catalytically active precursor to modern enzymes. To test this hypothesis, we designed an amyloid peptide library that could be screened for catalytic activity. Our approach, amenable to high-throughput methodologies, allowed us to find several peptides and peptide mixtures that form amyloids with esterase activity. These results indicate that amyloids, with their stability in a wide range of conditions and their potential as catalysts with low sequence specificity, would indeed be fitting precursors to modern enzymes. Furthermore, our approach can be efficiently expanded upon in library size, screening conditions, and target activity to yield novel amyloid catalysts with potential applications in aqueous-organic mixtures, at high temperature and in other extreme conditions that could be advantageous for industrial applications. PMID:26650386
High throughput illumination systems for solar simulators and photoresist exposure
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Feldman, Arkady
High throughput illumination systems are critical component in photolithography, solar simulators, UV curing, microscopy, and spectral analysis. A good refractive condenser system has F/# .60, or N.A .80, but it captures only 10 to 15% of energy emitted by an incandescent or gas-discharge lamp, as these sources emit light in all directions. Systems with ellipsoidal or parabolic reflectors are much more efficient, they capture up to 80% of total energy emitted by lamps. However, these reflectors have large aberrations when working with real sources of finite dimensions, resulting in poor light concentrating capability. These aberrations also increase beam divergence, collimation, and affect edge definition in flood exposure systems. The problem is aggravated by the geometry of high power Arc lamps where, for thermal considerations, the anode has a larger diameter than the cathode and absorbs and obscures part of the energy. This results in an asymmetrical energy distribution emitted by the lamp and makes efficiency of Lamp - reflector configuration dependent on orientation of lamp in the reflector. This paper presents the analysis of different configurations of Lamp - Reflector systems of different power levels and their energy distribution in the image plane. Configuration, which results in significant improvement of brightness, is derived.
Achieving High Throughput for Data Transfer over ATM Networks
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Johnson, Marjory J.; Townsend, Jeffrey N.
File-transfer rates for ftp are often reported to be relatively slow, compared to the raw bandwidth available in emerging gigabit networks. While a major bottleneck is disk I/O, protocol issues impact performance as well. Ftp was developed and optimized for use over the TCP/IP protocol stack of the Internet. However, TCP has been shown to run inefficiently over ATM. In an effort to maximize network throughput, data-transfer protocols can be developed to run over UDP or directly over IP, rather than over TCP. If error-free transmission is required, techniques for achieving reliable transmission can be included as part of the transfer protocol. However, selected image-processing applications can tolerate a low level of errors in images that are transmitted over a network. In this paper we report on experimental work to develop a high-throughput protocol for unreliable data transfer over ATM networks. We attempt to maximize throughput by keeping the communications pipe full, but still keep packet loss under five percent. We use the Bay Area Gigabit Network Testbed as our experimental platform.
High-throughput analysis and protein engineering using microcapillary arrays.
Chen, Bob; Lim, Sungwon; Kannan, Arvind; Alford, Spencer C; Sunden, Fanny; Herschlag, Daniel; Dimov, Ivan K; Baer, Thomas M; Cochran, Jennifer R
We describe a multipurpose technology platform, termed μSCALE (microcapillary single-cell analysis and laser extraction), that enables massively parallel, quantitative biochemical and biophysical measurements on millions of protein variants expressed from yeast or bacteria. μSCALE spatially segregates single cells within a microcapillary array, enabling repeated imaging, cell growth and protein expression. We performed high-throughput analysis of cells and their protein products using a range of fluorescent assays, including binding-affinity measurements and dynamic enzymatic assays. A precise laser-based extraction method allows rapid recovery of live clones and their genetic material from microcapillaries for further study. With μSCALE, we discovered a new antibody against a clinical cancer target, evolved a fluorescent protein biosensor and engineered an enzyme to reduce its sensitivity to its inhibitor. These protein analysis and engineering applications each have unique assay requirements and different host organisms, highlighting the flexibility and technical capabilities of the μSCALE platform. PMID:26641932
New Lung Cancer Panel for High-Throughput Targeted Resequencing
Kim, Eun-Hye; Lee, Sunghoon; Park, Jongsun; Lee, Kyusang; Bhak, Jong
We present a new next-generation sequencing-based method to identify somatic mutations of lung cancer. It is a comprehensive mutation profiling protocol to detect somatic mutations in 30 genes found frequently in lung adenocarcinoma. The total length of the target regions is 107 kb, and a capture assay was designed to cover 99% of it. This method exhibited about 97% mean coverage at 30× sequencing depth and 42% average specificity when sequencing of more than 3.25 Gb was carried out for the normal sample. We discovered 513 variations from targeted exome sequencing of lung cancer cells, which is 3.9-fold higher than in the normal sample. The variations in cancer cells included previously reported somatic mutations in the COSMIC database, such as variations in TP53, KRAS, and STK11 of sample H-23 and in EGFR of sample H-1650, especially with more than 1,000× coverage. Among the somatic mutations, up to 91% of single nucleotide polymorphisms from the two cancer samples were validated by DNA microarray-based genotyping. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of high-throughput mutation profiling with lung adenocarcinoma samples, and the profiling method can be used as a robust and effective protocol for somatic variant screening. PMID:25031567
High-throughput charge exchange recombination spectroscopy system on MAST
Conway, N. J.; Carolan, P. G.; McCone, J.; Walsh, M. J.; Wisse, M.
A major upgrade to the charge exchange recombination spectroscopy system on MAST has recently been implemented. The new system consists of a high-throughput spectrometer coupled to a total of 224 spatial channels, including toroidal and poloidal views of both neutral heating beams on MAST. Radial resolution is {approx}1 cm, comparable to the ion Larmor radius. The toroidal views are configured with 64 channels per beam, while the poloidal views have 32 channels per beam. Background channels for both poloidal and toroidal views are also provided. A large transmission grating is at the heart of the new spectrometer, with high quality single lens reflex lenses providing excellent imaging performance and permitting the full exploitation of the available etendue of the camera sensor. The charge-coupled device camera chosen has four-tap readout at a maximum aggregate speed of 8.8 MHz, and it is capable of reading out the full set of 224 channels in less than 4 ms. The system normally operates at 529 nm, viewing the C{sup 5+} emission line, but can operate at any wavelength in the range of 400-700 nm. Results from operating the system on MAST are shown, including impurity ion temperature and velocity profiles. The system's excellent spatial resolution is ideal for the study of transport barrier phenomena on MAST, an activity which has already been advanced significantly by data from the new diagnostic.
High throughput LSPR and SERS analysis of aminoglycoside antibiotics.
McKeating, Kristy S; Couture, Maxime; Dinel, Marie-Pier; Garneau-Tsodikova, Sylvie; Masson, Jean-Francois
Aminoglycoside antibiotics are used in the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, and are often dispensed only in severe cases due to their adverse side effects. Patients undergoing treatment with these antibiotics are therefore commonly subjected to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to ensure a safe and effective personalised dosage. The ability to detect these antibiotics in a rapid and sensitive manner in human fluids is therefore of the utmost importance in order to provide effective monitoring of these drugs, which could potentially allow for a more widespread use of this class of antibiotics. Herein, we report on the detection of various aminoglycosides, by exploiting their ability to aggregate gold nanoparticles. The number and position of the amino groups of aminoglycoside antibiotics controlled the aggregation process. We investigated the complementary techniques of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) for dual detection of these aminoglycoside antibiotics and performed an in-depth study of the feasibility of carrying out TDM of tobramycin using a platform amenable to high throughput analysis. Herein, we also demonstrate dual detection of tobramycin using both LSPR and SERS in a single platform and within the clinically relevant concentration range needed for TDM of this particular aminoglycoside. Additionally we provide evidence that tobramycin can be detected in spiked human serum using only functionalised nanoparticles and SERS analysis. PMID:27412506
Assessment of heavy metal pollution in Xuzhou urban topsoils by magnetic susceptibility measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Xue Song
The concentrations of four selected heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Ni and Cr) were measured on 167 topsoil samples collected from the city of Xuzhou, China via inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). It was found that Pb and Zn were principally derived from anthropogenic inputs whereas Cr and Ni distributions were mainly controlled by parent materials. The spatial distribution patterns of Pb, and Zn were similar to that from low field magnetic susceptibility (χlf), suggesting interaction among them. Two threshold values for magnetic susceptibility and frequency-dependent susceptibility percentage (χfd) were applied to discriminate between polluted and unpolluted samples according to their magnetic susceptibility, resulting in 109 samples populating the "polluted" subset. The Pb and Zn concentrations of the "polluted" subset were statistically significantly higher than those measured in the "unpolluted" one. The heavy metal concentrations were also investigated varying the magnetic susceptibility thresholds to change the "polluted" subset.
Characterization of Metalloproteins by High-throughput X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
W Shi; M Punta; J Bohon; J Sauder; R DMello; M Sullivan; J Toomey; D Abel; M Lippi; et al.
High-throughput X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to measure transition metal content based on quantitative detection of X-ray fluorescence signals for 3879 purified proteins from several hundred different protein families generated by the New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics. Approximately 9% of the proteins analyzed showed the presence of transition metal atoms (Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, or Mn) in stoichiometric amounts. The method is highly automated and highly reliable based on comparison of the results to crystal structure data derived from the same protein set. To leverage the experimental metalloprotein annotations, we used a sequence-based de novo prediction method, MetalDetector, to identify Cys and His residues that bind to transition metals for the redundancy reduced subset of 2411 sequences sharing <70% sequence identity and having at least one His or Cys. As the HT-XAS identifies metal type and protein binding, while the bioinformatics analysis identifies metal-binding residues, the results were combined to identify putative metal-binding sites in the proteins and their associated families. We explored the combination of this data with homology models to generate detailed structure models of metal-binding sites for representative proteins. Finally, we used extended X-ray absorption fine structure data from two of the purified Zn metalloproteins to validate predicted metalloprotein binding site structures. This combination of experimental and bioinformatics approaches provides comprehensive active site analysis on the genome scale for metalloproteins as a class, revealing new insights into metalloprotein structure and function.
Characterization of metalloproteins by high-throughput X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Shi, Wuxian; Punta, Marco; Bohon, Jen; Sauder, J. Michael; D'Mello, Rhijuta; Sullivan, Mike; Toomey, John; Abel, Don; Lippi, Marco; Passerini, Andrea; Frasconi, Paolo; Burley, Stephen K.; Rost, Burkhard; Chance, Mark R.
High-throughput X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to measure transition metal content based on quantitative detection of X-ray fluorescence signals for 3879 purified proteins from several hundred different protein families generated by the New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics. Approximately 9% of the proteins analyzed showed the presence of transition metal atoms (Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, or Mn) in stoichiometric amounts. The method is highly automated and highly reliable based on comparison of the results to crystal structure data derived from the same protein set. To leverage the experimental metalloprotein annotations, we used a sequence-based de novo prediction method, MetalDetector, to identify Cys and His residues that bind to transition metals for the redundancy reduced subset of 2411 sequences sharing <70% sequence identity and having at least one His or Cys. As the HT-XAS identifies metal type and protein binding, while the bioinformatics analysis identifies metal- binding residues, the results were combined to identify putative metal-binding sites in the proteins and their associated families. We explored the combination of this data with homology models to generate detailed structure models of metal-binding sites for representative proteins. Finally, we used extended X-ray absorption fine structure data from two of the purified Zn metalloproteins to validate predicted metalloprotein binding site structures. This combination of experimental and bioinformatics approaches provides comprehensive active site analysis on the genome scale for metalloproteins as a class, revealing new insights into metalloprotein structure and function. PMID:21482623
Searching for resistance genes to Bursaphelenchus xylophilus using high throughput screening
Background Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the pinewood nematode (PWN; Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), damages and kills pine trees and is causing serious economic damage worldwide. Although the ecological mechanism of infestation is well described, the plant's molecular response to the pathogen is not well known. This is due mainly to the lack of genomic information and the complexity of the disease. High throughput sequencing is now an efficient approach for detecting the expression of genes in non-model organisms, thus providing valuable information in spite of the lack of the genome sequence. In an attempt to unravel genes potentially involved in the pine defense against the pathogen, we hereby report the high throughput comparative sequence analysis of infested and non-infested stems of Pinus pinaster (very susceptible to PWN) and Pinus pinea (less susceptible to PWN). Results Four cDNA libraries from infested and non-infested stems of P. pinaster and P. pinea were sequenced in a full 454 GS FLX run, producing a total of 2,083,698 reads. The putative amino acid sequences encoded by the assembled transcripts were annotated according to Gene Ontology, to assign Pinus contigs into Biological Processes, Cellular Components and Molecular Functions categories. Most of the annotated transcripts corresponded to Picea genes-25.4-39.7%, whereas a smaller percentage, matched Pinus genes, 1.8-12.8%, probably a consequence of more public genomic information available for Picea than for Pinus. The comparative transcriptome analysis showed that when P. pinaster was infested with PWN, the genes malate dehydrogenase, ABA, water deficit stress related genes and PAR1 were highly expressed, while in PWN-infested P. pinea, the highly expressed genes were ricin B-related lectin, and genes belonging to the SNARE and high mobility group families. Quantitative PCR experiments confirmed the differential gene expression between the two pine species. Conclusions Defense-related genes
High throughput preparation of fly genomic DNA in 96-well format using a paint-shaker.
Lang, Michael; Nagy, Olga; Lang, Claus; Orgogozo, Virginie
Sample homogenization is an essential step for genomic DNA extraction, with multiple downstream applications in Molecular Biology. Genotyping hundreds or thousands of samples requires an automation of this homogenization step, and high throughput homogenizer equipment currently costs 7000 euros or more. We present an apparatus for homogenization of individual Drosophila adult flies in 96-well micro-titer dishes, which was built from a small portable paint-shaker (F5 portable paint-shaker, Ushake). Single flies are disrupted in each well that contains extraction buffer and a 4-mm metal ball. Our apparatus can hold up to five 96-well micro-titer plates. Construction of the homogenizer apparatus takes about 3-4 days, and all equipment can be obtained from a home improvement store. The total material cost is approximately 700 euros including the paint-shaker. We tested the performance of our apparatus using the ZR-96 Quick-gDNA™ kit (Zymo Research) homogenization buffer and achieved nearly complete tissue homogenization after 15 minutes of shaking. PCR tests did not detect any cross contamination between samples of neighboring wells. We obtained on average 138 ng of genomic DNA per fly, and DNA quality was adequate for standard PCR applications. In principle, our tissue homogenizer can be used for isolation of DNA suitable for library production and high throughput genotyping by Multiplexed Shotgun Genotyping (MSG), as well as RNA isolation from single flies. The sample adapter can also hold and shake other items, such as centrifuge tubes (15-50 mL) or small bottles. PMID:26818699
High throughput preparation of fly genomic DNA in 96-well format using a paint-shaker
Lang, Michael; Nagy, Olga; Lang, Claus; Orgogozo, Virginie
Sample homogenization is an essential step for genomic DNA extraction, with multiple downstream applications in Molecular Biology. Genotyping hundreds or thousands of samples requires an automation of this homogenization step, and high throughput homogenizer equipment currently costs 7000 euros or more. We present an apparatus for homogenization of individual Drosophila adult flies in 96-well micro-titer dishes, which was built from a small portable paint-shaker (F5 portable paint-shaker, Ushake). Single flies are disrupted in each well that contains extraction buffer and a 4-mm metal ball. Our apparatus can hold up to five 96-well micro-titer plates. Construction of the homogenizer apparatus takes about 3–4 days, and all equipment can be obtained from a home improvement store. The total material cost is approximately 700 euros including the paint-shaker. We tested the performance of our apparatus using the ZR-96 Quick-gDNA™ kit (Zymo Research) homogenization buffer and achieved nearly complete tissue homogenization after 15 minutes of shaking. PCR tests did not detect any cross contamination between samples of neighboring wells. We obtained on average 138 ng of genomic DNA per fly, and DNA quality was adequate for standard PCR applications. In principle, our tissue homogenizer can be used for isolation of DNA suitable for library production and high throughput genotyping by Multiplexed Shotgun Genotyping (MSG), as well as RNA isolation from single flies. The sample adapter can also hold and shake other items, such as centrifuge tubes (15–50 mL) or small bottles. PMID:26818699
High throughput kinetic Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition assay for study of toxic effects of nanoparticles.
Mortimer, M; Kasemets, K; Heinlaan, M; Kurvet, I; Kahru, A
Despite of the growing production and use of nanoparticles (NPs) in various applications, current regulations, including EC new chemical policy REACH, fail to address the environmental, health, and safety risks posed by NPs. This paper shows that kinetic Vibrio fischeri luminescence inhibition test--Flash Assay--that up to now was mainly used for toxicity analysis of solid and colored environmental samples (e.g. sediments, soil suspensions), is a powerful tool for screening the toxic properties of NPs. To demonstrate that Flash Assay (initially designed for a tube luminometer) can also be adapted to a microplate format for high throughput toxicity screening of NPs, altogether 11 chemicals were comparatively analyzed. The studied chemicals included bulk and nanosized CuO and ZnO, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyamidoamine dendrimer generations 2 and 5 (PAMAM G2 and G5). The results showed that EC50 values of 30-min Flash Assay in tube and microplate formats were practically similar and correlated very well (log-logR2=0.98), classifying all analyzed chemicals, except nano CuO (that was more toxic in cuvette format), analogously when compared to the risk phrases of the EC Directive 93/67/EEC for ranking toxicity of chemicals for aquatic organisms. The 30-min EC50 values of nanoscale organic cationic polymers (PEI and dendrimers) ranged from 215 to 775 mg/l. Thirty-minute EC50 values of metal oxides varied largely, ranging from approximately 4 mg/l (bulk and nano ZnO) to approximately 100 mg/l (nano CuO) and approximately 4000 mg/l (bulk CuO). Thus, considering an excellent correlation between both formats, 96-well microplate Flash Assay can be successfully used for high throughput evaluation of harmful properties of chemicals (including organic and inorganic NPs) to bacteria. PMID:18400463
Pump-free gradient-based micro-device enables quantitative and high-throughput bacterial growth inhibition analysis.
Ran, Min; Wang, Ying; Wang, Sida; Luo, Chunxiong
Antibiotic susceptibility testing is very important in antibiotic therapy. Traditional methods to determine antibiotic susceptibility include disk diffusion and broth dilution. However, these tests are always labor intensive, time-consuming, and need large amounts of reagents. In this paper, we demonstrated a novel pump-free micro-device that enables quantitative and high-throughput bacterial growth inhibition analysis. This device consists of a series of wells and diffusion-based antibiotic gradient channels. The wells serve as antibiotic sources and buffer sinks, and we could easily observe the bacterial growth in the gradient channels .The design of the multi-wells is adapted to the commercialized multi-channel pipette, which makes it very convenient for loading reagents into the wells. For each assay, only about 20 μL antibiotic solution is needed. As a demonstration, we used both fluorescence images and dark-field images to quantify the bacterial growth inhibition effect under different antibiotics. The quantitative data of bacterial growth inhibition under different antibiotics can be obtained within 3 to 4 h. Considering the simple operation process and the high-throughput and quantitative result this device can offer, it has great potential to be widely used in clinics and may be useful for the study of the kinetics of bacterial growth. PMID:26044203
Correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metals in urban topsoil: a case study from the city of Xuzhou, China
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Xue Song; Qin, Yong
Anthropogenic influence, mainly due to urban and industrial activities and traffic exhaust, may affect urban topsoil via atmospheric contamination and solid waste. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted on 21 urban topsoil samples from the city of Xuzhou, China. High intensities of magnetic susceptibility were detected in the majority of the samples. SEM analysis shows that magnetic minerals are in the form of spherules and mainly due to anthropogenic inputs. The heavy metals Pb, Cu, Zn, Se, Sc, Mo, Fe, and Bi show strong correlations with magnetic susceptibility, and Ag, Ba, Cd, Ni, Cr, Sb, and Sn, on the other hand, show a weak correlation with magnetic susceptibility. Whereas, of these metals studied, only Hg has no significant correlation with the susceptibility. The Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI) also shows significant correlation with the susceptibility (χ). The present study shows that magnetic susceptibility is a fast, inexpensive, and non-destructive method for the detection and mapping of contaminated soils.
High Throughput Screening for Drugs that Modulate Intermediate Filament Proteins
Sun, Jingyuan; Groppi, Vincent E.; Gui, Honglian; Chen, Lu; Xie, Qing; Liu, Li
Intermediate filament (IF) proteins have unique and complex cell and tissue distribution. Importantly, IF gene mutations cause or predispose to more than 80 human tissue-specific diseases (IF-pathies), with the most severe disease phenotypes being due to mutations at conserved residues that result in a disrupted IF network. A critical need for the entire IF-pathy field is the identification of drugs that can ameliorate or cure these diseases, particularly since all current therapies target the IF-pathy complication, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, rather than the mutant IF protein or gene. We describe a high throughput approach to identify drugs that can normalize disrupted IF proteins. This approach utilizes transduction of lentivirus that expresses green-fluorescent-protein-tagged keratin 18 (K18) R90C in A549 cells. The readout is drug 'hits' that convert the dot-like keratin filament distribution, due to the R90C mutation, to a wildtype-like filamentous array. A similar strategy can be used to screen thousands of compounds and can be utilized for practically any IF protein with a filament-disrupting mutation, and could therefore potentially target many IF-pathies. 'Hits' of interest require validation in cell culture then using in vivo experimental models. Approaches to study the mechanism of mutant-IF normalization by potential drugs of interest are also described. The ultimate goal of this drug screening approach is to identify effective and safe compounds that can potentially be tested for clinical efficacy in patients. PMID:26795471
Virtual High-Throughput Screening To Identify Novel Activin Antagonists.
Zhu, Jie; Mishra, Rama K; Schiltz, Gary E; Makanji, Yogeshwar; Scheidt, Karl A; Mazar, Andrew P; Woodruff, Teresa K
Activin belongs to the TGFβ superfamily, which is associated with several disease conditions, including cancer-related cachexia, preterm labor with delivery, and osteoporosis. Targeting activin and its related signaling pathways holds promise as a therapeutic approach to these diseases. A small-molecule ligand-binding groove was identified in the interface between the two activin βA subunits and was used for a virtual high-throughput in silico screening of the ZINC database to identify hits. Thirty-nine compounds without significant toxicity were tested in two well-established activin assays: FSHβ transcription and HepG2 cell apoptosis. This screening workflow resulted in two lead compounds: NUCC-474 and NUCC-555. These potential activin antagonists were then shown to inhibit activin A-mediated cell proliferation in ex vivo ovary cultures. In vivo testing showed that our most potent compound (NUCC-555) caused a dose-dependent decrease in FSH levels in ovariectomized mice. The Blitz competition binding assay confirmed target binding of NUCC-555 to the activin A:ActRII that disrupts the activin A:ActRII complex's binding with ALK4-ECD-Fc in a dose-dependent manner. The NUCC-555 also specifically binds to activin A compared with other TGFβ superfamily member myostatin (GDF8). These data demonstrate a new in silico-based strategy for identifying small-molecule activin antagonists. Our approach is the first to identify a first-in-class small-molecule antagonist of activin binding to ALK4, which opens a completely new approach to inhibiting the activity of TGFβ receptor superfamily members. in addition, the lead compound can serve as a starting point for lead optimization toward the goal of a compound that may be effective in activin-mediated diseases. PMID:26098096
Hypoxia-sensitive reporter system for high-throughput screening.
Tsujita, Tadayuki; Kawaguchi, Shin-ichi; Dan, Takashi; Baird, Liam; Miyata, Toshio; Yamamoto, Masayuki
The induction of anti-hypoxic stress enzymes and proteins has the potential to be a potent therapeutic strategy to prevent the progression of ischemic heart, kidney or brain diseases. To realize this idea, small chemical compounds, which mimic hypoxic conditions by activating the PHD-HIF-α system, have been developed. However, to date, none of these compounds were identified by monitoring the transcriptional activation of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). Thus, to facilitate the discovery of potent inducers of HIF-α, we have developed an effective high-throughput screening (HTS) system to directly monitor the output of HIF-α transcription. We generated a HIF-α-dependent reporter system that responds to hypoxic stimuli in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. This system was developed through multiple optimization steps, resulting in the generation of a construct that consists of the secretion-type luciferase gene (Metridia luciferase, MLuc) under the transcriptional regulation of an enhancer containing 7 copies of 40-bp hypoxia responsive element (HRE) upstream of a mini-TATA promoter. This construct was stably integrated into the human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-BE(2)c, to generate a reporter system, named SKN:HRE-MLuc. To improve this system and to increase its suitability for the HTS platform, we incorporated the next generation luciferase, Nano luciferase (NLuc), whose longer half-life provides us with flexibility for the use of this reporter. We thus generated a stably transformed clone with NLuc, named SKN:HRE-NLuc, and found that it showed significantly improved reporter activity compared to SKN:HRE-MLuc. In this study, we have successfully developed the SKN:HRE-NLuc screening system as an efficient platform for future HTS. PMID:25746387
High-throughput screening of solid-state catalyst libraries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Senkan, Selim M.
Combinatorial synthesis methods allow the rapid preparation and processing of large libraries of solid-state materials. The use of these methods, together with the appropriate screening techniques, has recently led to the discovery of materials with promising superconducting, magnetoresistive, luminescent and dielectric properties. Solid-state catalysts, which play an increasingly important role in the chemical and oil industries, represent another class of material amenable to combinatorial synthesis. Yet typically, catalyst discovery still involves inefficient trial-and-error processes, because catalytic activity is inherently difficult to screen. In contrast to superconductivity, magnetoresistivity and dielectric properties, which can be tested by contact probes, or luminescence, which can be observed directly, the assessment of catalytic activity requires the unambiguous detection of a specific product molecule above a small catalyst site on a large library. Screening by in situ infrared thermography and microprobe sampling mass spectrometry, have been suggested, but the first method, while probing activity, provides no information on reaction products, whereas the second is difficult to implement because it requires the transport of minute gas samples from each library site to the detection system. Here I describe the use of laser-induced resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization for sensitive, selective and high-throughput screening of a library of solid-state catalysts that activate the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to benzene. I show that benzene, the product molecule, can be selectively photoionized in the vicinity of the catalytic sites, and that the detection of the resultant photoions by an array of microelectrodes provides information on the activity of individual sites. Adaptation of this technique for the screening of other catalytic reactions and larger libraries with smaller site size seems feasible, thus opening up the possibility of exploiting
High-throughput neuroimaging-genetics computational infrastructure
Dinov, Ivo D.; Petrosyan, Petros; Liu, Zhizhong; Eggert, Paul; Hobel, Sam; Vespa, Paul; Woo Moon, Seok; Van Horn, John D.; Franco, Joseph; Toga, Arthur W.
Many contemporary neuroscientific investigations face significant challenges in terms of data management, computational processing, data mining, and results interpretation. These four pillars define the core infrastructure necessary to plan, organize, orchestrate, validate, and disseminate novel scientific methods, computational resources, and translational healthcare findings. Data management includes protocols for data acquisition, archival, query, transfer, retrieval, and aggregation. Computational processing involves the necessary software, hardware, and networking infrastructure required to handle large amounts of heterogeneous neuroimaging, genetics, clinical, and phenotypic data and meta-data. Data mining refers to the process of automatically extracting data features, characteristics and associations, which are not readily visible by human exploration of the raw dataset. Result interpretation includes scientific visualization, community validation of findings and reproducible findings. In this manuscript we describe the novel high-throughput neuroimaging-genetics computational infrastructure available at the Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics (INI) and the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI) at University of Southern California (USC). INI and LONI include ultra-high-field and standard-field MRI brain scanners along with an imaging-genetics database for storing the complete provenance of the raw and derived data and meta-data. In addition, the institute provides a large number of software tools for image and shape analysis, mathematical modeling, genomic sequence processing, and scientific visualization. A unique feature of this architecture is the Pipeline environment, which integrates the data management, processing, transfer, and visualization. Through its client-server architecture, the Pipeline environment provides a graphical user interface for designing, executing, monitoring validating, and disseminating of complex protocols that utilize
High-throughput process development: II. Membrane chromatography.
Rathore, Anurag S; Muthukumar, Sampath
Membrane chromatography is gradually emerging as an alternative to conventional column chromatography. It alleviates some of the major disadvantages associated with the latter including high pressure drop across the column bed and dependence on intra-particle diffusion for the transport of solute molecules to their binding sites within the pores of separation media. In the last decade, it has emerged as a method of choice for final polishing of biopharmaceuticals, in particular monoclonal antibody products. The relevance of such a platform is high in view of the constraints with respect to time and resources that the biopharma industry faces today. This protocol describes the steps involved in performing HTPD of a membrane chromatography step. It describes operation of a commercially available device (AcroPrep™ Advance filter plate with Mustang S membrane from Pall Corporation). This device is available in 96-well format with 7 μL membrane in each well. We discuss the challenges that one faces when performing such experiments as well as possible solutions to alleviate them. Besides describing the operation of the device, the protocol also presents an approach for statistical analysis of the data that is gathered from such a platform. A case study involving use of the protocol for examining ion exchange chromatography of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF), a therapeutic product, is briefly discussed. This is intended to demonstrate the usefulness of this protocol in generating data that is representative of the data obtained at the traditional lab scale. The agreement in the data is indeed very significant (regression coefficient 0.99). We think that this protocol will be of significant value to those involved in performing high-throughput process development of membrane chromatography. PMID:24648065
High-throughput neuroimaging-genetics computational infrastructure.
Dinov, Ivo D; Petrosyan, Petros; Liu, Zhizhong; Eggert, Paul; Hobel, Sam; Vespa, Paul; Woo Moon, Seok; Van Horn, John D; Franco, Joseph; Toga, Arthur W
Many contemporary neuroscientific investigations face significant challenges in terms of data management, computational processing, data mining, and results interpretation. These four pillars define the core infrastructure necessary to plan, organize, orchestrate, validate, and disseminate novel scientific methods, computational resources, and translational healthcare findings. Data management includes protocols for data acquisition, archival, query, transfer, retrieval, and aggregation. Computational processing involves the necessary software, hardware, and networking infrastructure required to handle large amounts of heterogeneous neuroimaging, genetics, clinical, and phenotypic data and meta-data. Data mining refers to the process of automatically extracting data features, characteristics and associations, which are not readily visible by human exploration of the raw dataset. Result interpretation includes scientific visualization, community validation of findings and reproducible findings. In this manuscript we describe the novel high-throughput neuroimaging-genetics computational infrastructure available at the Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics (INI) and the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI) at University of Southern California (USC). INI and LONI include ultra-high-field and standard-field MRI brain scanners along with an imaging-genetics database for storing the complete provenance of the raw and derived data and meta-data. In addition, the institute provides a large number of software tools for image and shape analysis, mathematical modeling, genomic sequence processing, and scientific visualization. A unique feature of this architecture is the Pipeline environment, which integrates the data management, processing, transfer, and visualization. Through its client-server architecture, the Pipeline environment provides a graphical user interface for designing, executing, monitoring validating, and disseminating of complex protocols that utilize
A Robotic Platform for Quantitative High-Throughput Screening
Michael, Sam; Auld, Douglas; Klumpp, Carleen; Jadhav, Ajit; Zheng, Wei; Thorne, Natasha; Austin, Christopher P.; Inglese, James
Abstract High-throughput screening (HTS) is increasingly being adopted in academic institutions, where the decoupling of screening and drug development has led to unique challenges, as well as novel uses of instrumentation, assay formulations, and software tools. Advances in technology have made automated unattended screening in the 1,536-well plate format broadly accessible and have further facilitated the exploration of new technologies and approaches to screening. A case in point is our recently developed quantitative HTS (qHTS) paradigm, which tests each library compound at multiple concentrations to construct concentration-response curves (CRCs) generating a comprehensive data set for each assay. The practical implementation of qHTS for cell-based and biochemical assays across libraries of > 100,000 compounds (e.g., between 700,000 and 2,000,000 sample wells tested) requires maximal efficiency and miniaturization and the ability to easily accommodate many different assay formats and screening protocols. Here, we describe the design and utilization of a fully integrated and automated screening system for qHTS at the National Institutes of Health's Chemical Genomics Center. We report system productivity, reliability, and flexibility, as well as modifications made to increase throughput, add additional capabilities, and address limitations. The combination of this system and qHTS has led to the generation of over 6 million CRCs from > 120 assays in the last 3 years and is a technology that can be widely implemented to increase efficiency of screening and lead generation. PMID:19035846
Virtual High-Throughput Screening To Identify Novel Activin Antagonists
Zhu, Jie; Mishra, Rama K.; Schiltz, Gary E.; Makanji, Yogeshwar; Scheidt, Karl A.; Mazar, Andrew P.; Woodruff, Teresa K.
Activin belongs to the TGFβ superfamily, which is associated with several disease conditions, including cancer-related cachexia, preterm labor with delivery, and osteoporosis. Targeting activin and its related signaling pathways holds promise as a therapeutic approach to these diseases. A small-molecule ligand-binding groove was identified in the interface between the two activin βA subunits and was used for a virtual high-throughput in silico screening of the ZINC database to identify hits. Thirty-nine compounds without significant toxicity were tested in two well-established activin assays: FSHβ transcription and HepG2 cell apoptosis. This screening workflow resulted in two lead compounds: NUCC-474 and NUCC-555. These potential activin antagonists were then shown to inhibit activin A-mediated cell proliferation in ex vivo ovary cultures. In vivo testing showed that our most potent compound (NUCC-555) caused a dose-dependent decrease in FSH levels in ovariectomized mice. The Blitz competition binding assay confirmed target binding of NUCC-555 to the activin A:ActRII that disrupts the activin A:ActRII complex's binding with ALK4-ECD-Fc in a dose-dependent manner. The NUCC-555 also specifically binds to activin A compared with other TGFβ superfamily member myostatin (GDF8). These data demonstrate a new in silico-based strategy for identifying small-molecule activin antagonists. Our approach is the first to identify a first-in-class small-molecule antagonist of activin binding to ALK4, which opens a completely new approach to inhibiting the activity of TGFβ receptor superfamily members. in addition, the lead compound can serve as a starting point for lead optimization toward the goal of a compound that may be effective in activin-mediated diseases. PMID:26098096
Mining Chemical Activity Status from High-Throughput Screening Assays
Soufan, Othman; Ba-alawi, Wail; Afeef, Moataz; Essack, Magbubah; Rodionov, Valentin; Kalnis, Panos; Bajic, Vladimir B.
High-throughput screening (HTS) experiments provide a valuable resource that reports biological activity of numerous chemical compounds relative to their molecular targets. Building computational models that accurately predict such activity status (active vs. inactive) in specific assays is a challenging task given the large volume of data and frequently small proportion of active compounds relative to the inactive ones. We developed a method, DRAMOTE, to predict activity status of chemical compounds in HTP activity assays. For a class of HTP assays, our method achieves considerably better results than the current state-of-the-art-solutions. We achieved this by modification of a minority oversampling technique. To demonstrate that DRAMOTE is performing better than the other methods, we performed a comprehensive comparison analysis with several other methods and evaluated them on data from 11 PubChem assays through 1,350 experiments that involved approximately 500,000 interactions between chemicals and their target proteins. As an example of potential use, we applied DRAMOTE to develop robust models for predicting FDA approved drugs that have high probability to interact with the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) in humans. Our findings are further partially and indirectly supported by 3D docking results and literature information. The results based on approximately 500,000 interactions suggest that DRAMOTE has performed the best and that it can be used for developing robust virtual screening models. The datasets and implementation of all solutions are available as a MATLAB toolbox online at www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/dramote and can be found on Figshare. PMID:26658480
Towards Chip Scale Liquid Chromatography and High Throughput Immunosensing
Ni, J.
This work describes several research projects aimed towards developing new instruments and novel methods for high throughput chemical and biological analysis. Approaches are taken in two directions. The first direction takes advantage of well-established semiconductor fabrication techniques and applies them to miniaturize instruments that are workhorses in analytical laboratories. Specifically, the first part of this work focused on the development of micropumps and microvalves for controlled fluid delivery. The mechanism of these micropumps and microvalves relies on the electrochemically-induced surface tension change at a mercury/electrolyte interface. A miniaturized flow injection analysis device was integrated and flow injection analyses were demonstrated. In the second part of this work, microfluidic chips were also designed, fabricated, and tested. Separations of two fluorescent dyes were demonstrated in microfabricated channels, based on an open-tubular liquid chromatography (OT LC) or an electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC) format. A reduction in instrument size can potentially increase analysis speed, and allow exceedingly small amounts of sample to be analyzed under diverse separation conditions. The second direction explores the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a signal transduction method for immunoassay analysis. It takes advantage of the improved detection sensitivity as a result of surface enhancement on colloidal gold, the narrow width of Raman band, and the stability of Raman scattering signals to distinguish several different species simultaneously without exploiting spatially-separated addresses on a biochip. By labeling gold nanoparticles with different Raman reporters in conjunction with different detection antibodies, a simultaneous detection of a dual-analyte immunoassay was demonstrated. Using this scheme for quantitative analysis was also studied and preliminary dose-response curves from an immunoassay of a
High-throughput DNA extraction of forensic adhesive tapes.
Forsberg, Christina; Jansson, Linda; Ansell, Ricky; Hedman, Johannes
Tape-lifting has since its introduction in the early 2000's become a well-established sampling method in forensic DNA analysis. Sampling is quick and straightforward while the following DNA extraction is more challenging due to the "stickiness", rigidity and size of the tape. We have developed, validated and implemented a simple and efficient direct lysis DNA extraction protocol for adhesive tapes that requires limited manual labour. The method uses Chelex beads and is applied with SceneSafe FAST tape. This direct lysis protocol provided higher mean DNA yields than PrepFiler Express BTA on Automate Express, although the differences were not significant when using clothes worn in a controlled fashion as reference material (p=0.13 and p=0.34 for T-shirts and button-down shirts, respectively). Through in-house validation we show that the method is fit-for-purpose for application in casework, as it provides high DNA yields and amplifiability, as well as good reproducibility and DNA extract stability. After implementation in casework, the proportion of extracts with DNA concentrations above 0.01ng/μL increased from 71% to 76%. Apart from providing higher DNA yields compared with the previous method, the introduction of the developed direct lysis protocol also reduced the amount of manual labour by half and doubled the potential throughput for tapes at the laboratory. Generally, simplified manual protocols can serve as a cost-effective alternative to sophisticated automation solutions when the aim is to enable high-throughput DNA extraction of complex crime scene samples. PMID:27448236
Scanning fluorescence detector for high-throughput DNA genotyping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rusch, Terry L.; Petsinger, Jeremy; Christensen, Carl; Vaske, David A.; Brumley, Robert L., Jr.; Luckey, John A.; Weber, James L.
A new scanning fluorescence detector (SCAFUD) was developed for high-throughput genotyping of short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs). Fluorescent dyes are incorporated into relatively short DNA fragments via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and are separated by electrophoresis in short, wide polyacrylamide gels (144 lanes with well to read distances of 14 cm). Excitation light from an argon laser with primary lines at 488 and 514 nm is introduced into the gel through a fiber optic cable, dichroic mirror, and 40X microscope objective. Emitted fluorescent light is collected confocally through a second fiber. The confocal head is translated across the bottom of the gel at 0.5 Hz. The detection unit utilizes dichroic mirrors and band pass filters to direct light with 10 - 20 nm bandwidths to four photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). PMT signals are independently amplified with variable gain and then sampled at a rate of 2500 points per scan using a computer based A/D board. LabView software (National Instruments) is used for instrument operation. Currently, three fluorescent dyes (Fam, Hex and Rox) are simultaneously detected with peak detection wavelengths of 543, 567, and 613 nm, respectively. The detection limit for fluorescein-labeled primers is about 100 attomoles. Planned SCAFUD upgrades include rearrangement of laser head geometry, use of additional excitation lasers for simultaneous detection of more dyes, and the use of detector arrays instead of individual PMTs. Extensive software has been written for automatic analysis of SCAFUD images. The software enables background subtraction, band identification, multiple- dye signal resolution, lane finding, band sizing and allele calling. Whole genome screens are currently underway to search for loci influencing such complex diseases as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Seven production SCAFUDs are currently in operation. Genotyping output for the coming year is projected to be about one million total genotypes (DNA
High-throughput microfluidic line scan imaging for cytological characterization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hutcheson, Joshua A.; Powless, Amy J.; Majid, Aneeka A.; Claycomb, Adair; Fritsch, Ingrid; Balachandran, Kartik; Muldoon, Timothy J.
Imaging cells in a microfluidic chamber with an area scan camera is difficult due to motion blur and data loss during frame readout causing discontinuity of data acquisition as cells move at relatively high speeds through the chamber. We have developed a method to continuously acquire high-resolution images of cells in motion through a microfluidics chamber using a high-speed line scan camera. The sensor acquires images in a line-by-line fashion in order to continuously image moving objects without motion blur. The optical setup comprises an epi-illuminated microscope with a 40X oil immersion, 1.4 NA objective and a 150 mm tube lens focused on a microfluidic channel. Samples containing suspended cells fluorescently stained with 0.01% (w/v) proflavine in saline are introduced into the microfluidics chamber via a syringe pump; illumination is provided by a blue LED (455 nm). Images were taken of samples at the focal plane using an ELiiXA+ 8k/4k monochrome line-scan camera at a line rate of up to 40 kHz. The system's line rate and fluid velocity are tightly controlled to reduce image distortion and are validated using fluorescent microspheres. Image acquisition was controlled via MATLAB's Image Acquisition toolbox. Data sets comprise discrete images of every detectable cell which may be subsequently mined for morphological statistics and definable features by a custom texture analysis algorithm. This high-throughput screening method, comparable to cell counting by flow cytometry, provided efficient examination including counting, classification, and differentiation of saliva, blood, and cultured human cancer cells.
Potentiometric sensor for the high throughput determination of tetramisole hydrochloride.
Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Singh, Ashok Kumar; Gupta, Barkha
The electrochemical response characteristics of poly(vinyl)chloride (PVC) based membrane sensors for determination of tetramisole hydrochloride (TmCl) is described. The membranes of these electrodes consist of tetramisole-tetraphenyl borate (Tm-TPB), chlorophenyl borate (Tm-ClPB), and phosphotungstate (Tm(3)-PT) ion associations dispersed in a PVC matrix with dibutylpthalate as a plasticizer. The electrodes were fully characterized in terms of composition, life span, usable pH range, and working concentration range and ionic strength. The electrodes showed Nernstian response over the concentration ranges of 7.4 x 10(-7) to 1.0 x 10(-2) M, 1.7 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-2) M, and 5.6 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-2) M TmCl, respectively, and were applied to the potentiometric determination of tetramisole ion in pure solutions and pharmaceutical preparations. The potentiometric determination was also used in the determination of tetramisole in pharmaceutical preparations in four batches of different expiration dates. The electrodes exhibited good selectivity for TmCl with respect to a large number of excipients such as inorganic cations, organic cations, amino acids, and sugars. The solubility product of the ion-pair and the formation constant of the precipitation reaction leading to the ion-pair formation were determined conductometrically. The new potentiometric method offers the advantages of high-throughput determination, simplicity, accuracy, automation feasibility, and applicability to turbid and colored sample solutions. PMID:17979641
A High-Throughput Method for Lipophilicity Measurement
Chen, Zhi; Weber, Stephen G.
A high-throughput method has been developed for lipophilicity measurement. It measures the partition coefficient of a solute between a polymer phase and an aqueous phase (Ppw) in a 96-well format. The polymer is plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), which is widely used as a material for clinical containers and ion-selective electrodes. The composition is 2:1 (w/w) dioctyl sebacate (DOS) and PVC. With 6 repeats, log Ppw values of 15 solutes have been determined in one 96-well microplate in 4 hours. A linear relationship between log Ppw and log Pow (octanol-water partition coefficient) values exists with a correlation coefficient of 0.979. The slope and intercept of the log Ppw vs. log Pow plot are statistically indistinguishable from 1 and 0, respectively. Similar to the HPLC method, by using the correlation line as a calibration curve, the measured log Ppw values can be used to predict log Pow. This protocol is faster than the HPLC method. Moreover, it is straightforward to extend the protocol to the determination of the distribution coefficient and pKa of charged solutes. We show that the log Ppw of the neutral form of racemic econazole is 4.83(±0.06), for the cationic form (presumably as a dihydrogen phosphate ion pair) 1.68(±0.04), and the pKa is 6.15(±0.04). This method has great flexibility as well, and is potentially fully automated. PMID:17263333
40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Eeee of... - Operating Limits-High Throughput Transfer Racks
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
... 40 Protection of Environment 13 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Operating Limits-High Throughput Transfer Racks 3 Table 3 to Subpart EEEE of Part 63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...—High Throughput Transfer Racks As stated in § 63.2346(e), you must comply with the operating limits...
40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Eeee of... - Operating Limits-High Throughput Transfer Racks
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
... 40 Protection of Environment 13 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true Operating Limits-High Throughput Transfer Racks 3 Table 3 to Subpart EEEE of Part 63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...—High Throughput Transfer Racks As stated in § 63.2346(e), you must comply with the operating limits...
Optimization of high-throughput nanomaterial developmental toxicity testing in zebrafish embryos
Nanomaterial (NM) developmental toxicities are largely unknown. With an extensive variety of NMs available, high-throughput screening methods may be of value for initial characterization of potential hazard. We optimized a zebrafish embryo test as an in vivo high-throughput assay...
High-throughput RAD-SNP genotyping for characterization of sugar beet genotypes
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
High-throughput SNP genotyping provides a rapid way of developing resourceful set of markers for delineating the genetic architecture and for effective species discrimination. In the presented research, we demonstrate a set of 192 SNPs for effective genotyping in sugar beet using high-throughput mar...
High throughput peptide mapping method for analysis of site specific monoclonal antibody oxidation.
Li, Xiaojuan; Xu, Wei; Wang, Yi; Zhao, Jia; Liu, Yan-Hui; Richardson, Daisy; Li, Huijuan; Shameem, Mohammed; Yang, Xiaoyu
Oxidation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) often occurs on surface exposed methionine and tryptophan residues during their production in cell culture, purification, and storage, and can potentially impact the binding to their targets. Characterization of site specific oxidation is critical for antibody quality control. Antibody oxidation is commonly determined by peptide mapping/LC-MS methods, which normally require a long (up to 24h) digestion step. The prolonged sample preparation procedure could result in oxidation artifacts of susceptible methionine and tryptophan residues. In this paper, we developed a rapid and simple UV based peptide mapping method that incorporates an 8-min trypsin in-solution digestion protocol for analysis of oxidation. This method is able to determine oxidation levels at specific residues of a mAb based on the peptide UV traces within <1h, from either TBHP treated or UV light stressed samples. This is the simplest and fastest method reported thus far for site specific oxidation analysis, and can be applied for routine or high throughput analysis of mAb oxidation during various stability and degradation studies. By using the UV trace, the method allows more accurate measurement than mass spectrometry and can be potentially implemented as a release assay. It has been successfully used to monitor antibody oxidation in real time stability studies. PMID:27432793
High-Throughput Single-Cell Cultivation on Microfluidic Streak Plates.
Jiang, Cheng-Ying; Dong, Libing; Zhao, Jian-Kang; Hu, Xiaofang; Shen, Chaohua; Qiao, Yuxin; Zhang, Xinyue; Wang, Yapei; Ismagilov, Rustem F; Liu, Shuang-Jiang; Du, Wenbin
This paper describes the microfluidic streak plate (MSP), a facile method for high-throughput microbial cell separation and cultivation in nanoliter sessile droplets. The MSP method builds upon the conventional streak plate technique by using microfluidic devices to generate nanoliter droplets that can be streaked manually or robotically onto petri dishes prefilled with carrier oil for cultivation of single cells. In addition, chemical gradients could be encoded in the droplet array for comprehensive dose-response analysis. The MSP method was validated by using single-cell isolation of Escherichia coli and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The robustness of the MSP work flow was demonstrated by cultivating a soil community that degrades polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Cultivation in droplets enabled detection of the richest species diversity with better coverage of rare species. Moreover, isolation and cultivation of bacterial strains by MSP led to the discovery of several species with high degradation efficiency, including four Mycobacterium isolates and a previously unknown fluoranthene-degrading Blastococcus species. PMID:26850294
Host gene targets for novel influenza therapies elucidated by high-throughput RNA interference screens
Meliopoulos, Victoria A.; Andersen, Lauren E.; Birrer, Katherine F.; Simpson, Kaylene J.; Lowenthal, John W.; Bean, Andrew G. D.; Stambas, John; Stewart, Cameron R.; Tompkins, S. Mark; van Beusechem, Victor W.; Fraser, Iain; Mhlanga, Musa; Barichievy, Samantha; Smith, Queta; Leake, Devin; Karpilow, Jon; Buck, Amy; Jona, Ghil; Tripp, Ralph A.
Influenza virus encodes only 11 viral proteins but replicates in a broad range of avian and mammalian species by exploiting host cell functions. Genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) has proven to be a powerful tool for identifying the host molecules that participate in each step of virus replication. Meta-analysis of findings from genome-wide RNAi screens has shown influenza virus to be dependent on functional nodes in host cell pathways, requiring a wide variety of molecules and cellular proteins for replication. Because rapid evolution of the influenza A viruses persistently complicates the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutics, a further understanding of the complex host cell pathways coopted by influenza virus for replication may provide new targets and strategies for antiviral therapy. RNAi genome screening technologies together with bioinformatics can provide the ability to rapidly identify specific host factors involved in resistance and susceptibility to influenza virus, allowing for novel disease intervention strategies.—Meliopoulos, V. A., Andersen, L. E., Birrer, K. F., Simpson, K. J., Lowenthal, J. W., Bean, A. G. D., Stambas, J., Stewart, C. R., Tompkins, S. M., van Beusechem, V. W., Fraser, I., Mhlanga, M., Barichievy, S., Smith, Q., Leake, D., Karpilow, J., Buck, A., Jona, G., Tripp, R. A. Host gene targets for novel influenza therapies elucidated by high-throughput RNA interference screens. PMID:22247330
High-throughput screening of mouse gene knockouts identifies established and novel skeletal phenotypes
Brommage, Robert; Liu, Jeff; Hansen, Gwenn M; Kirkpatrick, Laura L; Potter, David G; Sands, Arthur T; Zambrowicz, Brian; Powell, David R; Vogel, Peter
Screening gene function in vivo is a powerful approach to discover novel drug targets. We present high-throughput screening (HTS) data for 3 762 distinct global gene knockout (KO) mouse lines with viable adult homozygous mice generated using either gene-trap or homologous recombination technologies. Bone mass was determined from DEXA scans of male and female mice at 14 weeks of age and by microCT analyses of bones from male mice at 16 weeks of age. Wild-type (WT) cagemates/littermates were examined for each gene KO. Lethality was observed in an additional 850 KO lines. Since primary HTS are susceptible to false positive findings, additional cohorts of mice from KO lines with intriguing HTS bone data were examined. Aging, ovariectomy, histomorphometry and bone strength studies were performed and possible non-skeletal phenotypes were explored. Together, these screens identified multiple genes affecting bone mass: 23 previously reported genes (Calcr, Cebpb, Crtap, Dcstamp, Dkk1, Duoxa2, Enpp1, Fgf23, Kiss1/Kiss1r, Kl (Klotho), Lrp5, Mstn, Neo1, Npr2, Ostm1, Postn, Sfrp4, Slc30a5, Slc39a13, Sost, Sumf1, Src, Wnt10b), five novel genes extensively characterized (Cldn18, Fam20c, Lrrk1, Sgpl1, Wnt16), five novel genes with preliminary characterization (Agpat2, Rassf5, Slc10a7, Slc26a7, Slc30a10) and three novel undisclosed genes coding for potential osteoporosis drug targets. PMID:26273529
[Heavy Metals Accmultio in the Caofeidian Reclamation Soils: Indicated by Soil Magnetic Susceptibility].
Xue, Yong; Zhou, Qian; Li, Yuan; Zhang, Hai-bo; Hu, Xue-feng; Luo, Yong-ming
The environmental magnetism method has been widely applied to identify soil heavy metal pollution, which is characterized by simplicity, efficiency, non-destructivity and sensitivity. The present study used magnetic susceptibility to assess the accumulation of heavy metals in soils of the Caofeidian industrial zone which is a typical reclamation area in northern China. The study area was divided into three sub-zones based on the function, including industrial zone, living zone, natural tidal flat and wetland. A total of 35 topsoil samples (0-10 cm) and 3 soil profiles were collected from the three sub-zones. Magnetic susceptibility (X(lf)), iron oxide (Fe2O3) contents and heavy metals contents (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Mn and V) of the samples were analyzed. The results showed that X(lf) values and heavy metals contents exhibited higher spatial variability in the top soil of the industrial zone, indicating the severe impacts of industrial activities. In the soil profiles of the industrial and living zones, all heavy metals were enriched to different degrees in the upper layer (0-20 cm). However, there was no significant change of heavy metal contents in the soil profiles of tidal flat which was far from the industrial area. The X(lf) value was significantly (P < 0.01) positively correlated with the contents of Fe2O3, Ni, Cu, As and V in the industrial top soil. This indicated that X(lf) could be used as an indicator for heavy metal accumulation in the industrial zone. However, the X(lf) value was not suitable to be an indicator to show the heavy metal accumulation in the soils of living zone and natural tidal flat. This might be associated with the different sources of magnetic materials among the different sub-zones and the special characteristics of the soils in the tidal flat and wetland. PMID:27548950
High-throughput Saccharification assay for lignocellulosic materials.
Gomez, Leonardo D; Whitehead, Caragh; Roberts, Philip; McQueen-Mason, Simon J
Polysaccharides that make up plant lignocellulosic biomass can be broken down to produce a range of sugars that subsequently can be used in establishing a biorefinery. These raw materials would constitute a new industrial platform, which is both sustainable and carbon neutral, to replace the current dependency on fossil fuel. The recalcitrance to deconstruction observed in lignocellulosic materials is produced by several intrinsic properties of plant cell walls. Crystalline cellulose is embedded in matrix polysaccharides such as xylans and arabinoxylans, and the whole structure is encased by the phenolic polymer lignin, that is also difficult to digest (1). In order to improve the digestibility of plant materials we need to discover the main bottlenecks for the saccharification of cell walls and also screen mutant and breeding populations to evaluate the variability in saccharification (2). These tasks require a high throughput approach and here we present an analytical platform that can perform saccharification analysis in a 96-well plate format. This platform has been developed to allow the screening of lignocellulose digestibility of large populations from varied plant species. We have scaled down the reaction volumes for gentle pretreatment, partial enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar determination, to allow large numbers to be assessed rapidly in an automated system. This automated platform works with milligram amounts of biomass, performing ball milling under controlled conditions to reduce the plant materials to a standardised particle size in a reproducible manner. Once the samples are ground, the automated formatting robot dispenses specified and recorded amounts of material into the corresponding wells of 96 deep well plate (Figure 1). Normally, we dispense the same material into 4 wells to have 4 replicates for analysis. Once the plates are filled with the plant material in the desired layout, they are manually moved to a liquid handling station (Figure 2
High throughput modular chambers for rapid evaluation of anesthetic sensitivity
Sun, Yi; Chen, Jingqiu; Pruckmayr, Gregory; Baumgardner, James E; Eckmann, David M; Eckenhoff, Roderic G; Kelz, Max B
Background Anesthetic sensitivity is determined by the interaction of multiple genes. Hence, a dissection of genetic contributors would be aided by precise and high throughput behavioral screens. Traditionally, anesthetic phenotyping has addressed only induction of anesthesia, evaluated with dose-response curves, while ignoring potentially important data on emergence from anesthesia. Methods We designed and built a controlled environment apparatus to permit rapid phenotyping of twenty-four mice simultaneously. We used the loss of righting reflex to indicate anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. After fitting the data to a sigmoidal dose-response curve with variable slope, we calculated the MACLORR (EC50), the Hill coefficient, and the 95% confidence intervals bracketing these values. Upon termination of the anesthetic, Emergence timeRR was determined and expressed as the mean ± standard error for each inhaled anesthetic. Results In agreement with several previously published reports we find that the MACLORR of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in 8–12 week old C57BL/6J mice is 0.79% (95% confidence interval = 0.78 – 0.79%), 0.91% (95% confidence interval = 0.90 – 0.93%), and 1.96% (95% confidence interval = 1.94 – 1.97%), respectively. Hill coefficients for halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane are 24.7 (95% confidence interval = 19.8 – 29.7%), 19.2 (95% confidence interval = 14.0 – 24.3%), and 33.1 (95% confidence interval = 27.3 – 38.8%), respectively. After roughly 2.5 MACLORR • hr exposures, mice take 16.00 ± 1.07, 6.19 ± 0.32, and 2.15 ± 0.12 minutes to emerge from halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane, respectively. Conclusion This system enabled assessment of inhaled anesthetic responsiveness with a higher precision than that previously reported. It is broadly adaptable for delivering an inhaled therapeutic (or toxin) to a population while monitoring its vital signs, motor reflexes, and providing precise control over environmental
High-throughput determination of Hubbard U for cubic perovskites using the ACBN0 functional
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liyanage, Laalitha; Supka, Andrew; Gopal, Priya; Agapito, Luis; Hart, Gus; Fornari, Marco; Curtarolo, Stefano; Nardelli, Marco Buongiorno
High-throughput (HT) density functional theory (DFT) computations are the method of choice for rapid screening of materials properties and materials development. However, traditional DFT is not adequate for the investigation of all systems. For materials containing transition metal elements, methods such as DFT +U or hybrid functionals are needed for an accurate prediction of the electronic structure. As an efficient and accurate alternative we have recently introduced the ACBN0 functional for DFT as a new pseudo-hybrid Hubbard density functional that is a parameter-free extension of traditional DFT +U that has been proved to correct both the band gap and the relative position of the different bands in transition metal compounds. We implemented ACBN0 in a Medium-Throughput Framework (MTFrame) designed to automate DFT calculations for systems that share a single reference crystal structure. Using the MTFrame, we have determined the effective U values for 3969 cubic perovskites (ABO3) built by permutating 63 different elements in the A and B sites. Analysis of resulting data reveals the effects of Hubbard U on the electronic properties and crystal structure. Finally, machine learning algorithms are used to find correlations in the extracted data and the U values.
High-throughput synthesis and screening of hydrogen-storage alloys.
Guerin, Samuel; Hayden, Brian E; Smith, Duncan C A
Libraries of mixed-metal hydride materials are synthesized on a silicon microfabricated array of "hot-plate" MEMS devices, which allow high-throughput screening using temperature programmed desorption and infrared thermography. The heating plate of the MEMS device is a membrane with low heat capacity, allowing fast and localized temperature control and the extraction of calorimetric data from thermography. The combination of the synthetic method and screening chip allows a fast determination of the desorption temperature and hydrogen content of the materials. Mixed metal hydrides are synthesized directly. The potential of the method is exemplified by presenting results for the sorption properties of Mg xNi 1- x hydride thin-film materials. The results are consistent with the literature, showing the highest hydrogen capacity and desorption temperature for the MgH 2 phase in Mg-rich compositions and the promotion of a lower temperature desorption from the Mg 2NiH 4 phase, with a concomitant reduction in hydrogen capacity. PMID:18072753
High Throughput Screening for the Discovery of More Efficient Catalysts for Emissions Control
Yaccato, Karin; Hagemeyer, Alfred; Volpe, Anthony; Weinberg, Henry
High-throughput synthesis and screening methods have been developed for the discovery of highly active catalysts for the control of emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Low temperature CO oxidation, CO methanation, NOx abatement and the destruction of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) will be discussed. The discovery libraries for primary screening consisted of both 11x11 and 16x16 catalyst arrays on 3 inch and 4 inch quartz wafers, respectively. Catalysts were prepared by robotic liquid dispensing techniques and screened for catalytic activity in Symyx's Scanning Mass Spectrometer. The screening protocols encompassed mixed metal oxides, perovskites and supported base and noble metals. Active hits were further optimized in focus libraries using shallower compositional gradients. The ScanMS is a fast serial screening tool that uses flat wafer catalyst surfaces, local laser heating, a scanning/sniffing nozzle and a quadrupolar mass spectrometer to compare relative catalytic activities. The temperature range from 200C to 600C is accessible. Typically, 256 catalysts can be screened per day and about 100,000 experiments conducted annually.
Development of a high-throughput purification method and a continuous assay system for chlorophyllase.
Arkus, Kiani A J; Jez, Joseph M
In the degradation of chlorophyll, chlorophyllase catalyzes the initial hydrolysis of the phytol moiety from the pigment. Since chlorophyll degradation is a defining feature of plant senescence, compounds inhibiting chlorophyllase activity may delay senescence, thereby improving shelf life and appearance of plant products. Here we describe the development of a 96-well plate-based purification and assay system for measuring chlorophyllase activity. Integrated lysis and immobilized metal affinity chromatography plates were used for purifying recombinant hexahistidine-tagged Triticum aestivum (wheat) chlorophyllase from Escherichia coli. Chlorophyllase assays using chlorophyll as a substrate showed that the immobilized fusion protein displayed kinetic parameters similar to those of recombinant enzyme purified by affinity chromatography; however, the need to extract reaction products from a multiwell plate limits the value of this assay for high-throughput screening applications. Replacing chlorophyll with p-nitrophenyl-ester substrates eliminates the extraction step and allows for continuous measurement of chlorophyllase activity in a multiwell plate format. Determination of steady state kinetic constants, pH rate profile, the inhibitory effects of metal ions and esterase inhibitors, and the effect of functional group-modifying reagents validated the utility of the plate-based system. The combined purification and assay system provides a convenient and rapid method for the assessment of chlorophyllase activity. PMID:16643837
High-throughput detection method for influenza virus.
Kumar, Pawan; Bartoszek, Allison E; Moran, Thomas M; Gorski, Jack; Bhattacharyya, Sanjib; Navidad, Jose F; Thakar, Monica S; Malarkannan, Subramaniam
Influenza virus is a respiratory pathogen that causes a high degree of morbidity and mortality every year in multiple parts of the world. Therefore, precise diagnosis of the infecting strain and rapid high-throughput screening of vast numbers of clinical samples is paramount to control the spread of pandemic infections. Current clinical diagnoses of influenza infections are based on serologic testing, polymerase chain reaction, direct specimen immunofluorescence and cell culture (1,2). Here, we report the development of a novel diagnostic technique used to detect live influenza viruses. We used the mouse-adapted human A/PR/8/34 (PR8, H1N1) virus (3) to test the efficacy of this technique using MDCK cells (4). MDCK cells (10(4) or 5 x 10(3) per well) were cultured in 96- or 384-well plates, infected with PR8 and viral proteins were detected using anti-M2 followed by an IR dye-conjugated secondary antibody. M2 (5) and hemagglutinin (1) are two major marker proteins used in many different diagnostic assays. Employing IR-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies minimized the autofluorescence associated with other fluorescent dyes. The use of anti-M2 antibody allowed us to use the antigen-specific fluorescence intensity as a direct metric of viral quantity. To enumerate the fluorescence intensity, we used the LI-COR Odyssey-based IR scanner. This system uses two channel laser-based IR detections to identify fluorophores and differentiate them from background noise. The first channel excites at 680 nm and emits at 700 nm to help quantify the background. The second channel detects fluorophores that excite at 780 nm and emit at 800 nm. Scanning of PR8-infected MDCK cells in the IR scanner indicated a viral titer-dependent bright fluorescence. A positive correlation of fluorescence intensity to virus titer starting from 10(2)-10(5) PFU could be consistently observed. Minimal but detectable positivity consistently seen with 10(2)-10(3) PFU PR8 viral titers demonstrated the high
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Kumar, Pawan; Bartoszek, Allison E.; Moran, Thomas M.; Gorski, Jack; Bhattacharyya, Sanjib; Navidad, Jose F.; Thakar, Monica S.; Malarkannan, Subramaniam
Influenza virus is a respiratory pathogen that causes a high degree of morbidity and mortality every year in multiple parts of the world. Therefore, precise diagnosis of the infecting strain and rapid high-throughput screening of vast numbers of clinical samples is paramount to control the spread of pandemic infections. Current clinical diagnoses of influenza infections are based on serologic testing, polymerase chain reaction, direct specimen immunofluorescence and cell culture 1,2. Here, we report the development of a novel diagnostic technique used to detect live influenza viruses. We used the mouse-adapted human A/PR/8/34 (PR8, H1N1) virus 3 to test the efficacy of this technique using MDCK cells 4. MDCK cells (104 or 5 x 103 per well) were cultured in 96- or 384-well plates, infected with PR8 and viral proteins were detected using anti-M2 followed by an IR dye-conjugated secondary antibody. M2 5 and hemagglutinin 1 are two major marker proteins used in many different diagnostic assays. Employing IR-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies minimized the autofluorescence associated with other fluorescent dyes. The use of anti-M2 antibody allowed us to use the antigen-specific fluorescence intensity as a direct metric of viral quantity. To enumerate the fluorescence intensity, we used the LI-COR Odyssey-based IR scanner. This system uses two channel laser-based IR detections to identify fluorophores and differentiate them from background noise. The first channel excites at 680 nm and emits at 700 nm to help quantify the background. The second channel detects fluorophores that excite at 780 nm and emit at 800 nm. Scanning of PR8-infected MDCK cells in the IR scanner indicated a viral titer-dependent bright fluorescence. A positive correlation of fluorescence intensity to virus titer starting from 102-105 PFU could be consistently observed. Minimal but detectable positivity consistently seen with 102-103 PFU PR8 viral titers demonstrated the high sensitivity of the near
High-throughput single-molecule screen for small-molecule perturbation of splicing and transcription kinetics.
Day, Christopher R; Chen, Huimin; Coulon, Antoine; Meier, Jordan L; Larson, Daniel R
In eukaryotes, mRNA synthesis is catalyzed by RNA polymerase II and involves several distinct steps, including transcript initiation, elongation, cleavage, and transcript release. Splicing of RNA can occur during (co-transcriptional) or after (post-transcriptional) RNA synthesis. Thus, RNA synthesis and processing occurs through the concerted activity of dozens of enzymes, each of which is potentially susceptible to perturbation by small molecules. However, there are few, if any, high-throughput screening strategies for identifying drugs which perturb a specific step in RNA synthesis and processing. Here we have developed a high-throughput fluorescence microscopy approach in single cells to screen for inhibitors of specific enzymatic steps in RNA synthesis and processing. By utilizing the high affinity interaction between bacteriophage capsid proteins (MS2, PP7) and RNA stem loops, we are able to fluorescently label the intron and exon of a β-globin reporter gene in human cells. This approach allows one to measure the kinetics of transcription, splicing and release in both fixed and living cells using a tractable, genetically encoded assay in a stable cell line. We tested this reagent in a targeted screen of molecules that target chromatin readers and writers and identified three compounds that slow transcription elongation without changing transcription initiation. PMID:26655523
High-throughput phenotypic profiling of gene-environment interactions by quantitative growth curve analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Weiss, Andrew; Delproposto, James; Giroux, Craig N
Cell-based assays are widely used in high-throughput screening to determine the effects of toxicants and drugs on their biological targets. To enable a functional genomics modeling of gene-environment interactions, quantitative assays are required both for gene expression and for the phenotypic responses to environmental challenge. To address this need, we describe an automated high-throughput methodology that provides phenotypic profiling of the cellular responses to environmental stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Standardized assay conditions enable the use of a single metric value to quantify yeast microculture growth curves. This assay format allows precise control of both genetic and environmental determinants of the cellular responses to oxidative stress, a common mechanism of environmental insult. These yeast-cell-based assays are validated with hydrogen peroxide, a simple direct-acting oxidant. Phenotypic profiling of the oxidative stress response of a yap1 mutant strain demonstrates the mechanistic analysis of genetic susceptibility to oxidative stress. As a proof of concept for analysis of more complex gene-environment interactions, we describe a combinatorial assay design for phenotypic profiling of the cellular responses to tert-butyl hydroperoxide, a complex oxidant that is actively metabolized by its target cells. Thus, the yeast microculture assay format supports comprehensive applications in toxicogenomics. PMID:15033507
Establishment of local searching methods for orbitrap-based high throughput metabolomics analysis.
Tang, Haiping; Wang, Xueying; Xu, Lina; Ran, Xiaorong; Li, Xiangjun; Chen, Ligong; Zhao, Xinbin; Deng, Haiteng; Liu, Xiaohui
Our method aims to establish local endogenous metabolite databases economically without purchasing chemical standards, giving strong bases for following orbitrap based high throughput untargeted metabolomics analysis. A new approach here is introduced to construct metabolite databases on the base of biological sample analysis and mathematic extrapolation. Building local metabolite databases traditionally requires expensive chemical standards, which is barely affordable for most research labs. As a result, most labs working on metabolomics analysis have to refer public libraries, which is time consuming and limited for high throughput analysis. Using this strategy, a high throughput orbitrap based metabolomics platform can be established at almost no cost within a couple of months. It enables to facilitate the application of high throughput metabolomics analysis to identify disease-related biomarkers or investigate biological functions using orbitrap. PMID:27260449
Integration of Dosimetry, Exposure and High-Throughput Screening Data in Chemical Toxicity Assessment
High-throughput in vitro toxicity screening can provide an efficient way to identify potential biological targets for chemicals. However, relying on nominal assay concentrations may misrepresent potential in vivo effects of these chemicals due to differences in bioavailability, c...
Magnetic susceptibility and the spatial variability of heavy metals in soils developed on basalt
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cervi, Eduardo Cimino; da Costa, Antonio Carlos Saraiva; de Souza Junior, Ivan Granemann
Topsoil magnetic susceptibility (κ) is a fast and convenient method used to detect potentially polluted areas by heavy metals. Topsoil measurements are carried out in situ with Bartington MS2D loop sensor, designed to measure the magnetic susceptibility of top 10 cm of soil and detect 90% of the total signal from a depth of 6 cm. However, soils developed on basalt are difficult to assess due to their large amounts of ferrimagnetic minerals. The aim of this study was evaluate the applicability of κ to discriminate anthropogenic/lithogenic environments characterized by different parent materials in the city of Maringá/Brazil. In this paper, topsoil susceptibility (κ) was measured in 66 urban soils using a Bartington MS2D loop sensor. To investigate the magnetic background levels, samples of a Rhodic Ferralsol profile were measured using a laboratory MS2B sensor. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis was carried out to verify the mineralogical composition of the different lithology. Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, Pb and Zn concentrations were measured in 29 topsoil samples. The κ values ranged from 316 × 10- 5 SI in a sandstone region to 6,945 × 10- 5 SI in soils developed on basalt. The χfd values of urban topsoil varied from 2% to 11.3%. Lower values of κ and χfd in the sandstone region indicated that the lithogenic contribution is of primary significance. Significant positive correlations between κ and Cu, Fe and Mn are related to the parent material, enriched in iron oxides, as verified by XRD. The background values (mean of 4,235 × 10- 8 m3 kg- 1) were higher in subsoil, suggesting the inexistence of anthropogenic pollution. The topsoil susceptibility was efficient for distinguish different lithogenic environments. Although anthropogenic pollution in soils developed on basalt is difficult to assess due to the high natural background, our results suggest that heavy metal contents are not related to the human activity.
Magnetic Susceptibility of Submicroscopic Metallic Iron Formation Through Laser Irradiation of Olivine
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Markley, M. M.; Kletetschka, G.
Surfaces of exposed solids change their integrity due to solar wind and micrometeorite impacts, resulting in significant modification of exposed mineral grains. Apart from the possibility of in-situ ice generation, initial iron rich composition allows for re-precipitation of iron. The importance of characterizing these SMFe (submicroscopic metallic iron) particles exists to better our interpretations in remote sensing of planetary surface minerals. For example, the presence of SMFe changes the spectral reflectance of silicate minerals in the visible (VIS) to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, and contributes to "space weathering": (1) SMFe darkens the overall reflectance, (2) steepens (or reddens) the spectral slope, and (3) decreases the contrast in the 1 µm band. Irradiating olivine samples with energies simulating micrometeorite impact energies revealed single domain (SD) and superparamagnetic (SPM) iron grains varying in size. All samples exhibit general VIS-NIR space weathering effects, but also magnetic anomalies in the immediate surface proximity and frequency dependent magnetic susceptibility changes due to the production of SMFe. Planetary minerals such as olivine produce more SMFe when micrometeorite impacts and/or solar wind irradiation increases. Magnetic textures found during the scanning of the laser irradiated samples reveal anomalies that are dominantly caused by metallic iron and are in superparamagnetic state while at room temperature. We observed an increased dispersion of these metallic anomalies when irradiation energy increased. Frequency dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements creates a data set that has potential to become a tool in remote detection of these surfaces by deep penetration radar incidence.
High-throughput screening for thermoelectric sulphides by using crystal structure features as descriptors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Ruizhi; Du, Baoli; Chen, Kan; Reece, Mike; Materials Research Insititute Team
With the increasing computational power and reliable databases, high-throughput screening is playing a more and more important role in the search of new thermoelectric materials. Rather than the well established density functional theory (DFT) calculation based methods, we propose an alternative approach to screen for new TE materials: using crystal structural features as 'descriptors'. We show that a non-distorted transition metal sulphide polyhedral network can be a good descriptor for high power factor according to crystal filed theory. By using Cu/S containing compounds as an example, 1600+ Cu/S containing entries in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) were screened, and of those 84 phases are identified as promising thermoelectric materials. The screening results are validated by both electronic structure calculations and experimental results from the literature. We also fabricated some new compounds to test our screening results. Another advantage of using crystal structure features as descriptors is that we can easily establish structural relationships between the identified phases. Based on this, two material design approaches are discussed: 1) High-pressure synthesis of metastable phase; 2) In-situ 2-phase composites with coherent interface. This work was supported by a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship of the European Community Human Potential Program.
Dip Pen Nanolithography: a maturing technology for high-throughput flexible nanopatterning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haaheim, J. R.; Tevaarwerk, E. R.; Fragala, J.; Shile, R.
Precision nanoscale deposition is a fundamental requirement for much of current nanoscience research. Further, depositing a wide range of materials as nanoscale features onto diverse surfaces is a challenging requirement for nanoscale processing systems. As a high resolution scanning probe-based direct-write technology, Dip Pen Nanolithography® (DPN®) satisfies and exceeds these fundamental requirements. Herein we specifically describe the massive scalability of DPN with two dimensional probe arrays (the 2D nano PrintArray). In collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University, we have demonstrated massively parallel nanoscale deposition with this 2D array of 55,000 pens on a centimeter square probe chip. (To date, this is the highest cantilever density ever reported.) This enables direct-writing flexible patterns with a variety of molecules, simultaneously generating 55,000 duplicates at the resolution of single-pen DPN. To date, there is no other way to accomplish this kind of patterning at this unprecedented resolution. These advances in high-throughput, flexible nanopatterning point to several compelling applications. The 2D nano PrintArray can cover a square centimeter with nanoscale features and pattern 10 7 μm2 per hour. These features can be solid state nanostructures, metals, or using established templating techniques, these advances enable screening for biological interactions at the level of a few molecules, or even single molecules; this in turn can enable engineering the cell-substrate interface at sub-cellular resolution.
Optimizing synchrotron microCT for high-throughput phenotyping of zebrafish
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
La Rivière, Patrick J.; Clark, Darin; Rojek, Alexandra; Vargas, Phillip; Xiao, Xianghui; DeCarlo, Francesco; Kindlmann, Gordon; Cheng, Keith
We are creating a state-of-the-art 2D and 3D imaging atlas of zebrafish development. The atlas employs both 2D histology slides and 3D benchtop and synchrotron micro CT results. Through this atlas, we expect to document normal and abnormal organogenesis, to reveal new levels of structural detail, and to advance image informatics as a form of systems biology. The zebrafish has become a widely used model organism in biological and biomedical research for studies of vertebrate development and gene function. In this work, we will report on efforts to optimize synchrotron microCT imaging parameters for zebrafish at crucial developmental stages. The aim of these studies is to establish protocols for high-throughput phenotyping of normal, mutant and diseased zebrafish. We have developed staining and embedding protocols using different heavy metal stains (osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate) and different embedding media (Embed 812 and glycol methacrylate). We have explored the use of edge subtraction and multi-energy techniques for contrast enhancement and we have examined the use of different sample-detector distances with unstained samples to explore and optimize phase-contrast enhancement effects. We will report principally on our efforts to optimize energy choice for single- and multi-energy studies as well as our efforts to optimize the degree of phase contrast enhancement.
High throughput fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures in nanofluidic pores for biosensing applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mazzotta, Francesco; Höök, Fredrik; Jonsson, Magnus P.
One of the primary advantages of nanoscale sensors is that they often can provide conceptually new ways of performing sensing that are not feasible with their large-scale analogs. For example, the small size of nanoscale sensor elements, such as plasmonic metal nanoparticles, allows them to be combined with nanofluidic systems. Among the potential applications of such a combination is the efficient delivery of analyte to the sensor surface. With this in mind, in this work we look to address the challenge of creating and positioning nanoplasmonic sensor elements within nanofluidic pores. A scheme is presented that allows for the production of arrays of pores in a thin (220 nm) silicon nitride membrane with one plasmonic nanoparticle sensor element in each pore. The high throughput fabrication protocol is parallel and enables multiple sensor chips to be produced simultaneously, yet with accurate tuning of the dimension and shape of the nanoparticles. The presented system is shown to possess polarization-sensitive plasmonic resonances that can be tuned significantly in the visible wavelength range by just varying one process parameter. The thickness of the membrane could be optimized to minimize the influence of the optical membrane interference on the plasmonic readout. The sensitivity of the plasmon resonances to changes in refractive index, which forms the basis for using the system for biosensing, was found to be competitive with other nanoplasmonic sensors.
High-throughput discovery of electrochemically stable photocatalysts for oxygen evolution
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yu, Jie; Yan, Qimin; Chen, Wei; Jain, Anubhav; Gregoire, John; Neaton, Jeffrey; Persson, Kristin
Widespread use of artificial photosynthesis hinges upon development of photocatalysts and light absorbers with excellent electrochemical stability in aqueous solution. The poor stability of most semiconductors in the highly oxidizing environment of a solar fuels photoanode has been a key factor limiting the use of many candidates light absorbers. We assess the stability of candidate transition metal oxides (TMOs) in alkaline aqueous environments from calculated Pourbaix diagrams. Our analysis reveals interesting trends in the electrochemical stability of TMOs containing elements which have not traditionally been explored for photocatalysts. Utilizing the Pourbaix diagram analysis as the first screen-layer in a high-throughput workflow that incorporates automating density functional theory and hybrid functional calculations, we screen for electrochemically stable TMO compounds with low band gaps and optimal band edge energies. Applying our new data-driven approach, we successfully identify several new TMOs with promising band gaps and edges that are predicted to resist corrosion under aqueous conditions relevant to solar water splitting. Materials synthesis and electrochemical measurements confirm several predictions and demonstrate the utility of computational screening for identifying new solar fuels materials.
Ordered phases in ruthenium binary alloys from high-throughput first-principles calculations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jahnátek, Michal; Levy, Ohad; Hart, Gus L. W.; Nelson, Lance J.; Chepulskii, Roman V.; Xue, J.; Curtarolo, Stefano
Despite the increasing importance of ruthenium in numerous technological applications, e.g., catalysis and electronic devices, experimental and computational data on its binary alloys are sparse. In particular, data are scant on those binary systems believed to be phase-separating. We performed a comprehensive study of ruthenium binary systems with the 28 transition metals, using high-throughput first-principles calculations. These computations predict novel unsuspected compounds in 7 of the 16 binary systems previously believed to be phase-separating and in two of the three systems reported with only a high-temperature σ phase. They also predict a few unreported compounds in five additional systems and indicate that some reported compounds may actually be unstable at low temperature. These new compounds may be useful in the rational design of new Ru-based catalysts. The following systems are investigated: AgRu, AuRu, CdRu, CoRu, CrRu, CuRu, FeRu, HfRu, HgRu, IrRu, MnRu, MoRu, NbRu, NiRu, OsRu, PdRu, PtRu, ReRu, RhRu, RuSc, RuTa, RuTc, RuTi, RuV, RuW, RuY, RuZn, and RuZr (a star denotes systems in which the ab initio method predicts that no compounds are stable).
High-throughput machining using high average power ultrashort pulse lasers and ultrafast polygon scanner
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schille, Joerg; Schneider, Lutz; Streek, André; Kloetzer, Sascha; Loeschner, Udo
In this paper, high-throughput ultrashort pulse laser machining is investigated on various industrial grade metals (Aluminium, Copper, Stainless steel) and Al2O3 ceramic at unprecedented processing speeds. This is achieved by using a high pulse repetition frequency picosecond laser with maximum average output power of 270 W in conjunction with a unique, in-house developed two-axis polygon scanner. Initially, different concepts of polygon scanners are engineered and tested to find out the optimal architecture for ultrafast and precision laser beam scanning. Remarkable 1,000 m/s scan speed is achieved on the substrate, and thanks to the resulting low pulse overlap, thermal accumulation and plasma absorption effects are avoided at up to 20 MHz pulse repetition frequencies. In order to identify optimum processing conditions for efficient high-average power laser machining, the depths of cavities produced under varied parameter settings are analyzed and, from the results obtained, the characteristic removal values are specified. The maximum removal rate is achieved as high as 27.8 mm3/min for Aluminium, 21.4 mm3/min for Copper, 15.3 mm3/min for Stainless steel and 129.1 mm3/min for Al2O3 when full available laser power is irradiated at optimum pulse repetition frequency.
Development of a Framework for High-Throughput Calculations and its Application to Energy Storage Challenges
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kirklin, Scott
From a historical perspective, the progress of humanity has been measured by the materials that mankind has been able to use. Looking forward, future technological developments will continue to hinge on the development of materials with precisely tailored properties and performance. In pursuit of this goal, this thesis presents a framework for the high-throughput handling of first principles materials modeling. This framework takes the form of the Open Quantum Materials Database (OQMD - www.oqmd.org), a repository of crystal structures, computed materials properties, and a host of tools for data storage, retrieval, and analysis. At present, the OQMD contains over 300,000 materials, and over 1.3 million completed density functional theory calculations. We set forth to demonstrate the usefulness of the OQMD for materials discovery by using it to search for materials for three applications: 1) conversion reaction anode materials for Li-ion batteries, 2) electrode materials for a novel hybrid Li-ion/Li-O2 battery chemistry, and 3) precipitation strengtheners for a suite of structural metals. In each of these materials discovery projects, we first determine the scope of relevant materials to consider, then develop a set of screens based on DFT calculable bulk materials properties, implement the specified filters, and finally consider the apparent advantages and disadvantages of the predicted materials.
A High-Throughput, Precipitating Colorimetric Sandwich ELISA Microarray for Shiga Toxins
Gehring, Andrew; He, Xiaohua; Fratamico, Pina; Lee, Joseph; Bagi, Lori; Brewster, Jeffrey; Paoli, George; He, Yiping; Xie, Yanping; Skinner, Craig; Barnett, Charlie; Harris, Douglas
Shiga toxins 1 and 2 (Stx1 and Stx2) from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria were simultaneously detected with a newly developed, high-throughput antibody microarray platform. The proteinaceous toxins were immobilized and sandwiched between biorecognition elements (monoclonal antibodies) and pooled horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated monoclonal antibodies. Following the reaction of HRP with the precipitating chromogenic substrate (metal enhanced 3,3-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride or DAB), the formation of a colored product was quantitatively measured with an inexpensive flatbed page scanner. The colorimetric ELISA microarray was demonstrated to detect Stx1 and Stx2 at levels as low as ~4.5 ng/mL within ~2 h of total assay time with a narrow linear dynamic range of ~1–2 orders of magnitude and saturation levels well above background. Stx1 and/or Stx2 produced by various strains of STEC were also detected following the treatment of cultured cells with mitomycin C (a toxin-inducing antibiotic) and/or B-PER (a cell-disrupting, protein extraction reagent). Semi-quantitative detection of Shiga toxins was demonstrated to be sporadic among various STEC strains following incubation with mitomycin C; however, further reaction with B-PER generally resulted in the detection of or increased detection of Stx1, relative to Stx2, produced by STECs inoculated into either axenic broth culture or culture broth containing ground beef. PMID:24921195
Cheminformatics Aspects of High Throughput Screening: from Robots to Models: Symposium Summary
Tseng, Y. Jane; Martin, Eric; Bologa, Cristian; Shelat, Anang A.
The "Cheminformatics aspects of high throughput screening (HTS): from robots to models" symposium was part of the Computers in Chemistry (COMP) technical program at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver, Colorado during the fall of 2011. This symposium brought together researchers from high throughput screening centersand molecular modelers from academia and industry to discuss the integration of currently available high throughput screening data and assays with computational analysis. The topics discussed at this symposium covered the data-infrastructure at various academic, hospital, and NIH-funded high throughput screening centers, the cheminformatics and molecular modeling methods used in real world examples to guide screening and hit-finding, and how academic and non-profit organizations can benefit from current high throughput screening cheminformatics resources. Specifically, this article also covers the remarks and discussions in the open panel discussion in thesymposium and summarizes the following talks on "Accurate Kinase virtual screening: biochemical, cellular and selectivity", "Selective, privileged and promiscuous chemical patterns in high-throughput screening" and "Visualizing and exploring relationships among HTS hits using network graphs". PMID:23636795
Lessons from high-throughput protein crystallization screening: 10 years of practical experience
JR, Luft; EH, Snell; GT, DeTitta
Introduction X-ray crystallography provides the majority of our structural biological knowledge at a molecular level and in terms of pharmaceutical design is a valuable tool to accelerate discovery. It is the premier technique in the field, but its usefulness is significantly limited by the need to grow well-diffracting crystals. It is for this reason that high-throughput crystallization has become a key technology that has matured over the past 10 years through the field of structural genomics. Areas covered The authors describe their experiences in high-throughput crystallization screening in the context of structural genomics and the general biomedical community. They focus on the lessons learnt from the operation of a high-throughput crystallization screening laboratory, which to date has screened over 12,500 biological macromolecules. They also describe the approaches taken to maximize the success while minimizing the effort. Through this, the authors hope that the reader will gain an insight into the efficient design of a laboratory and protocols to accomplish high-throughput crystallization on a single-, multiuser-laboratory or industrial scale. Expert Opinion High-throughput crystallization screening is readily available but, despite the power of the crystallographic technique, getting crystals is still not a solved problem. High-throughput approaches can help when used skillfully; however, they still require human input in the detailed analysis and interpretation of results to be more successful. PMID:22646073
High throughput screening of perfumery raw materials for antimicrobial properties.
Rey, Sylvain; Anziani, Pauline; Seyfried, Markus
A microdilution protocol was developed and automated using a liquid handling station, allowing the determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of hydrophobic raw materials commonly used in the perfume industry (essential oils and synthetic chemicals). Tests were performed in 96-well microtiter plates against standard bacterial test strains and skin isolates involved in underarm malodor. The comparison with data previously reported in the literature indicated that the protocol was suitable, yielding MIC values that were in general agreement with those derived from manual test methods. For the majority of active test compounds, results showed a pronounced difference in susceptibility pattern between the Gram-positive and Gram-negative test strains used in this study. For a group of acyclic aliphatic aldehydes, a structure-activity relationship depending on the chain length was found. PMID:24628279
New Composite Membranes for High Throughput Solid-Liquid Separations at the Savannah River Site
Bhave, Ramesh R
New Composite Membranes for High Throughput Solid-Liquid Separations at the Savannah River Site R. Bhave (Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Oak Ridge, TN) and M. R. Poirier* (Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken SC) Solid-liquid separation is the limiting step for many waste treatment processes at the Savannah River Site. SRNL researchers have identified the rotary microfilter as a technology to improve the rate of solid-liquid separation processes. SRNL is currently developing the rotary microfilter for radioactive service and plans to deploy the technology as part of the small column ion exchange process. The rotary microfilter can utilize any filter media that is available as a flat sheet. The current baseline membrane is a 0.5 micron (nominal) porous metal filter (Pall PMM050). Previous testing with tubular filters showed that filters composed of a ceramic membrane on top of a stainless steel support produce higher flux than filters composed only of porous metal. The authors are working to develop flat sheet filter media composed of a ceramic membrane and/or ceramic-metal composite on top of a porous stainless steel support that can be used with the rotary microfilter to substantially increase filter flux resulting in a more compact, energy efficient and cost-effective high level radioactive waste treatment system. Composite membranes with precisely controlled pore size distribution were fabricated on porous metal supports. High quality uniform porous metal (316SS) supports were fabricated to achieve high water permeability. Separative layers of several different materials such as ultrafine metal particles and ceramic oxides were used to fabricate composite membranes. The fabrication process involved several high temperature heat treatments followed by characterization of gas and liquid permeability measurements and membrane integrity analysis. The fabricated composite membrane samples were evaluated in a static test cell manufactured by SpinTek. The
Advancing a distributed multi-scale computing framework for large-scale high-throughput discovery in materials science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Knap, J.; Spear, C. E.; Borodin, O.; Leiter, K. W.
We describe the development of a large-scale high-throughput application for discovery in materials science. Our point of departure is a computational framework for distributed multi-scale computation. We augment the original framework with a specialized module whose role is to route evaluation requests needed by the high-throughput application to a collection of available computational resources. We evaluate the feasibility and performance of the resulting high-throughput computational framework by carrying out a high-throughput study of battery solvents. Our results indicate that distributed multi-scale computing, by virtue of its adaptive nature, is particularly well-suited for building high-throughput applications.
Genetics of neurodegenerative diseases: insights from high-throughput resequencing
Tsuji, Shoji
During the past three decades, we have witnessed remarkable advances in our understanding of the molecular etiologies of hereditary neurodegenerative diseases, which have been accomplished by 'positional cloning' strategies. The discoveries of the causative genes for hereditary neurodegenerative diseases accelerated not only the studies on the pathophysiologic mechanisms of diseases, but also the studies for the development of disease-modifying therapies. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on the 'common disease–common variants hypothesis' are currently undertaken to elucidate disease-relevant alleles. Although GWAS have successfully revealed numerous susceptibility genes for neurodegenerative diseases, odds ratios associated with risk alleles are generally low and account for only a small proportion of estimated heritability. Recent studies have revealed that the effect sizes of the disease-relevant alleles that are identified based on comprehensive resequencing of large data sets of Parkinson disease are substantially larger than those identified by GWAS. These findings strongly argue for the role of the 'common disease–multiple rare variants hypothesis' in sporadic neurodegenerative diseases. Given the rapidly improving technologies of next-generation sequencing next-generation sequencing (NGS), we expect that NGS will eventually enable us to identify all the variants in an individual's personal genome, in particular, clinically relevant alleles. Beyond this, whole genome resequencing is expected to bring a paradigm shift in clinical practice, where clinical practice including diagnosis and decision-making for appropriate therapeutic procedures is based on the 'personal genome'. The personal genome era is expected to be realized in the near future, and society needs to prepare for this new era. PMID:20413655
A high-throughput search for new ternary superalloys
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nyshadham, Chandramouli; Hansen, Jacob; Oses, Corey; Curtarolo, Stefano; Hart, Gus
In 2006 an unexpected new superalloy, Co3[Al,W], was discovered. This new alloy is cobalt-based, in contrast to conventional superalloys, which are nickel-based. Inspired by this new discovery, we performed first-principles calculations, searching through 2224 ternary metallic systems of the form A3[B0.5C0.5], where A = Ni/Co/Fe and [B, C] = all binary combinations of 40 different elements chosen from the periodic table. We found 175 new systems that are better than the Co3[Al, W] superalloy. 75 of these systems are brand new--they have never been reported in experimental literature. These 75 new potential superalloys are good candidates for further experiments. Our calculations are consistent with current experimental literature where data exists. Work supported under: ONR (MURI N00014-13-1-0635).
High-throughput prediction of novel two-dimensional materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mounet, Nicolas; Schwaller, Philippe; Cepellotti, Andrea; Merkys, Andrius; Castelli, Ivano Eligio; Gibertini, Marco; Pizzi, Giovanni; Marzari, Nicola
As a crucial step towards the identification of novel and promising 2D materials, we provide here a large scale first-principles exploration and characterization of such compounds. More than 300,000 three-dimensional structures from several crystallographic databases are screened systematically by checking the absence of chemical bonds between adjacent layers, identifying close to 5,000 layered systems. Then DFT calculations of the van der Waals interlayer bonding are performed with automatic workflows, while systematically assessing the metallic, insulating or magnetic character of the materials obtained. Following full atomic and cell relaxations, phonon dispersions are computed as a first step towards the assessment of thermodynamic properties. Thanks to the AiiDA materials' informatics platform, and in particular its automatic workflow engine, database structure, sharing capabilities, and pipelines to/from crystallographic repositories, the systematic and reproducible calculation of these properties becomes straightforward, together with seamless accessibility and sharing.
High throughput chromatography strategies for potential use in the formal process characterization of a monoclonal antibody.
Petroff, Matthew G; Bao, Haiying; Welsh, John P; van Beuningen-de Vaan, Miranda; Pollard, Jennifer M; Roush, David J; Kandula, Sunitha; Machielsen, Peter; Tugcu, Nihal; Linden, Thomas O
High throughput experimental strategies are central to the rapid optimization of biologics purification processes. In this work, we extend common high throughput technologies towards the characterization of a multi-column chromatography process for a monoclonal antibody (mAb). Scale-down strategies were first evaluated by comparing breakthrough, retention, and performance (yields and clearance of aggregates and host cell protein) across miniature and lab scale columns. The process operating space was then evaluated using several integrated formats, with batch experimentation to define process testing ranges, miniature columns to evaluate the operating space, and comparison to traditional scale columns to establish scale-up correlations and verify the determined operating space. When compared to an independent characterization study at traditional lab column scale, the high throughput approach identified the same control parameters and similar process sensitivity. Importantly, the high throughput approach significantly decreased time and material needs while improving prediction robustness. Miniature columns and manufacturing scale centerpoint data comparisons support the validity of this approach, making the high throughput strategy an attractive and appropriate scale-down tool for the formal characterization of biotherapeutic processes in the future if regulatory acceptance of the miniature column data can be achieved. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1273-1283. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26639315
IBDsite: a Galaxy-interacting, integrative database for supporting inflammatory bowel disease high throughput data analysis
Background Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) refer to a group of inflammatory conditions concerning colon and small intestine, which cause socially uncomfortable symptoms and often are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. IBD are complex disorders, which rely on genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, deregulation of the immune system, and host relationship with commensal microbiota. The complexity of these pathologies makes difficult to clearly understand the mechanisms of their onset. Therefore, the study of IBD must be faced exploiting an integrated and multilevel approach, ranging from genes, transcripts and proteins to pathways altered in affected tissues, and carefully considering their regulatory mechanisms, which may intervene in the pathology onset. It is also crucial to have a knowledge base about the symbiotic bacteria that are hosted in the human gut. To date, much data exist regarding IBD and human commensal bacteria, but this information is sparse in literature and no free resource provides a homogeneously and rationally integrated view of biomolecular data related to these pathologies. Methods Human genes altered in IBD have been collected from literature, paying particular interest for the immune system alterations prompted by the interaction with the gut microbiome. This process has been performed manually to assure the reliability of collected data. Heterogeneous metadata from different sources have been automatically formatted and integrated in order to enrich information about these altered genes. A user-friendly web interface has been created for easy access to structured data. Tools such as gene clustering coefficients, all-pairs shortest paths and pathway lengths calculation have been developed to provide data analysis support. Moreover, the implemented resource is compliant to the Galaxy framework, allowing the collected data to be exploited in the context of high throughput bioinformatics analysis. Results To fill the
A multi-layer microchip for high-throughput single-cell gene expression profiling.
Sun, Hao
Microfluidics or Bio-MEMS technology offers significant advantages for performing high-throughput screens and sensitive assays. The ability to correlate single-cell genetic information with cellular phenotypes is of great importance to biology and medicine because it holds the potential to gain insight into disease pathways that is unavailable from ensemble measurements. Previously, we reported two kinds of prototypes for integrated on-chip gene expression profiling at the single-cell level, and the throughput was designed to be 6. In this work, we present a five-layer microfluidic system for parallelized, rapid, quantitative analysis of RNA templates with low abundance at the single-cell level. The microchip contains two multiplexors and one partitioning valve group, and it leverages a matrix (6 × 8) of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) units formed by a set of parallel microchannels concurrently controlled by elastomeric pneumatic valves, thereby enabling parallelized handling and processing of biomolecules in a simplified operation procedure. A comprehensive metallic nanofilm with passivation layer is used to run polymerase chain reaction (PCR) temperature cycles. To demonstrate the utility of the approach, artificial synthesized RNA templates (XenoRNA) and mRNA templates from single cells are employed to perform the 48-readout RT-qPCRs. The PCR products are imaged on a fluorescence microscope using a hydrolysis probe/primer set (TaqMan). Fluorescent intensities of passive reference dye and a fluorescein amidite reporter dye are acquired and measured at the end of PCR cycles. PMID:27255567
Periplasmic proteins of the extremophile Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: a high throughput proteomics analysis.
Chi, An; Valenzuela, Lissette; Beard, Simon; Mackey, Aaron J; Shabanowitz, Jeffrey; Hunt, Donald F; Jerez, Carlos A
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a chemolithoautotrophic acidophile capable of obtaining energy by oxidizing ferrous iron or sulfur compounds such as metal sulfides. Some of the proteins involved in these oxidations have been described as forming part of the periplasm of this extremophile. The detailed study of the periplasmic components constitutes an important area to understand the physiology and environmental interactions of microorganisms. Proteomics analysis of the periplasmic fraction of A. ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 was performed by using high resolution linear ion trap-FT MS. We identified a total of 131 proteins in the periplasm of the microorganism grown in thiosulfate. When possible, functional categories were assigned to the proteins: 13.8% were transport and binding proteins, 14.6% were several kinds of cell envelope proteins, 10.8% were involved in energy metabolism, 10% were related to protein fate and folding, 10% were proteins with unknown functions, and 26.1% were proteins without homologues in databases. These last proteins are most likely characteristic of A. ferrooxidans and may have important roles yet to be assigned. The majority of the periplasmic proteins from A. ferrooxidans were very basic compared with those of neutrophilic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, suggesting a special adaptation of the chemolithoautotrophic bacterium to its very acidic environment. The high throughput proteomics approach used here not only helps to understand the physiology of this extreme acidophile but also offers an important contribution to the functional annotation for the available genomes of biomining microorganisms such as A. ferrooxidans for which no efficient genetic systems are available to disrupt genes by procedures such as homologous recombination. PMID:17911085
Post-CMOS compatible high-throughput fabrication of AlN-based piezoelectric microcantilevers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pérez-Campos, A.; Iriarte, G. F.; Hernando-Garcia, J.; Calle, F.
A post-complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible microfabrication process of piezoelectric cantilevers has been developed. The fabrication process is suitable for standard silicon technology and provides low-cost and high-throughput manufacturing. This work reports design, fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric cantilevers based on aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films synthesized at room temperature. The proposed microcantilever system is a sandwich structure composed of chromium (Cr) electrodes and a sputtered AlN film. The key issue for cantilever fabrication is the growth at room temperature of the AlN layer by reactive sputtering, making possible the innovative compatibility of piezoelectric MEMS devices with CMOS circuits already processed. AlN and Cr have been etched by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching using a BCl3-Cl2-Ar plasma chemistry. As part of the novelty of the post-CMOS micromachining process presented here, a silicon Si (1 0 0) wafer has been used as substrate as well as the sacrificial layer used to release the microcantilevers. In order to achieve this, the Si surface underneath the structure has been wet etched using an HNA (hydrofluoric acid + nitric acid + acetic acid) based solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization indicated the high crystalline quality of the AlN film. An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to determine the Cr electrode surface roughness. The morphology of the fabricated devices has been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The cantilevers have been piezoelectrically actuated and their out-of-plane vibration modes were detected by vibrometry.
Deciphering the genomic targets of alkylating polyamide conjugates using high-throughput sequencing
Chandran, Anandhakumar; Syed, Junetha; Taylor, Rhys D.; Kashiwazaki, Gengo; Sato, Shinsuke; Hashiya, Kaori; Bando, Toshikazu; Sugiyama, Hiroshi
Chemically engineered small molecules targeting specific genomic sequences play an important role in drug development research. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PIPs) are a group of molecules that can bind to the DNA minor-groove and can be engineered to target specific sequences. Their biological effects rely primarily on their selective DNA binding. However, the binding mechanism of PIPs at the chromatinized genome level is poorly understood. Herein, we report a method using high-throughput sequencing to identify the DNA-alkylating sites of PIP-indole-seco-CBI conjugates. High-throughput sequencing analysis of conjugate 2 showed highly similar DNA-alkylating sites on synthetic oligos (histone-free DNA) and on human genomes (chromatinized DNA context). To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying alkylation sites across genomic DNA by alkylating PIP conjugates using high-throughput sequencing. PMID:27098039
Ultrathin glass filter fabricated by femtosecond laser processing for high-throughput microparticle filtering
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yalikun, Yaxiaer; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Hosokawa, Yoichiroh; Iino, Takanori; Tanaka, Yo
In this study, we developed a method of fabricating totally glass-based filters having micrometer-scale through holes for high-throughput filtration using a femtosecond laser. Filtration using a membrane-type filter is an indispensable technique for biological, chemical, and physical analysis fields. A larger flow rate or stronger driving pressure will result in a faster filtration. However, conventional high-throughput filtering methods often use a relatively slow flow rate or low pressure owing to the fracture toughness of the filter material. In this study, we introduce a customizable 4-µm-thick glass filter that could be used for high-throughput microparticle filtering at a flow velocity of 4 m/s.
High throughput screening to investigate the interaction of stem cells with their extracellular microenvironment
Ankam, Soneela; Teo, Benjamin KK; Kukumberg, Marek; Yim, Evelyn KF
Stem cells in vivo are housed within a functional microenvironment termed the "stem cell niche." As the niche components can modulate stem cell behaviors like proliferation, migration and differentiation, evaluating these components would be important to determine the most optimal platform for their maintenance or differentiation. In this review, we have discussed methods and technologies that have aided in the development of high throughput screening assays for stem cell research, including enabling technologies such as the well-established multiwell/microwell plates and robotic spotting, and emerging technologies like microfluidics, micro-contact printing and lithography. We also discuss the studies that utilized high throughput screening platform to investigate stem cell response to extracellular matrix, topography, biomaterials and stiffness gradients in the stem cell niche. The combination of the aforementioned techniques could lay the foundation for new perspectives in further development of high throughput technology and stem cell research. PMID:23899508
Image-based high-throughput screening for inhibitors of angiogenesis.
Evensen, Lasse; Link, Wolfgang; Lorens, James B
Automated multicolor fluorescence microscopy facilitates high-throughput quantitation of cellular parameters of complex, organotypic systems. In vitro co-cultured vascular cells form capillary-like networks that model facets of angiogenesis, making it an attractive alternative for anti-angiogenic drug discovery. We have adapted this angiogenesis assay system to a high-throughput format to enable automated image-based high-throughput screening of live primary human vascular cell co-cultures with chemical libraries for anti-angiogenic drug discovery. Protocols are described for setup of a fluorescence-based co-culture assay, live cell image acquisition, image analysis of morphological parameters, and screening data handling. PMID:23027002
Development and Validation of an Automated High-Throughput System for Zebrafish In Vivo Screenings
Virto, Juan M.; Holgado, Olaia; Diez, Maria; Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos; Callol-Massot, Carles
The zebrafish is a vertebrate model compatible with the paradigms of drug discovery. The small size and transparency of zebrafish embryos make them amenable for the automation necessary in high-throughput screenings. We have developed an automated high-throughput platform for in vivo chemical screenings on zebrafish embryos that includes automated methods for embryo dispensation, compound delivery, incubation, imaging and analysis of the results. At present, two different assays to detect cardiotoxic compounds and angiogenesis inhibitors can be automatically run in the platform, showing the versatility of the system. A validation of these two assays with known positive and negative compounds, as well as a screening for the detection of unknown anti-angiogenic compounds, have been successfully carried out in the system developed. We present a totally automated platform that allows for high-throughput screenings in a vertebrate organism. PMID:22615792
High-throughput parallel SPM for metrology, defect, and mask inspection
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sadeghian, H.; Herfst, R. W.; van den Dool, T. C.; Crowcombe, W. E.; Winters, J.; Kramer, G. F. I. J.
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a promising candidate for accurate assessment of metrology and defects on wafers and masks, however it has traditionally been too slow for high-throughput applications, although recent developments have significantly pushed the speed of SPM [1,2]. In this paper we present new results obtained with our previously presented high-throughput parallel SPM system [3,4] that showcase two key advances that are required for a successful deployment of SPM in high-throughput metrology, defect and mask inspection. The first is a very fast (up to 40 lines/s) image acquisition and a comparison of the image quality as function of speed. Secondly, a fast approach method: measurements of the scan-head approaching the sample from 0.2 and 1.0 mm distance in under 1.4 and 6 seconds respectively.
High-throughput imaging: Focusing in on drug discovery in 3D.
Li, Linfeng; Zhou, Qiong; Voss, Ty C; Quick, Kevin L; LaBarbera, Daniel V
3D organotypic culture models such as organoids and multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) are becoming more widely used for drug discovery and toxicology screening. As a result, 3D culture technologies adapted for high-throughput screening formats are prevalent. While a multitude of assays have been reported and validated for high-throughput imaging (HTI) and high-content screening (HCS) for novel drug discovery and toxicology, limited HTI/HCS with large compound libraries have been reported. Nonetheless, 3D HTI instrumentation technology is advancing and this technology is now on the verge of allowing for 3D HCS of thousands of samples. This review focuses on the state-of-the-art high-throughput imaging systems, including hardware and software, and recent literature examples of 3D organotypic culture models employing this technology for drug discovery and toxicology screening. PMID:26608110
Parallelized ultra-high throughput microfluidic emulsifier for multiplex kinetic assays
Lim, Jiseok; Caen, Ouriel; Vrignon, Jérémy; Konrad, Manfred; Baret, Jean-Christophe
Droplet-based microfluidic technologies are powerful tools for applications requiring high-throughput, for example, in biochemistry or material sciences. Several systems have been proposed for the high-throughput production of monodisperse emulsions by parallelizing multiple droplet makers. However, these systems have two main limitations: (1) they allow the use of only a single disperse phase; (2) they are based on multiple layer microfabrication techniques. We present here a pipette-and-play solution offering the possibility of manipulating simultaneously 10 different disperse phases on a single layer device. This system allows high-throughput emulsion production using aqueous flow rates of up to 26 ml/h (>110 000 drops/s) leading to emulsions with user-defined complex chemical composition. We demonstrate the multiplex capabilities of our system by measuring the kinetics of β-galactosidase in droplets using nine different concentrations of a fluorogenic substrate. PMID:26015838
Deciphering the genomic targets of alkylating polyamide conjugates using high-throughput sequencing.
Chandran, Anandhakumar; Syed, Junetha; Taylor, Rhys D; Kashiwazaki, Gengo; Sato, Shinsuke; Hashiya, Kaori; Bando, Toshikazu; Sugiyama, Hiroshi
Chemically engineered small molecules targeting specific genomic sequences play an important role in drug development research. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PIPs) are a group of molecules that can bind to the DNA minor-groove and can be engineered to target specific sequences. Their biological effects rely primarily on their selective DNA binding. However, the binding mechanism of PIPs at the chromatinized genome level is poorly understood. Herein, we report a method using high-throughput sequencing to identify the DNA-alkylating sites of PIP-indole-seco-CBI conjugates. High-throughput sequencing analysis of conjugate 2: showed highly similar DNA-alkylating sites on synthetic oligos (histone-free DNA) and on human genomes (chromatinized DNA context). To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying alkylation sites across genomic DNA by alkylating PIP conjugates using high-throughput sequencing. PMID:27098039
Three-Dimensional Spheroid Cell Culture Model for Target Identification Utilizing High-Throughput RNAi Screens.
Iles, LaKesla R; Bartholomeusz, Geoffrey A
The intrinsic limitations of 2D monolayer cell culture models have prompted the development of 3D cell culture model systems for in vitro studies. Multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS) models closely simulate the pathophysiological milieu of solid tumors and are providing new insights into tumor biology as well as differentiation, tissue organization, and homeostasis. They are straightforward to apply in high-throughput screens and there is a great need for the development of reliable and robust 3D spheroid-based assays for high-throughput RNAi screening for target identification and cell signaling studies highlighting their potential in cancer research and treatment. In this chapter we describe a stringent standard operating procedure for the use of MCTS for high-throughput RNAi screens. PMID:27581289
Failure And Yield Analysis Techniques For Readout Devices Tested In A High Throughput Automated Wafer Probing Environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jolivet, Noel D.; Holoien, Lee D.
Failure and yield analysis capabilities were developed for focal plane array (FPA) readout devices probe tested at wafer level instead of merely performing production rate testing and cataloging data. Innovative test strategies have been combined with software techniques to provide tools which accomplish these analyses while maintaining high throughput in test. This approach has been beneficial and valuable in saving test time when searching for hardware faults, investigating design susceptibilities, revealing foundry process variations from wafer to wafer and/or lot to lot, and creating a yield model for the parts tested. Testing of readout devices has historically been viewed as a major obstacle in high volume production of reliable components for focal plane systems. Thorough testing in a high throughput automated wafer probe environment may be achieved, but often at the expense of real-time analysis of failures and yield factors. Production testing has been established with these goals in mind rather than as an afterthought. This enables one to identify failure mechanisms as they occur in order to reduce yield loss and unnecessary test time. In addition to performing requisite data base management, routines have been created to re-sort data and reevaluate yield through varying performance parameter limits, to track and map failure mechanisms as they are encountered, to examine acquired data as a function of limits, and to provide yield information for feedback response to foundry processing. Ideas for aiding operators in recognizing and diagnosing possible test set hardware problems (as opposed to on-chip failures) have also been implemented.
Grain-boundary engineering markedly reduces susceptibility to intergranular hydrogen embrittlement in metallic materials
Bechtle, Sabine; Kumar, Mukul; Somerday, Brian P.; Launey, Maximilien E.; Ritchie, Robert O.
The feasibility of using 'grain-boundary engineering' techniques to reduce the susceptibility of a metallic material to intergranular embrittlement in the presence of hydrogen is examined. Using thermomechanical processing, the fraction of 'special' grain boundaries was increased from 46% to 75% (by length) in commercially pure nickel samples. In the presence of hydrogen concentrations between 1200 and 3400 appm, the high special fraction microstructure showed almost double the tensile ductility; also, the proportion of intergranular fracture was significantly lower and the J{sub c} fracture toughness values were some 20-30% higher in comparison with the low special fraction microstructure. We attribute the reduction in the severity of hydrogen-induced intergranular embrittlement to the higher fraction of special grain boundaries, where the degree of hydrogen segregation at these boundaries is reduced.
Dynamic evaluation and control of blood clotting using a microfluidic platform for high-throughput diagnostics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Combariza, Miguel E.; Yu, Xinghuo; Nesbitt, Warwick; Tovar-Lopez, Francisco; Rabus, Dominik G.; Mitchell, Arnan
Microfluidic technology has the potential to revolutionise blood-clotting diagnostics by incorporating key physiological blood flow conditions like shear rate. In this paper we present a customised dynamic microfluidic system, which evaluates the blood clotting response to multiple conditions of shear rate on a single microchannel. The system can achieve high-throughput testing through use of an advanced fluid control system, which provides with rapid and precise regulation of the blood flow conditions in the platform. We present experimental results that demonstrate the potential of this platform to develop into a high-throughput, low-cost, blood-clotting diagnostics device.
Self-Assembled Cell Microarray (SAMcell) for High-Throughput RNAi Screening.
Zhang, Hanshuo; Li, Juan
RNAi has now become a valuable research tool for cell-based high-throughput screening. However, traditional RNAi high-throughput methods are based on multi-well plates, relying on expensive instruments and complicated operations. In this chapter, we describe a method termed self-assembled cell microarray (SAMcell), which integrates micro-fabrication, reverse transfection, and RNAi technologies and allows for cell behavior investigations to be performed directly on the cell chip. This method has been successfully employed to perform large-scale functional screening assays to identify gene modulators of cell migration, cell proliferation, and cellular apoptosis. PMID:27581287
High Throughput Proteomics Using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry
Qian, Weijun; Camp, David G.; Smith, Richard D.
The advent of high throughput proteomics technology for global detection and quantitation of proteins creates new opportunities and challenges for those seeking to gain greater understanding of cellular machinery. Here, we review recent advances in high-resolution capillary liquid chromatography coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry along with its potential application to high throughput proteomics. These technological advances combined with quantitative stable isotope labeling methodologies provide powerful tools for expanding our understanding of biology at the system-level.
Express primer tool for high-throughput gene cloning and expression.
Yoon, J. R.; Laible, P. D.; Gu, M.; Scott, H. N.; Collart, F. R.; Biosciences Division
High-throughput approaches for gene cloning and expression require the development of new nonstandard tools for molecular biologists and biochemists. We introduce a Web-based tool to design primers specifically for the generation of expression clones for both laboratory-scale and high-throughput projects. The application is designed not only to allow the user complete flexibility to specify primer design parameters but also to minimize the amount of manual intervention needed to generate a large number of primers for the simultaneous amplification of multiple target genes.
High-throughput detection of DNA double-strand breaks using image cytometry
Fowler, Tyler L.; Bailey, Alison M.; Bednarz, Bryan P.; Kimple, Randall J.
Assessment of γH2AX expression for studying DNA double-strand break formation is often performed by manual counting of foci using immunofluorescence microscopy, an approach that is laborious and subject to significant foci selection bias. Here we present a novel high-throughput method for detecting DNA double-strand breaks using automated image cytometry assessment of cell average γH2AX immunofluorescence. Our technique provides an expedient, high-throughput, objective, and cost-effective method for γH2AX analysis. PMID:25605579
High-throughput detection of DNA double-strand breaks using image cytometry.
Fowler, Tyler L; Bailey, Alison M; Bednarz, Bryan P; Kimple, Randall J
Assessment of γH2AX expression for studying DNA double-strand break formation is often performed by manual counting of foci using immunofluorescence microscopy, an approach that is laborious and subject to significant foci selection bias. Here we present a novel high-throughput method for detecting DNA double-strand breaks using automated image cytometry assessment of cell average γH2AX immunofluorescence. Our technique provides an expedient, high-throughput, objective, and cost-effective method for γH2AX analysis. PMID:25605579
High-throughput operando Raman-quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) system to screen catalytic systems.
García-Casado, Manuel; Prieto, José; Vico-Ruiz, Emilio; Lozano-Diz, Enrique; Goberna-Selma, Consuelo; Bañares, Miguel A
This paper describes the design and setup of a high-throughput Raman system for an array of eight parallel catalytic reactors during reaction conditions. The "operando" methodology combines in situ spectroscopy during catalytic reaction with a simultaneous activity measurement. The high-throughput operando Raman system, multi-operando, is a device that automates this operando methodology for several catalyst samples at the same time, all samples being in the same reaction conditions. We describe how the system is made, how Raman system positions and acquires spectra, and how each reactor outlet gas is selected and analyzed. PMID:24405956
High throughput materials research and development: a growing effort at NIST
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hewes, John D.; Bendersky, Leonid A.
The US private sector has indicated that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a role to play in facilitating the implementation of high throughput experimentation, e.g. using combinatorial methods. The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is currently funding research projects in high throughput discovery of catalysts, electronic materials, and polymer coatings internally and externally to NIST. The NIST Measurement and Standards Laboratories (MSL) is actively pursuing research in electronic materials and organic polymers. This presentation presents details on these efforts at NIST.
Accelerating Virtual High-Throughput Ligand Docking: current technology and case study on a petascale supercomputer
Ellingson, Sally R.; Dakshanamurthy, Sivanesan; Brown, Milton; Smith, Jeremy C.
In this paper we give the current state of high-throughput virtual screening. We describe a case study of using a task-parallel MPI (Message Passing Interface) version of Autodock4 [1], [2] to run a virtual high-throughput screen of one-million compounds on the Jaguar Cray XK6 Supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We include a description of scripts developed to increase the efficiency of the predocking file preparation and postdocking analysis. A detailed tutorial, scripts, and source code for this MPI version of Autodock4 are available online at http://www.bio.utk.edu/baudrylab/autodockmpi.htm. PMID:24729746
Perspective: Composition-structure-property mapping in high-throughput experiments: Turning data into knowledge
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hattrick-Simpers, Jason R.; Gregoire, John M.; Kusne, A. Gilad
With their ability to rapidly elucidate composition-structure-property relationships, high-throughput experimental studies have revolutionized how materials are discovered, optimized, and commercialized. It is now possible to synthesize and characterize high-throughput libraries that systematically address thousands of individual cuts of fabrication parameter space. An unresolved issue remains transforming structural characterization data into phase mappings. This difficulty is related to the complex information present in diffraction and spectroscopic data and its variation with composition and processing. We review the field of automated phase diagram attribution and discuss the impact that emerging computational approaches will have in the generation of phase diagrams and beyond.
High-throughput screening of thin-film semiconductor material libraries II: characterization of Fe-W-O libraries.
Meyer, Robert; Sliozberg, Kirill; Khare, Chinmay; Schuhmann, Wolfgang; Ludwig, Alfred
Metal oxides are promising materials for solar water splitting. To identify suitable materials within the ternary system FeWO, thin-film material libraries with combined thickness and compositional gradients were synthesized by combinatorial reactive magnetron sputtering. These libraries (>1000 different samples) were investigated by means of structural and functional high-throughput characterization techniques to establish correlations between composition, crystallinity, morphology, thickness, and photocurrent density in the compositional range between (Fe6 W94 )Ox and (Fe61 W39 )Ox . In addition to the well-known phase WO3 , the binary phase W5 O14 and the ternary phase Fe2 O6 W show enhanced photoelectrochemical activity. The highest photocurrent density of 65 μA cm(-2) was achieved for the composition (Fe15 W85 )Ox , which contains the W5 O14 phase and has a thickness of 1060 nm. PMID:25727483
Readout technologies for highly miniaturized kinase assays applicable to high-throughput screening in a 1536-well format.
Klumpp, Martin; Boettcher, Andreas; Becker, Damaris; Meder, Gabriele; Blank, Jutta; Leder, Lukas; Forstner, Michael; Ottl, Johannes; Mayr, Lorenz M
This article discusses the development of homogeneous, miniaturized assays for the identification of novel kinase inhibitors from very large compound collections. In particular, the suitability of time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-RET) based on phospho-specific antibodies, an antibody-independent fluorescence polarization (FP) approach using metal-coated beads (IMAP technology), and the determination of adenosine triphosphate consumption through chemiluminescence is evaluated. These readouts are compared with regard to assay sensitivity, compound interference, reagent consumption, and performance in a 1536-well format, and practical considerations for their application in primary screening or in the identification of kinase substrates are discussed. All of the tested technologies were found to be suitable for miniaturized high-throughput screening (HTS) in principle, but each of them has distinct limitations and advantages. Therefore, the target-specific selection of the most appropriate readout technology is recommended to ensure maximal relevance of HTS campaigns. PMID:16760365
High throughput exploration of process-property linkages in Al-6061 using instrumented spherical microindentation and microstructurally graded samples
Weaver, Jordan S.; Khosravani, Ali; Castillo, Andrew; Kalidindi, Surya R.
Recent spherical nanoindentation protocols have proven robust at capturing the local elastic-plastic response of polycrystalline metal samples at length scales much smaller than the grain size. In this work, we extend these protocols to length scales that include multiple grains to recover microindentation stress-strain curves. These new protocols are first established in this paper and then demonstrated for Al-6061 by comparing the measured indentation stress-strain curves with the corresponding measurements from uniaxial tension tests. More specifically, the scaling factors between the uniaxial yield strength and the indentation yield strength was determined to be about 1.9, which is significantly lower thanmore » the value of 2.8 used commonly in literature. Furthermore, the reasons for this difference are discussed. Second, the benefits of these new protocols in facilitating high throughput exploration of process-property relationships are demonstrated through a simple case study.« less
An investigation of the elevated temperature cracking susceptibility of alloy C-22 weld-metal
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gallagher, Morgan Leo
Alloy C-22 is one of the most corrosion resistant Ni-Cr-Mo alloys available today, and is particularly versatile. As a result, Alloy C-22 is being considered for use in the construction of storage canisters for permanent disposal of radioactive waste in the Yucca Mountain Project. However, in such a critical application, weld related defects (such as these two forms of cracking) are simply unacceptable. Solidification cracking occurs when weld shrinkage strains are applied to liquid films that result from microsegregation during solidification. Many nickel-base alloys are susceptible to solidification cracking since they solidify as austenite and many of their alloying additions partition during solidification and form low melting eutectic constituents. The transvarestraint test was used to quantify the susceptibility of Alloy C-22 to solidification cracking. The solidification cracking temperature range (SCTR) was found to be approximately 50°C (90°F); this SCTR predicts that Alloy-C-22 will have only slightly higher susceptibility than known crack-resistant alloys, such as duplex stainless-steel 2205 and austenitic stainless-steel Type 304 (FN6). Ductility-dip cracking (DDC) is a solid-state cracking phenomenon that occurs below the effective solidus temperature in highly restrained austenitic alloys. Although this type of cracking is relatively uncommon, it can be costly in critical applications where there is a low tolerance for defects. This investigation used two separate tests to quantify the susceptibility of the alloy to DDC: the hot-ductility test and the strain-to-fracture (STF) test. The hot-ductility test revealed that Alloy C-22 weld-metal exhibits an intermediate temperature ductility-dip, with ductility recovery at the upper end of the testing temperature range. The ductility minimum in the hot-ductility tests occurred around 950°C (1742°F) in both the on-heating and on-cooling tests. The strain-to-fracture test also revealed Alloy C-22 to be
A high-throughput, precipitating colorimetric sandwich ELISA microarray for shiga toxins
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Shiga toxins 1 and 2 (Stx1 and Stx2) from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria were simultaneously detected with a newly developed, high-throughput antibody microarray platform. The proteinaceous toxins were immobilized and sandwiched between biorecognition elements (monoclonal antibodies)...
A novel high-throughput irradiator for in vitro radiation sensitivity bioassays
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fowler, Tyler L.
Given the emphasis on more personalized radiation therapy there is an ongoing and compelling need to develop high-throughput screening tools to further examine the biological effects of ionizing radiation on cells, tissues and organ systems in either the research or clinical setting. Conventional x-ray irradiators are designed to provide maximum versatility to radiobiology researchers, typically accommodating small animals, tissue or blood samples, and cellular applications. This added versatility often impedes the overall sensitivity and specificity of an experiment resulting in a trade-off between the number of absorbed doses (or dose rates) and biological endpoints that can be investigated in vitro in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, modern irradiator designs are incompatible with current high-throughput bioassay technologies. Furthermore, important dosimetry and calibration characteristics (i.e. dose build-up region, beam attenuation, and beam scatter) of these irradiators are typically unknown to the end user, which can lead to significant deviation between delivered dose and intended dose to cells that adversely impact experimental results. Therefore, the overarching goal of this research is to design and develop a robust and fully automated high-throughput irradiator for in vitro radiation sensitivity investigations. Additionally, in vitro biological validation of this system was performed by assessing intracellular reactive oxygen species production, physical DNA double strand breaks, and activation of cellular DNA repair mechanisms. Finally, the high-throughput irradiator was used to investigate autophagic flux, a cellular adaptive response, as a potential biomarker of radiation sensitivity.
What Is High-Throughput Virtual Screening? A Perspective from Organic Materials Discovery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pyzer-Knapp, Edward O.; Suh, Changwon; Gómez-Bombarelli, Rafael; Aguilera-Iparraguirre, Jorge; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán
A philosophy for defining what constitutes a virtual high-throughput screen is discussed, and the choices that influence decisions at each stage of the computational funnel are investigated, including an in-depth discussion of the generation of molecular libraries. Additionally, we provide advice on the storing, analysis, and visualization of data on the basis of extensive experience in our research group.
High-throughput imaging of heterogeneous cell organelles with an X-ray laser
Hantke, Max, F.
Preprocessed detector images that were used for the paper "High-throughput imaging of heterogeneous cell organelles with an X-ray laser". The CXI file contains the entire recorded data - including both hits and blanks. It also includes down-sampled images and LCLS machine parameters. Additionally, the Cheetah configuration file is attached that was used to create the pre-processed data.
High-throughput screening assays for antibacterial and antifungal activities of Lactobacillus species.
Inglin, Raffael C; Stevens, Marc J A; Meile, Lukas; Lacroix, Christophe; Meile, Leo
We describe high-throughput screening techniques to rapidly detect either antimicrobial activity, using an agar-well diffusion assay in microtiter plates, or antifungal activity using an agar-spot assay in 24-well plates. 504 Lactobacillus isolates were screened with minimal laboratory equipment and screening rates of 2000-5000 individual antimicrobial interactions. PMID:25937247
High throughput system for magnetic manipulation of cells, polymers, and biomaterials.
Spero, Richard Chasen; Vicci, Leandra; Cribb, Jeremy; Bober, David; Swaminathan, Vinay; O'Brien, E Timothy; Rogers, Stephen L; Superfine, R
In the past decade, high throughput screening (HTS) has changed the way biochemical assays are performed, but manipulation and mechanical measurement of micro- and nanoscale systems have not benefited from this trend. Techniques using microbeads (particles approximately 0.1-10 mum) show promise for enabling high throughput mechanical measurements of microscopic systems. We demonstrate instrumentation to magnetically drive microbeads in a biocompatible, multiwell magnetic force system. It is based on commercial HTS standards and is scalable to 96 wells. Cells can be cultured in this magnetic high throughput system (MHTS). The MHTS can apply independently controlled forces to 16 specimen wells. Force calibrations demonstrate forces in excess of 1 nN, predicted force saturation as a function of pole material, and powerlaw dependence of F approximately r(-2.7+/-0.1). We employ this system to measure the stiffness of SR2+ Drosophila cells. MHTS technology is a key step toward a high throughput screening system for micro- and nanoscale biophysical experiments. PMID:19044357
Quantitative in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation in a high-throughput environment.
Wetmore, Barbara A
High-throughput in vitro toxicity screening provides an efficient way to identify potential biological targets for environmental and industrial chemicals while conserving limited testing resources. However, reliance on the nominal chemical concentrations in these in vitro assays as an indicator of bioactivity may misrepresent potential in vivo effects of these chemicals due to differences in clearance, protein binding, bioavailability, and other pharmacokinetic factors. Development of high-throughput in vitro hepatic clearance and protein binding assays and refinement of quantitative in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation (QIVIVE) methods have provided key tools to predict xenobiotic steady state pharmacokinetics. Using a process known as reverse dosimetry, knowledge of the chemical steady state behavior can be incorporated with HTS data to determine the external in vivo oral exposure needed to achieve internal blood concentrations equivalent to those eliciting bioactivity in the assays. These daily oral doses, known as oral equivalents, can be compared to chronic human exposure estimates to assess whether in vitro bioactivity would be expected at the dose-equivalent level of human exposure. This review will describe the use of QIVIVE methods in a high-throughput environment and the promise they hold in shaping chemical testing priorities and, potentially, high-throughput risk assessment strategies. PMID:24907440
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Microsatellite DNA markers are widely used in genetic research but the genotyping cost with this marker system is high and the throughput is limited with conventional methods. The objective of this paper is to introduce a low-cost, high-throughput system developed in our laboratories for the detect...
High-throughput SNP genotyping with the GoldenGate assay in maize
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are abundant and evenly distributed, and they have become an ideal marker system for genetic research in many organisms. Several high throughput platforms have been developed that allow genotyping thousands to a million markers in parallel. In this study, a cus...
Quantitative high-throughput population dynamics in continuous-culture by automated microscopy.
Merritt, Jason; Kuehn, Seppe
We present a high-throughput method to measure abundance dynamics in microbial communities sustained in continuous-culture. Our method uses custom epi-fluorescence microscopes to automatically image single cells drawn from a continuously-cultured population while precisely controlling culture conditions. For clonal populations of Escherichia coli our instrument reveals history-dependent resilience and growth rate dependent aggregation. PMID:27616752
Environmental surveillance and monitoring--The next frontiers for high-throughput toxicology.
Schroeder, Anthony L; Ankley, Gerald T; Houck, Keith A; Villeneuve, Daniel L
High-throughput toxicity testing technologies along with the World Wide Web are revolutionizing both generation of and access to data regarding the biological activities that chemicals can elicit when they interact with specific proteins, genes, or other targets in the body of an organism. To date, however, most of the focus has been on the application of such data to assessment of individual chemicals. The authors suggest that environmental surveillance and monitoring represent the next frontiers for high-throughput toxicity testing. Resources already exist in curated databases of chemical-biological interactions, including highly standardized quantitative dose-response data generated from nascent high-throughput toxicity testing programs such as ToxCast and Tox21, to link chemicals detected through environmental analytical chemistry to known biological activities. The emergence of the adverse outcome pathway framework and the associated knowledge base for linking molecular-level or pathway-level perturbations of biological systems to adverse outcomes traditionally considered in risk assessment and regulatory decision-making through a series of measurable biological changes provides a critical link between activity and hazard. Furthermore, environmental samples can be directly analyzed via high-throughput toxicity testing platforms to provide an unprecedented breadth of biological activity characterization that integrates the effects of all compounds present in a mixture, whether known or not. Novel application of these chemical-biological interaction data provides an opportunity to transform scientific characterization of potential hazards associated with exposure to complex mixtures of environmental contaminants. PMID:26923854
ToxCast Workflow: High-throughput screening assay data processing, analysis and management (SOT)
US EPA's ToxCast program is generating data in high-throughput screening (HTS) and high-content screening (HCS) assays for thousands of environmental chemicals, for use in developing predictive toxicity models. Currently the ToxCast screening program includes over 1800 unique c...
High-Throughput/High-Content Screening Assays with Engineered Nanomaterials in ToxCast
High-throughput and high-content screens are attractive approaches for prioritizing nanomaterial hazards and informing targeted testing due to the impracticality of using traditional toxicological testing on the large numbers and varieties of nanomaterials. The ToxCast program a...
High-Throughput Models for Exposure-Based Chemical Prioritization in the ExpoCast Project
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) must characterize potential risks to human health and the environment associated with manufacture and use of thousands of chemicals. High-throughput screening (HTS) for biological activity allows the ToxCast research pr...
High-Throughput Dietary Exposure Predictions for Chemical Migrants from Food Packaging Materials
United States Environmental Protection Agency researchers have developed a Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation High -Throughput (SHEDS-HT) model for use in prioritization of chemicals under the ExpoCast program. In this research, new methods were implemented in SHEDS-HT...
High-throughput genotyping of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) utilising diversity arrays technology (DArT)
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Implementation of molecular methods in hop breeding is dependent on the availability of sizeable numbers of polymorphic markers and a comprehensive understanding of genetic variation. Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) is a high-throughput cost-effective method for the discovery of large numbers of...
An Improved, high-throughput method for detection of bluetongue virus RNA in Culicodes midges
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
A new rapid (less than 6 h from insect-to-results) high-throughput assay is reported that is sensitive and specific for detecting BTV RNA in Culicoides biting midges. Homogenization and extraction of nucleic acids from individual Culicoides specimens were performed in a 96-well plate format using sp...
Estimating Toxicity Pathway Activating Doses for High Throughput Chemical Risk Assessments
Estimating a Toxicity Pathway Activating Dose (TPAD) from in vitro assays as an analog to a reference dose (RfD) derived from in vivo toxicity tests would facilitate high throughput risk assessments of thousands of data-poor environmental chemicals. Estimating a TPAD requires def...
Chromosomal microarray analysis, or comparative genomic hybridization: A high throughput approach
Haeri, Mohammad; Gelowani, Violet; Beaudet, Arthur L.
Pathological copy number variants (CNVs) and point mutations are major genetic causes of hundreds of disorders. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) also known as chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is the best available tool to detect copy number variations in chromosomal make up. We have optimized several different protocols and introduce a high-throughput approach to perform a cost-effective, fast, high-throughput and high-quality CMA. We managed to reach to high quality arrays with 17 ± 0.04 (mean ± SD, n = 90) Derivative Log Ratio (DLR) spread, a measure of array quality (<0.20 considered as excellent) for our arrays. High-throughput and high-quality arrays are gaining more attention and the current manuscript is a step forward to this increasing demand.•This manuscript introduces a low cost, fast, efficient, high throughput and high-quality aCGH protocol;•This protocol provides specific instructions and crucial detail for processing up to 24 slides which is equal to 48, 96, or 192 arrays by only one person in one day;•This manuscript is accompanied with a step-by-step video. PMID:26862485
Perspectives on Validation of High-Throughput Assays Supporting 21st Century Toxicity Testing
In vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) assays are seeing increasing use in toxicity testing. HTS assays can simultaneously test many chemicals but have seen limited use in the regulatory arena, in part because of the need to undergo rigorous, time-consuming formal validation. ...
High-throughput genotoxicity assay identifies antioxidants as inducers of DNA damage response and cell death
Human ATAD5 is an excellent biomarker for identifying genotoxic compounds because ATADS protein levels increase post-transcriptionally following exposure to a variety of DNA damaging agents. Here we report a novel quantitative high-throughput ATAD5-Iuciferase assay that can moni...
Evaluation of food-relevant chemicals in the ToxCast high-throughput screening program
There are thousands of chemicals that are directly added to or come in contact with food, many of which have undergone little to no toxicological evaluation. The ToxCast high-throughput screening (HTS) program has evaluated over 1,800 chemicals in concentration-response across ~8...
High Throughput Prioritization for Integrated Toxicity Testing Based on ToxCast Chemical Profiling
The rational prioritization of chemicals for integrated toxicity testing is a central goal of the U.S. EPA's ToxCast™ program (http://epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/). ToxCast includes a wide-ranging battery of over 500 in vitro high-throughput screening assays which in Phase I was used to...
High-throughput procedure for single pollen grain collection and polymerase chain reaction in plants
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Single pollen grain PCR has succeeded in several species, however only a limited number (up to 60) pollen grains were involved due to difficulties in pollen isolation and lysis. This has limited its application in genetic analysis and mapping studies in plants. A high-throughput procedure for dete...
High throughput system for magnetic manipulation of cells, polymers, and biomaterials
Spero, Richard Chasen; Vicci, Leandra; Cribb, Jeremy; Bober, David; Swaminathan, Vinay; O'Brien, E. Timothy; Rogers, Stephen L.; Superfine, R.
In the past decade, high throughput screening (HTS) has changed the way biochemical assays are performed, but manipulation and mechanical measurement of micro- and nanoscale systems have not benefited from this trend. Techniques using microbeads (particles ∼0.1–10 μm) show promise for enabling high throughput mechanical measurements of microscopic systems. We demonstrate instrumentation to magnetically drive microbeads in a biocompatible, multiwell magnetic force system. It is based on commercial HTS standards and is scalable to 96 wells. Cells can be cultured in this magnetic high throughput system (MHTS). The MHTS can apply independently controlled forces to 16 specimen wells. Force calibrations demonstrate forces in excess of 1 nN, predicted force saturation as a function of pole material, and powerlaw dependence of F∼r−2.7±0.1. We employ this system to measure the stiffness of SR2+ Drosophila cells. MHTS technology is a key step toward a high throughput screening system for micro- and nanoscale biophysical experiments. PMID:19044357
Use of High-Throughput Testing and Approaches for Evaluating Chemical Risk-Relevance to Humans
ToxCast is profiling the bioactivity of thousands of chemicals based on high-throughput screening (HTS) and computational models that integrate knowledge of biological systems and in vivo toxicities. Many of these assays probe signaling pathways and cellular processes critical to...
High-Throughput Simulation of Environmental Chemical Fate for Exposure Prioritization (Annual Meeting of ISES)
The U.S. EPA must consider thousands of chemicals when allocating resources to assess risk in human populations and the environment. High-throughput screening assays to characterize biological activity in vitro are being implemented in the ToxCastTM program to rapidly characteri...
Hudson, R. Tod, Michael J. Hemmer, Kimberly A. Salinas, Sherry S. Wilkinson, James Watts, James T. Winstead, Peggy S. Harris, Amy Kirkpatrick and Calvin C. Walker. In press. Plasma Protein Profiling as a High Throughput Tool for Chemical Screening Using a Small Fish Model (Abstra...
AOPs and Biomarkers: Bridging High Throughput Screening and Regulatory Decision Making
As high throughput screening (HTS) plays a larger role in toxicity testing, camputational toxicology has emerged as a critical component in interpreting the large volume of data produced. Computational models designed to quantify potential adverse effects based on HTS data will b...
Thawing the Landscape of the Era of High Throughput: Signs of Spring?
Brady, Donald W
In his latest book, Dr. Kenneth Ludmerer examines the history of graduate medical education (GME) in the United States, including its "era of high throughput" during which residents admitted more patients for shorter periods of time as hospitals focused on decreasing length of stay secondary to prospective payment reform. The author of this Commentary considers the implications of the era of high throughput and how the U.S. health care system must change to address its lasting effects.The era of high throughput initially had incomplete penetrance across the health care system landscape and a variable effect on GME. Trainees were variably aware of the financial forces bearing down on the health care system. Over time, the pervasiveness of the financial pressures and managed care became more complete, and the ubiquity of information through the Internet and social media ensured that residents became more acutely aware of how the changes to the health care system were affecting their education. There is now an opportunity for GME to be the nidus for ushering in an era of cost consciousness focused on patient needs and higher-quality GME rather than on the financial pressures that characterized the era of high throughput. PMID:26164641
High-throughput Raman chemical imaging for rapid evaluation of food safety and quality
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
High-throughput macro-scale Raman chemical imaging was realized on a newly developed line-scan hyperspectral system. The system utilizes a custom-designed 785 nm line laser with maximum power of 5 W as an excitation source. A 24 cm × 1 mm excitation line is normally projected on the sample surface u...
High Resolution Genotyping of Campylobacter Using PCR and High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
In this work we report a high throughput mass spectrometry-based technique for rapid high resolution strain identification of Campylobacter jejuni. This method readily distinguishes C. jejuni from C. coli, has comparable resolving power to multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), is applicable to mixtur...
Improved high-throughput bioassay for Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
As we gain more information through functional genomic studies of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), we need a high throughput bioassay system to screen potential biopesticides. R. dominica is an internal feeder during immature stages and presents unique challenges with traditional bioassay methods. Our pri...
High-Throughput In Vitro Glycoside Hydrolase (HIGH) Screening for Enzyme Discovery
Kim, Tae-Wan; Chokhawala, Harshal A.; Hess, Matthias; Dana, Craig M.; Baer, Zachary; Sczyrba, Alexander; Rubin, Edward M.; Blanch, Harvey W.; Clark, Douglas S.
A high-throughput protein-expression and screening method (HIGH method, see picture) provides a rapid approach to the discovery of active glycoside hydrolases in environmental samples. Finally, HIGH screening combines cloning, protein expression, and enzyme hydrolysis in one pot; thus, the entire process from gene expression to activity detection requires only three hours.
High Throughput Genotoxicity Profiling of the US EPA ToxCast Chemical Library
A key aim of the ToxCast project is to investigate modern molecular and genetic high content and high throughput screening (HTS) assays, along with various computational tools to supplement and perhaps replace traditional assays for evaluating chemical toxicity. Genotoxicity is a...
High-throughput measurements of the optical redox ratio using a commercial microplate reader
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cannon, Taylor M.; Shah, Amy T.; Walsh, Alex J.; Skala, Melissa C.
There is a need for accurate, high-throughput, functional measures to gauge the efficacy of potential drugs in living cells. As an early marker of drug response in cells, cellular metabolism provides an attractive platform for high-throughput drug testing. Optical techniques can noninvasively monitor NADH and FAD, two autofluorescent metabolic coenzymes. The autofluorescent redox ratio, defined as the autofluorescence intensity of NADH divided by that of FAD, quantifies relative rates of cellular glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. However, current microscopy methods for redox ratio quantification are time-intensive and low-throughput, limiting their practicality in drug screening. Alternatively, high-throughput commercial microplate readers quickly measure fluorescence intensities for hundreds of wells. This study found that a commercial microplate reader can differentiate the receptor status of breast cancer cell lines (p<0.05) based on redox ratio measurements without extrinsic contrast agents. Furthermore, microplate reader redox ratio measurements resolve response (p<0.05) and lack of response (p>0.05) in cell lines that are responsive and nonresponsive, respectively, to the breast cancer drug trastuzumab. These studies indicate that the microplate readers can be used to measure the redox ratio in a high-throughput manner and are sensitive enough to detect differences in cellular metabolism that are consistent with microscopy results.
Incorporating Human Dosimetry and Exposure into High-Throughput In Vitro Toxicity Screening
Many chemicals in commerce today have undergone limited or no safety testing. To reduce the number of untested chemicals and prioritize limited testing resources, several governmental programs are using high-throughput in vitro screens for assessing chemical effects across multip...
High-Throughput Exposure Potential Prioritization for ToxCast Chemicals
The U.S. EPA must consider lists of hundreds to thousands of chemicals when prioritizing research resources in order to identify risk to human populations and the environment. High-throughput assays to identify biological activity in vitro have allowed the ToxCastTM program to i...
The Impact of Data Fragmentation on High-Throughput Clinical Phenotyping
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wei, Weiqi
Subject selection is essential and has become the rate-limiting step for harvesting knowledge to advance healthcare through clinical research. Present manual approaches inhibit researchers from conducting deep and broad studies and drawing confident conclusions. High-throughput clinical phenotyping (HTCP), a recently proposed approach, leverages…
High-Throughput Simulation of Environmental Chemical Fate for Exposure Prioritization
The U.S. EPA must consider lists of hundreds to thousands of chemicals when allocating resources to identify risk in human populations and the environment. High-throughput screening assays to characterize biological activity in vitro have allowed the ToxCastTM program to identify...
High-Throughput Toxicokinetics (HTTK) R package (CompTox CoP presentation)
Toxicokinetics (TK) provides a bridge between HTS and HTE by predicting tissue concentrations due to exposure, but traditional TK methods are resource intensive. Relatively high throughput TK (HTTK) methods have been used by the pharmaceutical industry to determine range of effic...
Accelerating the Design of Solar Thermal Fuel Materials through High Throughput Simulations
Liu, Y; Grossman, JC
Solar thermal fuels (STF) store the energy of sunlight, which can then be released later in the form of heat, offering an emission-free and renewable solution for both solar energy conversion and storage. However, this approach is currently limited by the lack of low-cost materials with high energy density and high stability. In this Letter, we present an ab initio high-throughput computational approach to accelerate the design process and allow for searches over a broad class of materials. The high-throughput screening platform we have developed can run through large numbers of molecules composed of earth-abundant elements and identifies possible metastable structures of a given material. Corresponding isomerization enthalpies associated with the metastable structures are then computed. Using this high-throughput simulation approach, we have discovered molecular structures with high isomerization enthalpies that have the potential to be new candidates for high-energy density STF. We have also discovered physical principles to guide further STF materials design through structural analysis. More broadly, our results illustrate the potential of using high-throughput ab initio simulations to design materials that undergo targeted structural transitions.
Environmental surveillance and monitoring. The next frontiers for high-throughput toxicology
High throughput toxicity testing (HTT) technologies along with the world-wide web are revolutionizing both generation and access to data regarding the bioactivities that chemicals can elicit when they interact with specific proteins, genes, or other targets in the body of an orga...
Cysteine (Cys) residues often play critical roles in proteins; however, identification of their specific functions has been limited to case-by-case experimental approaches. We developed a procedure for high-throughput identification of catalytic redox-active Cys in proteins by se...
Development of a thyroperoxidase inhibition assay for high-throughput screening
High-throughput screening (HTPS) assays to detect inhibitors of thyroperoxidase (TPO), the enzymatic catalyst for thyroid hormone (TH) synthesis, are not currently available. Herein we describe the development of a HTPS TPO inhibition assay. Rat thyroid microsomes and a fluores...
A High-Throughput MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry-Based Assay of Chitinase Activity
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
A high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric assay is described for assay of chitolytic enzyme activity. The assay uses unmodified chitin oligosaccharide substrates, and is readily achievable on a microliter scale (2 µL total volume, containing 2 µg of substrate and 1 ng of protein). The speed a...
A click chemistry-based microRNA maturation assay optimized for high-throughput screening.
Lorenz, Daniel A; Garner, Amanda L
Catalytic enzyme-linked click-chemistry assays (cat-ELCCA) are an emerging class of biochemical assay. Herein we report on expanding the toolkit of cat-ELCCA to include the kinetically superior inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction. The result is a technology with improved sensitivity and reproducibility, enabling automated high-throughput screening. PMID:27284591
Environmental surveillance and monitoring the next frontier for pathway-based high throughput screening
In response to a proposed vision and strategy for toxicity testing in the 21st century nascent high throughput toxicology (HTT) programs have tested thousands of chemicals in hundreds of pathway-based biological assays. Although, to date, use of HTT data for safety assessment of ...
A genome-enabled, high-throughput, and multiplexed fingerprinting platform for strawberry (Fragaria L.)
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Strawberry (Fragaria L.) genotypes bear remarkable phenotypic similarity, even across ploidy levels. Additionally, breeding programs seek to introgress alleles from wild germplasm, so objective molecular description of genetic variation has great value. In this report, a high-throughput, robust prot...
Predictive Model of Rat Reproductive Toxicity from ToxCast High Throughput Screening
The EPA ToxCast research program uses high throughput screening for bioactivity profiling and predicting the toxicity of large numbers of chemicals. ToxCast Phase‐I tested 309 well‐characterized chemicals in over 500 assays for a wide range of molecular targets and cellular respo...
High throughput nano-liter RT-qPCR to classify soil contamination using a soil arthropod
Background To incorporate genomics data into environmental assessments a mechanistic perspective of interactions between chemicals and induced biological processes needs to be developed. Since chemical compounds with structural similarity often induce comparable biological responses in exposed animals, gene expression signatures can serve as a starting point for the assessment of chemicals and their toxicity, but only when relevant and stable gene panels are available. To design such a panel, we isolated differentially expressed gene fragments from the soil arthropod Folsomia candida, a species often used for ecotoxicological testing. Animals were exposed to two chemically distinct compounds, being a metal (cadmium) and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (phenanthrene). We investigated the affected molecular responses resulting from either treatment and developed and validated 44 qPCR assays for their responses using a high throughput nano-liter RT-qPCR platform for the analysis of the samples. Results Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to retrieve stress-related gene fragments. SSH libraries revealed pathways involved in mitochondrial dysfunction and protein degradation for cadmium and biotransformation for phenanthrene to be overrepresented. Amongst a small cluster of SSH-derived cadmium responsive markers were an inflammatory response protein and an endo-glucanase. Conversely, cytochrome P450 family 6 or 9 was specifically induced by phenanthrene. Differential expressions of these candidate biomarkers were also highly significant in the independently generated test sample set. Toxicity levels in different training samples were not reflected by any of the markers' intensity of expressions. Though, a model based on partial least squares differential analysis (PLS-DA) (with RMSEPs between 9 and 22% and R2s between 0.82 and 0.97) using gene expressions of 25 important qPCR assays correctly predicted the nature of exposures of test samples
Applications of high throughput (combinatorial) methodologies to electronic, magnetic, optical, and energy-related materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Green, Martin L.; Takeuchi, Ichiro; Hattrick-Simpers, Jason R.
High throughput (combinatorial) materials science methodology is a relatively new research paradigm that offers the promise of rapid and efficient materials screening, optimization, and discovery. The paradigm started in the pharmaceutical industry but was rapidly adopted to accelerate materials research in a wide variety of areas. High throughput experiments are characterized by synthesis of a "library" sample that contains the materials variation of interest (typically composition), and rapid and localized measurement schemes that result in massive data sets. Because the data are collected at the same time on the same "library" sample, they can be highly uniform with respect to fixed processing parameters. This article critically reviews the literature pertaining to applications of combinatorial materials science for electronic, magnetic, optical, and energy-related materials. It is expected that high throughput methodologies will facilitate commercialization of novel materials for these critically important applications. Despite the overwhelming evidence presented in this paper that high throughput studies can effectively inform commercial practice, in our perception, it remains an underutilized research and development tool. Part of this perception may be due to the inaccessibility of proprietary industrial research and development practices, but clearly the initial cost and availability of high throughput laboratory equipment plays a role. Combinatorial materials science has traditionally been focused on materials discovery, screening, and optimization to combat the extremely high cost and long development times for new materials and their introduction into commerce. Going forward, combinatorial materials science will also be driven by other needs such as materials substitution and experimental verification of materials properties predicted by modeling and simulation, which have recently received much attention with the advent of the Materials Genome
Automated High Throughput Protein Crystallization Screening at Nanoliter Scale and Protein Structural Study on Lactate Dehydrogenase
Fenglei Li
The purposes of our research were: (1) To develop an economical, easy to use, automated, high throughput system for large scale protein crystallization screening. (2) To develop a new protein crystallization method with high screening efficiency, low protein consumption and complete compatibility with high throughput screening system. (3) To determine the structure of lactate dehydrogenase complexed with NADH by x-ray protein crystallography to study its inherent structural properties. Firstly, we demonstrated large scale protein crystallization screening can be performed in a high throughput manner with low cost, easy operation. The overall system integrates liquid dispensing, crystallization and detection and serves as a whole solution to protein crystallization screening. The system can dispense protein and multiple different precipitants in nanoliter scale and in parallel. A new detection scheme, native fluorescence, has been developed in this system to form a two-detector system with a visible light detector for detecting protein crystallization screening results. This detection scheme has capability of eliminating common false positives by distinguishing protein crystals from inorganic crystals in a high throughput and non-destructive manner. The entire system from liquid dispensing, crystallization to crystal detection is essentially parallel, high throughput and compatible with automation. The system was successfully demonstrated by lysozyme crystallization screening. Secondly, we developed a new crystallization method with high screening efficiency, low protein consumption and compatibility with automation and high throughput. In this crystallization method, a gas permeable membrane is employed to achieve the gentle evaporation required by protein crystallization. Protein consumption is significantly reduced to nanoliter scale for each condition and thus permits exploring more conditions in a phase diagram for given amount of protein. In addition
Time-domain response of a metal detector to a target buried in soil with frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Das, Y.
The work reported in this paper is a part of on-going studies to clarify how and to what extent soil electromagnetic properties affect the performance of induction metal detectors widely used in humanitarian demining. This paper studies the specific case of the time-domain response of a small metallic sphere buried in a non-conducting soil half-space with frequency-dependent complex magnetic susceptibility. The sphere is chosen as a simple prototype for the small metal parts in low-metal landmines, while soil with dispersive magnetic susceptibility is a good model for some soils that are known to adversely affect the performance of metal detectors. The included analysis and computations extend previous work which has been done mostly in the frequency domain. Approximate theoretical expressions for weakly magnetic soils are found to fit the experimental data very well, which allowed the estimation of soil model parameters, albeit in an ad hoc manner. Soil signal is found to exceed target signal (due to an aluminum sphere of radius 0.0127 m) in many cases, even for the weakly magnetic Cambodian laterite used in the experiments. How deep a buried target is detected depends on many other factors in addition to the relative strength of soil and target signals. A general statement cannot thus be made regarding detectability of a target in soil based on the presented results. However, computational results complemented with experimental data extend the understanding of the effect that soil has on metal detectors.
Label-Free Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Approach for High-Throughput Screening of Biocatalysts.
Westley, Chloe; Xu, Yun; Carnell, Andrew J; Turner, Nicholas J; Goodacre, Royston
Biocatalyst discovery and directed evolution are central to many pharmaceutical research programs, yet the lack of robust high-throughput screening methods for large libraries of enzyme variants generated (typically 10(6)-10(8)) has hampered progress and slowed enzyme optimization. We have developed a label-free generally applicable approach based on Raman spectroscopy which results in significant reductions in acquisition times (>30-fold). Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is employed to monitor the enzyme-catalyzed conversion by xanthine oxidase of hypoxanthine to xanthine to uric acid. This approach measures the substrates and products directly and does not require chromogenic substrates or lengthy chromatography, was successfully benchmarked against HPLC, and shows high levels of accuracy and reproducibility. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this SERS approach has utility in monitoring enzyme inhibition illustrating additional medical significance to this high-throughput screening method. PMID:27132981
Robust, high-throughput solution structural analyses by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
Hura, Greg L.; Menon, Angeli L.; Hammel, Michal; Rambo, Robert P.; Poole II, Farris L.; Tsutakawa, Susan E.; Jenney Jr, Francis E.; Classen, Scott; Frankel, Kenneth A.; Hopkins, Robert C.; Yang, Sungjae; Scott, Joseph W.; Dillard, Bret D.; Adams, Michael W. W.; Tainer, John A.
We present an efficient pipeline enabling high-throughput analysis of protein structure in solution with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Our SAXS pipeline combines automated sample handling of microliter volumes, temperature and anaerobic control, rapid data collection and data analysis, and couples structural analysis with automated archiving. We subjected 50 representative proteins, mostly from Pyrococcus furiosus, to this pipeline and found that 30 were multimeric structures in solution. SAXS analysis allowed us to distinguish aggregated and unfolded proteins, define global structural parameters and oligomeric states for most samples, identify shapes and similar structures for 25 unknown structures, and determine envelopes for 41 proteins. We believe that high-throughput SAXS is an enabling technology that may change the way that structural genomics research is done.
High-throughput sequencing for 1-methyladenosine (m(1)A) mapping in RNA.
Tserovski, Lyudmil; Marchand, Virginie; Hauenschild, Ralf; Blanloeil-Oillo, Florence; Helm, Mark; Motorin, Yuri
Detection and mapping of modified nucleotides in RNAs is a difficult and laborious task. Several physico-chemical approaches based on differential properties of modified nucleotides can be used, however, most of these methods do not allow high-throughput analysis. Here we describe in details a method for mapping of rather common 1-methyladenosine (m(1)A) residues using high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS). Since m(1)A residues block primer extension during reverse transcription (RT), the accumulation of abortive products as well as the nucleotide misincorporation can be detected in the sequencing data. The described library preparation protocol allows to capture both types of cDNA products essential for further bioinformatic analysis. We demonstrate that m(1)A residues produce characteristic arrest and mismatch rates and combination of both can be used for their detection as well as for discrimination of m(1)A from other modified A residues present in RNAs. PMID:26922842
Fully automatized high-throughput enzyme library screening using a robotic platform.
Dörr, Mark; Fibinger, Michael P C; Last, Daniel; Schmidt, Sandy; Santos-Aberturas, Javier; Böttcher, Dominique; Hummel, Anke; Vickers, Clare; Voss, Moritz; Bornscheuer, Uwe T
A fully automatized robotic platform has been established to facilitate high-throughput screening for protein engineering purposes. This platform enables proper monitoring and control of growth conditions in the microtiter plate format to ensure precise enzyme production for the interrogation of enzyme mutant libraries, protein stability tests and multiple assay screenings. The performance of this system has been exemplified for four enzyme classes important for biocatalysis such as Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase, transaminase, dehalogenase and acylase in the high-throughput screening of various mutant libraries. This allowed the identification of novel enzyme variants in a sophisticated and highly reliable manner. Furthermore, the detailed optimization protocols should enable other researchers to adapt and improve their methods. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1421-1432. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26724475
Flat field correction for high-throughput imaging of fluorescent samples.
Kask, Peet; Palo, Kaupo; Hinnah, Chris; Pommerencke, Thora
Vignetting of microscopic images impacts both the visual impression of the images and any image analysis applied to it. Especially in high-throughput screening high demands are made on an automated image analysis. In our work we focused on fluorescent samples and found that two profiles (background and foreground) for each imaging channel need to be estimated to achieve a sufficiently flat image after correction. We have developed a method which runs completely unsupervised on a wide range of assays. By adding a reliable internal quality control we mitigate the risk of introducing artefacts into sample images through correction. The method requires hundreds of images for the foreground profile, thus limiting its application to high-throughput screening where this requirement is fulfilled in routine operation. PMID:27028041
High Throughput Screening Identifies Novel Lead Compounds with Activity against Larval, Juvenile and Adult Schistosoma mansoni.
Mansour, Nuha R; Paveley, Ross; Gardner, J Mark F; Bell, Andrew S; Parkinson, Tanya; Bickle, Quentin
An estimated 600 million people are affected by the helminth disease schistosomiasis caused by parasites of the genus Schistosoma. There is currently only one drug recommended for treating schistosomiasis, praziquantel (PZQ), which is effective against adult worms but not against the juvenile stage. In an attempt to identify improved drugs for treating the disease, we have carried out high throughput screening of a number of small molecule libraries with the aim of identifying lead compounds with balanced activity against all life stages of Schistosoma. A total of almost 300,000 compounds were screened using a high throughput assay based on motility of worm larvae and image analysis of assay plates. Hits were screened against juvenile and adult worms to identify broadly active compounds and against a mammalian cell line to assess cytotoxicity. A number of compounds were identified as promising leads for further chemical optimization. PMID:27128493
High Throughput Screening Identifies Novel Lead Compounds with Activity against Larval, Juvenile and Adult Schistosoma mansoni
Gardner, J. Mark F.; Bell, Andrew S.; Parkinson, Tanya; Bickle, Quentin
An estimated 600 million people are affected by the helminth disease schistosomiasis caused by parasites of the genus Schistosoma. There is currently only one drug recommended for treating schistosomiasis, praziquantel (PZQ), which is effective against adult worms but not against the juvenile stage. In an attempt to identify improved drugs for treating the disease, we have carried out high throughput screening of a number of small molecule libraries with the aim of identifying lead compounds with balanced activity against all life stages of Schistosoma. A total of almost 300,000 compounds were screened using a high throughput assay based on motility of worm larvae and image analysis of assay plates. Hits were screened against juvenile and adult worms to identify broadly active compounds and against a mammalian cell line to assess cytotoxicity. A number of compounds were identified as promising leads for further chemical optimization. PMID:27128493
High throughput strategy to identify inhibitors of histone-binding domains
Wagner, Elise K.; Albaugh, Brittany N.; Denu, John M.
Many epigenetic proteins recognize the posttranslational modification state of chromatin through their histone binding domains, and thereby recruit nuclear complexes to specific loci within the genome. A number of these domains have been implicated in cancer and other diseases through aberrant binding of chromatin; therefore, identifying small molecules that disrupt histone binding could be a powerful mechanism for disease therapy. We have developed a high throughput assay for the detection of histone peptide:domain interactions utilizing AlphaScreen technology. Here, we describe how the assay can be first optimized and then performed for high throughput screening of small molecule binding inhibitors. We also describe strategies for biochemical validation of small molecules identified. PMID:22910207
Stationary phases with special structural properties for high-throughput separation techniques: preparation, characterization and applications.
Buszewski, Boguslaw; Welerowicz, Tomasz
Stationary phases with specific structural properties for high-throughput liquid chromatographic (LC) techniques are described. Special attention was paid to phases with special structural properties, mainly containing internal functional group (e.g. amide). Such materials are generally called "embedded phases". There are phases created in amidation process of aminopropylated silica gel, especially phases based on biological compounds, like phospholipids and cholesterol, which are called immobilized artificial membranes (IAM's). The synthesis and applications of polar embedded amide LC stationary phases were also reviewed. Methods of characterization of synthesized packing materials were presented, with general focusing on spectroscopic measurements like (13C and 29Si CP/MAS NMR and FT-IR), elemental and thermal analysis as well as chromatographic quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) and extended chemometric tests. The potential applications of various dedicated stationary phases in a high-throughput LC screening procedures were also presented. PMID:15200378
A High-Throughput Microfluidic Platform for Mammalian Cell Transfection and Culturing
Woodruff, Kristina; Maerkl, Sebastian J.
Mammalian synthetic biology could be augmented through the development of high-throughput microfluidic systems that integrate cellular transfection, culturing, and imaging. We created a microfluidic chip that cultures cells and implements 280 independent transfections at up to 99% efficiency. The chip can perform co-transfections, in which the number of cells expressing each protein and the average protein expression level can be precisely tuned as a function of input DNA concentration and synthetic gene circuits can be optimized on chip. We co-transfected four plasmids to test a histidine kinase signaling pathway and mapped the dose dependence of this network on the level of one of its constituents. The chip is readily integrated with high-content imaging, enabling the evaluation of cellular behavior and protein expression dynamics over time. These features make the transfection chip applicable to high-throughput mammalian protein and synthetic biology studies. PMID:27030663
A simple and inexpensive encapsulation route for high-throughput characterization of organic photovoltaic devices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nikiforov, Maxim P.; Darling, Seth B.
Currently, the field of organic photovoltaics experiences tremendous growth because this technology offers competitive efficiency of light - to - energy conversion and compliance with requirements for high-throughput manufacturing (roll - to - roll, screen printing, etc.). However, several challenges exist, such as relatively short device lifetime and optimization of device structure to achieve a commercial viability threshold of 10% power conversion efficiency for this technology, exist. For research purposes quick, simple and inexpensive approaches for device encapsulation are desired for high-throughput screening of samples. In this paper we show that encapsulation of organic photovoltaic devices using silicone adhesive and Kapton or glass is a viable approach for preserving devices in ambient conditions at ~25 °C in the dark for at least 24 hours. Also, PET, Kapton and glass encapsulation materials can be used to limit oxygen and water access to the device and to determine prevalent degradation pathways in organic solar cells.
Development and Application of a High Throughput Protein Unfolding Kinetic Assay
Wang, Qiang; Waterhouse, Nicklas; Feyijinmi, Olusegun; Dominguez, Matthew J.; Martinez, Lisa M.; Sharp, Zoey; Service, Rachel; Bothe, Jameson R.; Stollar, Elliott J.
The kinetics of folding and unfolding underlie protein stability and quantification of these rates provides important insights into the folding process. Here, we present a simple high throughput protein unfolding kinetic assay using a plate reader that is applicable to the studies of the majority of 2-state folding proteins. We validate the assay by measuring kinetic unfolding data for the SH3 (Src Homology 3) domain from Actin Binding Protein 1 (AbpSH3) and its stabilized mutants. The results of our approach are in excellent agreement with published values. We further combine our kinetic assay with a plate reader equilibrium assay, to obtain indirect estimates of folding rates and use these approaches to characterize an AbpSH3-peptide hybrid. Our high throughput protein unfolding kinetic assays allow accurate screening of libraries of mutants by providing both kinetic and equilibrium measurements and provide a means for in-depth ϕ-value analyses. PMID:26745729
High-Throughput Metagenomic Technologies for Complex Microbial Community Analysis: Open and Closed Formats
He, Zhili; Yang, Yunfeng; Deng, Ye; Tringe, Susannah G.; Alvarez-Cohen, Lisa
ABSTRACT Understanding the structure, functions, activities and dynamics of microbial communities in natural environments is one of the grand challenges of 21st century science. To address this challenge, over the past decade, numerous technologies have been developed for interrogating microbial communities, of which some are amenable to exploratory work (e.g., high-throughput sequencing and phenotypic screening) and others depend on reference genes or genomes (e.g., phylogenetic and functional gene arrays). Here, we provide a critical review and synthesis of the most commonly applied "open-format" and "closed-format" detection technologies. We discuss their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages within the context of environmental applications and focus on analysis of complex microbial systems, such as those in soils, in which diversity is high and reference genomes are few. In addition, we discuss crucial issues and considerations associated with applying complementary high-throughput molecular technologies to address important ecological questions. PMID:25626903
The promise and challenge of high-throughput sequencing of the antibody repertoire
Georgiou, George; Ippolito, Gregory C; Beausang, John; Busse, Christian E; Wardemann, Hedda; Quake, Stephen R
Efforts to determine the antibody repertoire encoded by B cells in the blood or lymphoid organs using high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have been advancing at an extremely rapid pace and are transforming our understanding of humoral immune responses. Information gained from high-throughput DNA sequencing of immunoglobulin genes (Ig-seq) can be applied to detect B-cell malignancies with high sensitivity, to discover antibodies specific for antigens of interest, to guide vaccine development and to understand autoimmunity. Rapid progress in the development of experimental protocols and informatics analysis tools is helping to reduce sequencing artifacts, to achieve more precise quantification of clonal diversity and to extract the most pertinent biological information. That said, broader application of Ig-seq, especially in clinical settings, will require the development of a standardized experimental design framework that will enable the sharing and meta-analysis of sequencing data generated by different laboratories. PMID:24441474
HT-Paxos: High Throughput State-Machine Replication Protocol for Large Clustered Data Centers
Agarwal, Ajay
Paxos is a prominent theory of state-machine replication. Recent data intensive systems that implement state-machine replication generally require high throughput. Earlier versions of Paxos as few of them are classical Paxos, fast Paxos, and generalized Paxos have a major focus on fault tolerance and latency but lacking in terms of throughput and scalability. A major reason for this is the heavyweight leader. Through offloading the leader, we can further increase throughput of the system. Ring Paxos, Multiring Paxos, and S-Paxos are few prominent attempts in this direction for clustered data centers. In this paper, we are proposing HT-Paxos, a variant of Paxos that is the best suitable for any large clustered data center. HT-Paxos further offloads the leader very significantly and hence increases the throughput and scalability of the system, while at the same time, among high throughput state-machine replication protocols, it provides reasonably low latency and response time. PMID:25821856
Bioinformatics of Cancer ncRNA in High Throughput Sequencing: Present State and Challenges
Jorge, Natasha Andressa Nogueira; Ferreira, Carlos Gil; Passetti, Fabio
The numerous genome sequencing projects produced unprecedented amount of data providing significant information to the discovery of novel non-coding RNA (ncRNA). Several ncRNAs have been described to control gene expression and display important role during cell differentiation and homeostasis. In the last decade, high throughput methods in conjunction with approaches in bioinformatics have been used to identify, classify, and evaluate the expression of hundreds of ncRNA in normal and pathological states, such as cancer. Patient outcomes have been already associated with differential expression of ncRNAs in normal and tumoral tissues, providing new insights in the development of innovative therapeutic strategies in oncology. In this review, we present and discuss bioinformatics advances in the development of computational approaches to analyze and discover ncRNA data in oncology using high throughput sequencing technologies. PMID:23251139
A high-throughput assay for DNA topoisomerases and other enzymes, based on DNA triplex formation.
Burrell, Matthew R; Burton, Nicolas P; Maxwell, Anthony
We have developed a rapid, high-throughput assay for measuring the catalytic activity (DNA supercoiling or relaxation) of topoisomerase enzymes that is also capable of monitoring the activity of other enzymes that alter the topology of DNA. The assay utilises intermolecular triplex formation to resolve supercoiled and relaxed forms of DNA, the principle being the greater efficiency of a negatively supercoiled plasmid to form an intermolecular triplex with an immobilised oligonucleotide than the relaxed form. The assay provides a number of advantages over the standard gel-based methods, including greater speed of analysis, reduced sample handling, better quantitation and improved reliability and accuracy of output data. The assay is performed in microtitre plates and can be adapted to high-throughput screening of libraries of potential inhibitors of topoisomerases including bacterial DNA gyrase. PMID:19997889
Computational high-throughput screening of fluid permeability in heterogeneous fiber materials.
Röding, Magnus; Schuster, Erich; Logg, Katarina; Lundman, Malin; Bergström, Per; Hanson, Charlotta; Gebäck, Tobias; Lorén, Niklas
We explore computational high-throughput screening as a design strategy for heterogeneous, isotropic fiber materials. Fluid permeability, a key property in the design of soft porous materials, is systematically studied using a multi-scale lattice Boltzmann framework. After characterizing microscopic permeability as a function of solid volume fraction in the microstructure, we perform high-throughput computational screening of in excess of 35 000 macrostructures consisting of a continuous bulk interrupted by spherical/elliptical domains with either lower or higher microscopic permeability (hence with two distinct microscopic solid volume fractions and therefore two distinct microscopic permeabilities) to assess which parameters determine macroscopic permeability for a fixed average solid volume fraction. We conclude that the fractions of bulk and domains and the distribution of solid volume fraction between them are the primary determinants of macroscopic permeability, and that a substantial increase in permeability compared to the corresponding homogenous material is attainable. PMID:27367292
A High-Throughput Microfluidic Platform for Mammalian Cell Transfection and Culturing.
Woodruff, Kristina; Maerkl, Sebastian J
Mammalian synthetic biology could be augmented through the development of high-throughput microfluidic systems that integrate cellular transfection, culturing, and imaging. We created a microfluidic chip that cultures cells and implements 280 independent transfections at up to 99% efficiency. The chip can perform co-transfections, in which the number of cells expressing each protein and the average protein expression level can be precisely tuned as a function of input DNA concentration and synthetic gene circuits can be optimized on chip. We co-transfected four plasmids to test a histidine kinase signaling pathway and mapped the dose dependence of this network on the level of one of its constituents. The chip is readily integrated with high-content imaging, enabling the evaluation of cellular behavior and protein expression dynamics over time. These features make the transfection chip applicable to high-throughput mammalian protein and synthetic biology studies. PMID:27030663
High-throughput sequencing for detection of subpopulations of bacteria not previously associated with artisanal cheeses.
Quigley, Lisa; O'Sullivan, Orla; Beresford, Tom P; Ross, R Paul; Fitzgerald, Gerald F; Cotter, Paul D
Here, high-throughput sequencing was employed to reveal the highly diverse bacterial populations present in 62 Irish artisanal cheeses and, in some cases, associated cheese rinds. Using this approach, we revealed the presence of several genera not previously associated with cheese, including Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, and Helcococcus and, for the first time, detected the presence of Arthrobacter and Brachybacterium in goats' milk cheese. Our analysis confirmed many previously observed patterns, such as the dominance of typical cheese bacteria, the fact that the microbiota of raw and pasteurized milk cheeses differ, and that the level of cheese maturation has a significant influence on Lactobacillus populations. It was also noted that cheeses containing adjunct ingredients had lower proportions of Lactococcus species. It is thus apparent that high-throughput sequencing-based investigations can provide valuable insights into the microbial populations of artisanal foods. PMID:22685131
HT-Paxos: high throughput state-machine replication protocol for large clustered data centers.
Kumar, Vinit; Agarwal, Ajay
Paxos is a prominent theory of state-machine replication. Recent data intensive systems that implement state-machine replication generally require high throughput. Earlier versions of Paxos as few of them are classical Paxos, fast Paxos, and generalized Paxos have a major focus on fault tolerance and latency but lacking in terms of throughput and scalability. A major reason for this is the heavyweight leader. Through offloading the leader, we can further increase throughput of the system. Ring Paxos, Multiring Paxos, and S-Paxos are few prominent attempts in this direction for clustered data centers. In this paper, we are proposing HT-Paxos, a variant of Paxos that is the best suitable for any large clustered data center. HT-Paxos further offloads the leader very significantly and hence increases the throughput and scalability of the system, while at the same time, among high throughput state-machine replication protocols, it provides reasonably low latency and response time. PMID:25821856
MPIC: a high-throughput analytical method for multiple DNA targets.
Guo, Jinchao; Yang, Litao; Chen, Lili; Morisset, Dany; Li, Xiang; Pan, Liangwen; Zhang, Dabing
We describe the development of a novel combined approach for high-throughput analysis of multiple DNA targets based on multiplex Microdroplet PCR Implemented Capillary gel electrophoresis (MPIC), a two-step PCR amplification strategy. In the first step, the multiple target DNAs are preamplified using bipartite primers attached with universal tail sequences on their 5'-ends. Then, the preamplified templates are compartmentalized individually in the microdroplet of the PCR system, and multiple targets can be amplified in parallel, employing primers targeting their universal sequences. Subsequently, the resulting multiple products are analyzed by capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE). Using genetically modified organism (GMO) analysis as a model, 24 DNA targets can be simultaneously detected with a relative limit of detection of 0.1% (w/w) and absolute limit of detection of 39 target DNA copies. The described system provides a promising alternative for high-throughput analysis of multiple DNA targets. PMID:21291179
Turning Tumor-Promoting Copper into an Anti-Cancer Weapon via High-Throughput Chemistry
Wang, F.; Jiao, P.; Qi, M.; Frezza, M.; Dou, Q.P.; Yan, B.
Copper is an essential element for multiple biological processes. Its concentration is elevated to a very high level in cancer tissues for promoting cancer development through processes such as angiogenesis. Organic chelators of copper can passively reduce cellular copper and serve the role as inhibitors of angiogenesis. However, they can also actively attack cellular targets such as proteasome, which plays a critical role in cancer development and survival. The discovery of such molecules initially relied on a step by step synthesis followed by biological assays. Today high-throughput chemistry and high-throughput screening have significantly expedited the copper-binding molecules discovery to turn "cancer-promoting" copper into anti-cancer agents. PMID:20586723
High-Throughput CRISPR Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex and Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium.
Sola, Christophe; Abadia, Edgar; Le Hello, Simon; Weill, François-Xavier
Spoligotyping was developed almost 18 years ago and still remains a popular first-lane genotyping technique to identify and subtype Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) clinical isolates at a phylogeographic level. For other pathogens, such as Salmonella enterica, recent studies suggest that specifically designed spoligotyping techniques could be interesting for public health purposes. Spoligotyping was in its original format a reverse line-blot hybridization method using capture probes designed on "spacers" and attached to a membrane's surface and a PCR product obtained from clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs). Cowan et al. and Fabre et al. were the first to propose a high-throughput Spoligotyping method based on microbeads for MTC and S. enterica serotype Typhimurium, respectively. The main advantages of the high-throughput Spoligotyping techniques we describe here are their low cost, their robustness, and the existence (at least for MTC) of very large databases that allow comparisons between spoligotypes from anywhere. PMID:25981468
High-throughput three-dimensional (3D) lithographic microfabrication in biomedical applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Daekeun; So, Peter T. C.
Two-photon excitation microfabrication has been shown to be useful in the field of photonics and biomedicine. It generates 3D microstructures and provides sub-diffraction fabrication resolution. Nevertheless, laser direct writing, the most popular two-photon fabrication technique, has slow fabrication speed, and its applications are limited to prototyping. In this proceeding, we propose high-throughput 3D lithographic microfabrication system based on depthresolved wide-field illumination and build several 3D microstructures with SU-8. Through these fabrications, 3D lithographic microfabrication has scalable function and high-throughput capability. It also has the potential for fabricating 3D microstructure in biomedical applications, such as intertwining channels in 3D microfluidic devices for biomedical analysis and 3D cell patterning in the tissue scaffolds.
High-throughput miniaturized microfluidic microscopy with radially parallelized channel geometry.
Jagannadh, Veerendra Kalyan; Bhat, Bindu Prabhath; Nirupa Julius, Lourdes Albina; Gorthi, Sai Siva
In this article, we present a novel approach to throughput enhancement in miniaturized microfluidic microscopy systems. Using the presented approach, we demonstrate an inexpensive yet high-throughput analytical instrument. Using the high-throughput analytical instrument, we have been able to achieve about 125,880 cells per minute (more than one hundred and twenty five thousand cells per minute), even while employing cost-effective low frame rate cameras (120 fps). The throughput achieved here is a notable progression in the field of diagnostics as it enables rapid quantitative testing and analysis. We demonstrate the applicability of the instrument to point-of-care diagnostics, by performing blood cell counting. We report a comparative analysis between the counts (in cells per μl) obtained from our instrument, with that of a commercially available hematology analyzer. PMID:26781098
High-throughput metagenomic technologies for complex microbial community analysis. Open and closed formats
Zhou, Jizhong; He, Zhili; Yang, Yunfeng; Deng, Ye; Tringe, Susannah G.; Alvarez-Cohen, Lisa
Understanding the structure, functions, activities and dynamics of microbial communities in natural environments is one of the grand challenges of 21st century science. To address this challenge, over the past decade, numerous technologies have been developed for interrogating microbial communities, of which some are amenable to exploratory work (e.g., high-throughput sequencing and phenotypic screening) and others depend on reference genes or genomes (e.g., phylogenetic and functional gene arrays). Here, we provide a critical review and synthesis of the most commonly applied "open-format" and "closed-format" detection technologies. We discuss their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages within the context of environmental applications and focus on analysis of complex microbial systems, such as those in soils, in which diversity is high and reference genomes are few. In addition, we discuss crucial issues and considerations associated with applying complementary high-throughput molecular technologies to address important ecological questions.
High-Throughput Synthesis of Diverse Compound Collections for Lead Discovery and Optimization.
Rademacher, C; Seeberger, P H
Small-molecule intervention of protein function is one central dogma of drug discovery. The generation of small-molecule libraries fuels the discovery pipeline at many stages and thereby resembles a key aspect of this endeavor. High-throughput synthesis is a major source for compound libraries utilized in academia and industry, seeking new chemical modulators of pharmacological targets. Here, we discuss the crucial factors of library design strategies from the perspective of synthetic chemistry, giving a brief historic background and a summary of current approaches. Simple measures of success of a high-throughput synthesis such as quantity or diversity have long been discarded and replaced by more integrated measures. Case studies are presented and put into context to highlight the cross-connectivity of the various stages of the drug discovery process. PMID:26330259
Nanostructured biosensing platform-shadow edge lithography for high-throughput nanofabrication.
Bai, John G; Yeo, Woon-Hong; Chung, Jae-Hyun
One of the critical challenges in nanostructured biosensors is to manufacture an addressable array of nanopatterns at low cost. The addressable array (1) provides multiplexing for biomolecule detection and (2) enables direct detection of biomolecules without labeling and amplification. To fabricate such an array of nanostructures, current nanolithography methods are limited by the lack of either high throughput or high resolution. This paper presents a high-resolution and high-throughput nanolithography method using the compensated shadow effect in high-vacuum evaporation. The approach enables the fabrication of uniform nanogaps down to 20 nm in width across a 100 mm silicon wafer. The nanogap pattern is used as a template for the routine fabrication of zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanostructures with a high yield. The method can facilitate the fabrication of nanostructured biosensors on a wafer scale at a low manufacturing cost. PMID:19156295
Using high-throughput genomics to study hepatitis C: what determines the outcome of infection?
Walters, Kathie-Anne; Katze, Michael G
High-throughput genomic methods are now being used to study a wide variety of viral diseases, in an effort to understand how host responses to infection can lead either to efficient elimination of the pathogen or the development of severe disease. This article reviews how gene expression studies are addressing important clinical issues related to hepatitis C virus infection, in which some 15-25% of infected individuals are able to clear the virus without treatment, while the remainder progress to chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and death. Similar methods are also being used in an effort to identify the mechanisms underlying the failure of some hepatitis C patients to respond to interferon-alpha/ribavirin therapy. By providing a detailed picture of virus-host interactions, high-throughput genomics could potentially lead to the identification of novel cellular targets for the treatment of hepatitis C. PMID:19135090
Quantitative monitoring of Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development using high-throughput plant phenotyping
Arend, Daniel; Lange, Matthias; Pape, Jean-Michel; Weigelt-Fischer, Kathleen; Arana-Ceballos, Fernando; Mücke, Ingo; Klukas, Christian; Altmann, Thomas; Scholz, Uwe; Junker, Astrid
With the implementation of novel automated, high throughput methods and facilities in the last years, plant phenomics has developed into a highly interdisciplinary research domain integrating biology, engineering and bioinformatics. Here we present a dataset of a non-invasive high throughput plant phenotyping experiment, which uses image- and image analysis- based approaches to monitor the growth and development of 484 Arabidopsis thaliana plants (thale cress). The result is a comprehensive dataset of images and extracted phenotypical features. Such datasets require detailed documentation, standardized description of experimental metadata as well as sustainable data storage and publication in order to ensure the reproducibility of experiments, data reuse and comparability among the scientific community. Therefore the here presented dataset has been annotated using the standardized ISA-Tab format and considering the recently published recommendations for the semantical description of plant phenotyping experiments. PMID:27529152
BAC TransgeneOmics: a high-throughput method for exploration of protein function in mammals.
Poser, Ina; Sarov, Mihail; Hutchins, James R A; Hériché, Jean-Karim; Toyoda, Yusuke; Pozniakovsky, Andrei; Weigl, Daniela; Nitzsche, Anja; Hegemann, Björn; Bird, Alexander W; Pelletier, Laurence; Kittler, Ralf; Hua, Sujun; Naumann, Ronald; Augsburg, Martina; Sykora, Martina M; Hofemeister, Helmut; Zhang, Youming; Nasmyth, Kim; White, Kevin P; Dietzel, Steffen; Mechtler, Karl; Durbin, Richard; Stewart, A Francis; Peters, Jan-Michael; Buchholz, Frank; Hyman, Anthony A
The interpretation of genome sequences requires reliable and standardized methods to assess protein function at high throughput. Here we describe a fast and reliable pipeline to study protein function in mammalian cells based on protein tagging in bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs). The large size of the BAC transgenes ensures the presence of most, if not all, regulatory elements and results in expression that closely matches that of the endogenous gene. We show that BAC transgenes can be rapidly and reliably generated using 96-well-format recombineering. After stable transfection of these transgenes into human tissue culture cells or mouse embryonic stem cells, the localization, protein-protein and/or protein-DNA interactions of the tagged protein are studied using generic, tag-based assays. The same high-throughput approach will be generally applicable to other model systems. PMID:18391959
A high-throughput method for quantifying metabolically active yeast cells.
Nandy, Subir Kumar; Knudsen, Peter Boldsen; Rosenkjaer, Alexander; Lantz, Anna Eliasson; Thykaer, Jette; Workman, Mhairi
By redesigning the established methylene blue reduction test for bacteria and yeast, we present a cheap and efficient methodology for quantitative physiology of eukaryotic cells applicable for high-throughput systems. Validation of the method in fermenters and high-throughput systems proved equivalent, displaying reduction curves that interrelated directly with CFU counts. For growth rate estimation, the methylene blue reduction test (MBRT) proved superior, since the discriminatory nature of the method allowed for the quantification of metabolically active cells only, excluding dead cells. The drop in metabolic activity associated with the diauxic shift in yeast proved more pronounced for the MBRT-derived curve compared with OD curves, consistent with a dramatic shift in the ratio between live and dead cells at this metabolic event. This method provides a tool with numerous applications, e.g. characterizing the death phase of stationary phase cultures, or in drug screens with pathogenic yeasts. PMID:25773544
High-throughput crystallization-to-structure pipeline at RIKEN SPring-8 Center.
Sugahara, Michihiro; Asada, Yukuhiko; Shimizu, Katsumi; Yamamoto, Hitoshi; Lokanath, Neratur K; Mizutani, Hisashi; Bagautdinov, Bagautdin; Matsuura, Yoshinori; Taketa, Midori; Kageyama, Yuichi; Ono, Naoko; Morikawa, Yuko; Tanaka, Yukiko; Shimada, Hiroki; Nakamoto, Takanobu; Sugahara, Mitsuaki; Yamamoto, Masaki; Kunishima, Naoki
A high-throughput crystallization-to-structure pipeline for structural genomics was recently developed at the Advanced Protein Crystallography Research Group of the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Japan. The structure determination pipeline includes three newly developed technologies for automating X-ray protein crystallography: the automated crystallization and observation robot system "TERA", the SPring-8 Precise Automatic Cryosample Exchanger "SPACE" for automated data collection, and the Package of Expert Researcher's Operation Network "PERON" for automated crystallographic computation from phasing to model checking. During the 5 years following April, 2002, this pipeline was used by seven researchers to determine 138 independent crystal structures (resulting from 437 purified proteins, 234 cryoloop-mountable crystals, and 175 diffraction data sets). The protocols used in the high-throughput pipeline are described in this paper. PMID:18677553
Design and Application of a Novel High-throughput Screening Technique for 1-Deoxynojirimycin
Jiang, Peixia; Mu, Shanshan; Li, Heng; Li, Youhai; Feng, Congmin; Jin, Jian-Ming; Tang, Shuang-Yan
High-throughput screening techniques for small molecules can find intensive applications in the studies of biosynthesis of these molecules. A sensitive, rapid and cost-effective technique that allows high-throughput screening of endogenous production of the natural iminosugar 1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ), an α-glucosidase inhibitor relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, was developed in this study, based on the inhibitory effects of 1-DNJ on the activity of the β-glycosidase LacS from Sulfolobus solfataricus. This technique has been demonstrated effective in engineering both the key enzyme and the expression levels of enzymes in the 1-DNJ biosynthetic pathway from Bacillus atrophaeus cloned in E. coli. Higher biosynthetic efficiency was achieved using directed evolution strategies. PMID:25708517
[High-throughput functional screening using CRISPR/Cas9 system].
Wang, Gancheng; Ming, Ma; Ye, Yanzhen; Xi, Jianzhong
High-throughput screening, a powerful tool for the discovery of functionally important genes responsible for certain phenotypes, is performed according to loss-of-function or gain-of-function strategies. RNAi technology or knockout approaches have been widely used in high throughput screening due to their advantages of ease use, low cost and so on. However, imcomplete knockdown activity and off-target effect hindered their utility. More recently, CRISPR/Cas9 technology is becoming a robust tool for genome editing in diverse cells or animals, since it could generate a gene mutation in a target-specific manner. In this review, we first summarize the characterization of CRISPR/Cas9 and make comparison with traditional genetic tools, then describe recent achievements of genetic screen in several model organisms using CRISPR/Cas9, finally discuss on its future challenges and opportunities. PMID:27232487
Macro-to-Micro Structural Proteomics: Native Source Proteins for High-Throughput Crystallization
Nanao, Max; Gee, Christine L.; Moskaleva, Alisa; Gradia, Scott; Iavarone, Anthony T.; Berger, James M.; May, Andrew P.; Zubieta, Chloe; Alber, Tom
Structural biology and structural genomics projects routinely rely on recombinantly expressed proteins, but many proteins and complexes are difficult to obtain by this approach. We investigated native source proteins for high-throughput protein crystallography applications. The Escherichia coli proteome was fractionated, purified, crystallized, and structurally characterized. Macro-scale fermentation and fractionation were used to subdivide the soluble proteome into 408 unique fractions of which 295 fractions yielded crystals in microfluidic crystallization chips. Of the 295 crystals, 152 were selected for optimization, diffraction screening, and data collection. Twenty-three structures were determined, four of which were novel. This study demonstrates the utility of native source proteins for high-throughput crystallography. PMID:22393408
Clinical application of high-throughput genomic technologies for treatment selection in breast cancer
Large-scale collaborative initiatives using next-generation DNA sequencing and other high-throughput technologies have begun to characterize the genomic landscape of breast cancer. These landmark studies have identified infrequent driver mutations that are potential targets for therapeutic intervention with approved or investigational drug treatments, among other important discoveries. Recently, many institutions have launched molecular screening programs that apply high-throughput genomic technologies to patients with advanced solid malignancies, including breast cancer, to inform clinical decision-making. This article provides an overview of the recent molecular insights in breast cancer, including potentially actionable somatic alterations, the technological platforms currently available in a clinical diagnostics setting to detect these alterations, and ongoing institutional or regional molecular screening programs in advanced breast cancer. PMID:24135425
Quantitative monitoring of Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development using high-throughput plant phenotyping.
Arend, Daniel; Lange, Matthias; Pape, Jean-Michel; Weigelt-Fischer, Kathleen; Arana-Ceballos, Fernando; Mücke, Ingo; Klukas, Christian; Altmann, Thomas; Scholz, Uwe; Junker, Astrid
With the implementation of novel automated, high throughput methods and facilities in the last years, plant phenomics has developed into a highly interdisciplinary research domain integrating biology, engineering and bioinformatics. Here we present a dataset of a non-invasive high throughput plant phenotyping experiment, which uses image- and image analysis- based approaches to monitor the growth and development of 484 Arabidopsis thaliana plants (thale cress). The result is a comprehensive dataset of images and extracted phenotypical features. Such datasets require detailed documentation, standardized description of experimental metadata as well as sustainable data storage and publication in order to ensure the reproducibility of experiments, data reuse and comparability among the scientific community. Therefore the here presented dataset has been annotated using the standardized ISA-Tab format and considering the recently published recommendations for the semantical description of plant phenotyping experiments. PMID:27529152
Establishing an Infrastructure for High-Throughput Short-Interfering RNA Screening.
Yin, Hongwei; Sereduk, Chris; Tang, Nanyun
RNA interference (RNAi) is a readily available research tool that can be used to accelerate the identification and functional validation of a multitude of new candidate drug targets by experimentally perturbing gene expression and function. High-throughput RNAi technology using libraries of short-interfering RNA (siRNA) makes it possible to rapidly identify genes and biomarkers associated with biological processes such as diseases or a cellular response to therapy. Thus, RNAi-based screening is an extremely powerful technology that can provide tremendous insights into the mechanisms of action and contexts of vulnerability of a particular drug treatment. This chapter describes the infrastructure requirements needed to successfully perform HT-RNAi screening. Information on the methodology, instrumentation, experimental design, and workflow aspects is provided, as well as insights on how to successfully implement a high-throughput RNAi screen. PMID:27581280
High-throughput screening assay of hepatitis C virus helicase inhibitors using fluorescence-quenching phenomenon
Tani, Hidenori; Akimitsu, Nobuyoshi; Fujita, Osamu; Matsuda, Yasuyoshi; Miyata, Ryo; Tsuneda, Satoshi; Igarashi, Masayuki; Sekiguchi, Yuji; Noda, Naohiro
We have developed a novel high-throughput screening assay of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) helicase inhibitors using the fluorescence-quenching phenomenon via photoinduced electron transfer between fluorescent dyes and guanine bases. We prepared double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with a 5'-fluorescent-dye (BODIPY FL)-labeled strand hybridized with a complementary strand, the 3'-end of which has guanine bases. When dsDNA is unwound by helicase, the dye emits fluorescence owing to its release from the guanine bases. Our results demonstrate that this assay is suitable for quantitative assay of HCV NS3 helicase activity and useful for high-throughput screening for inhibitors. Furthermore, we applied this assay to the screening for NS3 helicase inhibitors from cell extracts of microorganisms, and found several cell extracts containing potential inhibitors.
Design and application of a novel high-throughput screening technique for 1-deoxynojirimycin.
Jiang, Peixia; Mu, Shanshan; Li, Heng; Li, Youhai; Feng, Congmin; Jin, Jian-Ming; Tang, Shuang-Yan
High-throughput screening techniques for small molecules can find intensive applications in the studies of biosynthesis of these molecules. A sensitive, rapid and cost-effective technique that allows high-throughput screening of endogenous production of the natural iminosugar 1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ), an α-glucosidase inhibitor relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, was developed in this study, based on the inhibitory effects of 1-DNJ on the activity of the β-glycosidase LacS from Sulfolobus solfataricus. This technique has been demonstrated effective in engineering both the key enzyme and the expression levels of enzymes in the 1-DNJ biosynthetic pathway from Bacillus atrophaeus cloned in E. coli. Higher biosynthetic efficiency was achieved using directed evolution strategies. PMID:25708517
SPIM-fluid: open source light-sheet based platform for high-throughput imaging
Gualda, Emilio J.; Pereira, Hugo; Vale, Tiago; Estrada, Marta Falcão; Brito, Catarina; Moreno, Nuno
Light sheet fluorescence microscopy has recently emerged as the technique of choice for obtaining high quality 3D images of whole organisms/embryos with low photodamage and fast acquisition rates. Here we present an open source unified implementation based on Arduino and Micromanager, which is capable of operating Light Sheet Microscopes for automatized 3D high-throughput imaging on three-dimensional cell cultures and model organisms like zebrafish, oriented to massive drug screening. PMID:26601007
High throughput and multiplex localization of proteins and cells for in situ micropatterning using pneumatic microfluidics.
Wang, Jian-Chun; Liu, Wenming; Tu, Qin; Ma, Chao; Zhao, Lei; Wang, Yaolei; Ouyang, Jia; Pang, Long; Wang, Jinyi
Micropatterning technologies are emerging as an enabling tool for various microfluidic-based applications in life sciences. However, the high throughput and multiplex localization of multiple bio-components in a microfluidic device has not yet been well established. In this paper, we describe a simple and in situ micropatterning method using an integrated microfluidic device with pneumatic microstructures (PμSs) for highly controllable immobilization of both proteins and cells in a high throughput, geometry-dynamic, and multi-patterning way. The precise Pluronic F127 passivation of a microchamber surface except the PμS-blocked regions was performed and characterized, and the spatial dynamics and consistency of both the PμSs and protein/cell micropatterning were optically evaluated and quantitatively demonstrated too. Furthermore, a systematic investigation of PμS-assisted micropatterning in microfluidics was carried out. The feature of high throughput and spatial control of micropatterning can be simply realized by using the well-designed PμS arrays. Meanwhile, the co-micropatterning of different proteins (bovine serum albumin and chicken egg albumin) and cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells) in a microfluidic device was successfully accomplished with the orderly serial manipulation of PμS groups. We demonstrate that PμS-assisted micropatterning can be applied as a convenient microfluidic component for large-scale and diversified protein/cell patterning and manipulation, which could be useful for cell-based tissue organization, high-throughput imaging, protein-related interactions and immunoassays. PMID:25453039
Development of a High-Throughput Functional Screen Using Nanowell-Assisted Cell Patterning.
Ozkumur, Ayca Yalcin; Goods, Brittany A; Love, J Christopher
Living-cell-based screens can facilitate lead discovery of functional therapeutics of interest. A versatile and scalable method is reported that uses dense arrays of nanowells for imparting defined patterns on monolayers of cells. It is shown that this approach can coordinate a multi-component biological assay by designing and implementing a high-throughput, functional nanoliter-scale neutralization assay to identify neutralizing antibodies against HIV. PMID:26121321
Development of high throughput X-ray telescopes for X-ray imaging and dispersive spectrometers
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gorenstein, P.
During the past year the technical approach to the realization of a high throughput Kirkpatrick-Baez X-ray mirror became better defined in terms of construction methodology and factors which affect maximum size. More progress was made than anticipated in the area of automatic figure formation. However, effort to improve the resolution of float glass by simple techniques were not successful. Mirror development, spectroscopy, all sky telescope, and explorer concept studies are discussed.
High throughput screening of particle conditioning operations: I. System design and method development.
Noyes, Aaron; Huffman, Ben; Godavarti, Ranga; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel; Coffman, Jonathan; Sunasara, Khurram; Mukhopadhyay, Tarit
The biotech industry is under increasing pressure to decrease both time to market and development costs. Simultaneously, regulators are expecting increased process understanding. High throughput process development (HTPD) employs small volumes, parallel processing, and high throughput analytics to reduce development costs and speed the development of novel therapeutics. As such, HTPD is increasingly viewed as integral to improving developmental productivity and deepening process understanding. Particle conditioning steps such as precipitation and flocculation may be used to aid the recovery and purification of biological products. In this first part of two articles, we describe an ultra scale-down system (USD) for high throughput particle conditioning (HTPC) composed of off-the-shelf components. The apparatus is comprised of a temperature-controlled microplate with magnetically driven stirrers and integrated with a Tecan liquid handling robot. With this system, 96 individual reaction conditions can be evaluated in parallel, including downstream centrifugal clarification. A comprehensive suite of high throughput analytics enables measurement of product titer, product quality, impurity clearance, clarification efficiency, and particle characterization. HTPC at the 1 mL scale was evaluated with fermentation broth containing a vaccine polysaccharide. The response profile was compared with the Pilot-scale performance of a non-geometrically similar, 3 L reactor. An engineering characterization of the reactors and scale-up context examines theoretical considerations for comparing this USD system with larger scale stirred reactors. In the second paper, we will explore application of this system to industrially relevant vaccines and test different scale-up heuristics. PMID:25728932
Cosputtered composition-spread reproducibility established by high-throughput x-ray fluorescence
Gregoire, John M.; Dale, Darren; Kazimirov, Alexander; DiSalvo, Francis J.; Dover, R. Bruce van
We describe the characterization of sputtered yttria-zirconia composition spread thin films by x-ray fluorescence (XRF). We also discuss our automated analysis of the XRF data, which was collected in a high throughput experiment at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. The results indicate that both the composition reproducibility of the library deposition and the composition measurements have a precision of better than 1 atomic percent.
SwellGel: a sample preparation affinity chromatography technology for high throughput proteomic applications.
Haney, Paul J; Draveling, Connie; Durski, Wendy; Romanowich, Kathryn; Qoronfleh, M Walid
Development of high throughput systems for purification and analysis of proteins is essential for the success of today's proteomic research. We have developed an affinity chromatography technology that allows the customization of high capacity/high throughput chromatographic separation of proteins. This technology utilizes selected chromatography media that are dehydrated to form uniform SwellGel discs. Unlike wet resin slurries, these discs are easily adaptable to a variety of custom formats, eliminating problems associated with resin dispensing, equilibration, or leakage. Discs can be made in assorted sizes (resin volume 15 microl-3 ml) dispensed in various formats (384-, 96-, 48-, and 24-well microplates or columns) and different ligands can be attached to the matrix. SwellGel discs rapidly hydrate upon addition of either water or the protein sample, providing dramatically increased capacity compared to coated plates. At the same time, the discs offer greater stability, reproducibility, and ease of handling than standard wet chromatography resins. We previously reported the development of SwellGel for the purification of 6x His- and glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-tagged fusion proteins [Prot. Exp. Purif. 22 (2001) 359-366]. In this paper, we discuss an expanded list of SwellGel stabilized chromatographic methods that have been adapted to high throughput formats for processing protein samples ranging from 10 microl to 10 ml (1 microg to 50 mg protein). Data are presented applying SwellGel discs to high throughput proteomic applications such as affinity tag purification, protein desalting, the removal of abundant proteins from serum including albumin and immunoglobulin, and the isolation of phosphorylated peptides for mass spectrometry. PMID:12699691
SPIM-fluid: open source light-sheet based platform for high-throughput imaging.
Gualda, Emilio J; Pereira, Hugo; Vale, Tiago; Estrada, Marta Falcão; Brito, Catarina; Moreno, Nuno
Light sheet fluorescence microscopy has recently emerged as the technique of choice for obtaining high quality 3D images of whole organisms/embryos with low photodamage and fast acquisition rates. Here we present an open source unified implementation based on Arduino and Micromanager, which is capable of operating Light Sheet Microscopes for automatized 3D high-throughput imaging on three-dimensional cell cultures and model organisms like zebrafish, oriented to massive drug screening. PMID:26601007
In Vitro High Throughput Screening, What Next? Lessons from the Screening for Aurora Kinase Inhibitors
Hoang, Thi-My-Nhung; Vu, Hong-Lien; Le, Ly-Thuy-Tram; Nguyen, Chi-Hung; Molla, Annie
Based on in vitro assays, we performed a High Throughput Screening (HTS) to identify kinase inhibitors among 10,000 small chemical compounds. In this didactic paper, we describe step-by-step the approach to validate the hits as well as the major pitfalls encountered in the development of active molecules. We propose a decision tree that could be adapted to most in vitro HTS. PMID:24833340
High-throughput fabrication and screening improves gold nanoparticle chemiresistor sensor performance.
Hubble, Lee J; Cooper, James S; Sosa-Pintos, Andrea; Kiiveri, Harri; Chow, Edith; Webster, Melissa S; Wieczorek, Lech; Raguse, Burkhard
Chemiresistor sensor arrays are a promising technology to replace current laboratory-based analysis instrumentation, with the advantage of facile integration into portable, low-cost devices for in-field use. To increase the performance of chemiresistor sensor arrays a high-throughput fabrication and screening methodology was developed to assess different organothiol-functionalized gold nanoparticle chemiresistors. This high-throughput fabrication and testing methodology was implemented to screen a library consisting of 132 different organothiol compounds as capping agents for functionalized gold nanoparticle chemiresistor sensors. The methodology utilized an automated liquid handling workstation for the in situ functionalization of gold nanoparticle films and subsequent automated analyte testing of sensor arrays using a flow-injection analysis system. To test the methodology we focused on the discrimination and quantitation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, and naphthalene (BTEXN) mixtures in water at low microgram per liter concentration levels. The high-throughput methodology identified a sensor array configuration consisting of a subset of organothiol-functionalized chemiresistors which in combination with random forests analysis was able to predict individual analyte concentrations with overall root-mean-square errors ranging between 8-17 μg/L for mixtures of BTEXN in water at the 100 μg/L concentration. The ability to use a simple sensor array system to quantitate BTEXN mixtures in water at the low μg/L concentration range has direct and significant implications to future environmental monitoring and reporting strategies. In addition, these results demonstrate the advantages of high-throughput screening to improve the performance of gold nanoparticle based chemiresistors for both new and existing applications. PMID:25562398
A toolkit for high-throughput, cross-species gene engineering in Drosophila.
Ejsmont, Radoslaw K; Sarov, Mihail; Winkler, Sylke; Lipinski, Kamil A; Tomancak, Pavel
We generated two complementary genomic fosmid libraries for Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura that permit seamless modification of large genomic clones by high-throughput recombineering and direct transgenesis. The fosmid transgenes recapitulated endogenous gene expression patterns. These libraries, in combination with recombineering technology, will be useful to rescue mutant phenotypes, allow imaging of gene products in living flies and enable systematic analysis and manipulation of gene activity across species. PMID:19465918