Christian Schmidt

The large-scale approaches that are carried out in the division necessitate the automation of processes in order to achieve the throughput that is needed to allow for a systematic acquisition of data and information in biochemical and cell-biological experiments. For example, this applies to the set up of enzymatic reactions (e.g. quantitative PCR, sequencing reactions), the purification of nucleic acids (e.g. plasmid preparations), and the set up and application of (genome-wide) cell-based screens.

We have available a Biomek FX pipeting robot that is contained in a sterile housing, and is equipped with a cell culture incubator, automated centrifuge, a hotel, and a luminescence plate reader. Further equipment includes robots for plasmid preparation (96well format), several non-contact spotting devices to produce protein arrays, automated DNA sequencers, and quantitative real-time PCR instruments. Data acquisition in cell-based assays is with fluorescence and luminescence plate readers, flow cytometry instruments (FACS Array/FACS Calibur), or high-content screening microscopy (MDS ImageXpress). LIMS systems for the tracking of samples during the experimental processes are developed in collaboration with the Bioinformatics and Modeling group.

The automation unit is key to the success of the experimental approaches carried out in the functional genomics and proteomics groups.