Q:
How to increase media exchange efficiency without harming or losing cells?
Media exchanges, where spent media is removed and replaced with fresh media, may seem routine yet they are critical to cell culture viability and proliferation. Even with deep focus and a steady hand, cell damage and accidental evacuation are often unavoidable when performing media exchanges in 3D and non-/loosely-adherent 2D cell cultures with a handheld pipette. On top of that, this manual method is laborious and variable, which can skew results and slow the overall pace of research activities. Automated liquid handlers increase efficiency, but also risk damage and loss as they lack capabilities specific to cell culture workflows.
A: An automated liquid handler with a specialized media exchange module provides gentle, consistent, and effective aspirating and dispensing.
MultiFlo™ FX, with its Automated Media Exchange (AMX™) module is optimized with cell-friendly features for consistent results that are unmatched by other liquid handlers or manual methods. The modular Multi-Flo FX can incorporate up to four dispensers and a washer; the AMX module consists of specialized, autoclavable cassettes with separate aspirate and dispense heads, plus two software controlled peristaltic pumps that remove spent media and deliver fresh media without disturbing sensitive spheroids and cells in 96- and 384-well format. This system is well-suited for integration with BioTek’s automated incubator, imagers, or multi-mode readers for further enhanced efficiency.
