Ultra low volume liquid dispensing is a technique that involves transferring very small amounts of liquid, usually in the range of picoliter to nanoliters with high accuracy and precision. It has many applications in various fields of science and technology, such as:
- Biology and medicine: Ultra low volume dispensing of liquids can be used to perform assays, experiments, and analyses that require minimal sample and reagent consumption, such as DNA microarrays, next generation sequencing, polymerase chain reaction, multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, cell culture, and organoid culture. It can also help to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and increase the throughput and reproducibility of the results
- Other applications: Ultra low volume liquid dispensing can also be used for other purposes, such as creating micro-patterns or micro-droplets for various industrial or artistic applications.
Low volume dispensing often refers to dispensing tens of nanometers up to microliters. The main applications in that range include reagent dispensing into microtiter plates, dispensing onto lateral flow nitrocellulose test membranes, microarray spotting, and loading biosensors with biological molecules.
Arrays on a solid substrate to test sets of proteins, oligos, or glycans, using miniaturized, multiplexed parallel processing and detection methods.
Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices that perform laboratory functions on a single integrated chip for automated and high- throughput testing.
Analytical devices, used for the detection of chemical or biological substances, that combine a biological component with a physicochemical detector.
Miniaturization of setup has a dramatic impact on the cost of doing PCR, reducing the amount of sample and costly reagents needed.
Microarrays are widely used for the analysis of contaminants or microbial pathogens. They are also used to combat food fraud.
Detect microbial pathogens, toxins, and various pollutants from a wide range of environmental samples such as water, agricultural, and air.