Assay Preparation
For a panel of enzymatic assays, the conventional approach would involve the setting up of one data point per well, a data point being determined by a given compound tested against a given enzyme at a given concentration. In contrast, the wells in the SpinX interface are only inputs, with one well for each of the “components” required to build up the panel of assays: for example; the different compounds to be tested, the different enzymes and their respective substrates (some of which may be in common to other enzymes), buffers to dilute the compounds to the appropriate concentration for dose-response curves, and detection reagents.

The steps required to prepare any set of assays to be performed on the SpinX platform are always the same.

You select a basic protocol from a list of established protocols.

You indicate the variations of this protocol that are to be performed, where “variations” includes the number of compounds, the number of assays (for instance enzyme–substrate pairs), the different concentrations for any of the components, the incubation times at different steps, and so forth.

The software responds by proposing a “plate map” for the SpinX stack, indicating locations and minimum required volumes for each of the components. The user can also provide an alternate plate map. The input interface is that of a conventional 384-well microplate, with the plate footprint and the well dimensions adhering to the SBS standard.

You load the SpinX stack, either manually or by using a conventional liquid handling instrument. The volume loaded does not need to be accurate, as long as the minimum volume indicated by the software is present in each well.

You load the SpinX stack into the instrument and start the run. Any events which occur thereafter run entirely unattended.