USDA, ARS, Pacific West Area, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710

66 -- INSTRUMENTS & LABORATORY EQUIPMENT -- PICKING AND GRIDDING Q-BOT SYSTEM SOL IFB-29-95CV-99 DUE 061699 POC Jo Ann Callahan 510/559-6022 E-MAIL: Picking and Gridding Q-Bot System, callahaj@ars.usda.gov. The USDA, Agricultural Research Service center in Albany, California has a requirement for a Picking and Gridding Q-Bot System which requires the availability of high-throughout sampling handling robotics. Our needs are picking bacterial colonies and bacteriophage samples into microtiter plates, arraying recombinant DNA libraries contained within microtiter plates, and the arraying of DNA samples onto filters and glass slides. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION: Easy access 12 oe 15 filter workbed incorporating the following 'stations' Ethanol bath/brusher sterilizer, Air dryer, Automated lid removal, Light table, Microplate holders. Linear induction XY axes with servo controlled motor drive for Z. Ultimate resolution for the axes are: XY 1um, Z 10um (The driven speeds and acceleration profiles for XY axes are optimised for both the picking and gridding applications to insure accuracy, repeatability, and speed, overall axex resolution is therefore 4um. PICKING SYSTEM: Vision system allows discrimination of colonies on the basis of colour (blue/white selection, size and morphology. The unique 96 pin pneumatic picking head allows picking speeds in excess of 3500 colonies per hour. Automated destination plate handling. Clones are imaged and then picked from each of two Q Trays. GRIDDING SYSTEM: Automated microplate handling from two 36 plate holders. Samples in plates (96 or 384 well) can be gridded onto filters in a number of high density arrays with a maximum of 5 x 5 x 6(fields) x 384 (pins) per filter. The soltware enables the user to create internal duplicates within each field, &/or identical fields within each filter. The Q Bot will create 15 identical filters gridded at a density of 4 x 4 x 6 x 384 (36,864 clones per filter) in about 3 hours. SOFTWARE: The software is PC format Windows '95 based and runs on a 350MHz Pentium II PC with 64MRam, 4 GB HDD and integral frame grabber. REPLICATION ; Replication from 96 well plates to 96 well plates and from 384 well to 384 well plates. Compression from 96 well plates to 384 well plates and expansion from 384 well plates to 96 well plates. Source plates are loaded into the plate hotels (max. 72), and destination plates are loaded into the microplatc holders which are held on the bed (max.) This system is required for working on isolation of new genes for cereal engineering, generation of cereal ESTs, physical mapping of important cereal genes, stress effects on cereal quality and plant cell function, and engineering cereal seeds for novel products and enhanced characteristics. The Genetix Q-Bot is the only equipment known to meet all of the Governments needs and specifications. The Government intends to negotiate with the only known responsible source, which is Genetix Limited. Interested firms that feel they can meet the above requirements are encouraged to submit descriptive or technical literature sufficient to determine that their instrument will conform to the Government's requirements. This information must be received by close of business on June 16, 1999.***** Posted 05/25/99 (W-SN335426). (0145)

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