iPipet



Smart pipetting for high throughput experiments

Optimizing automated liquid-handling protocols can be tedious, even for simple tasks.

iPipet was born out of necessity as an alternative to costly (often temperamental) robots.

We hope you find it useful!

To learn more:

Check out the blog post, press release and a Nature Outlook article.

If you use iPipet please cite:

Zielinski D, Gordon A, Zaks BL, Erlich Y. iPipet: sample handling using a tablet. Nat Methods. 2014 Jul 30;11(8):784-5.


iPipet development was supported by NIH grant R21 HG006167

GETTING STARTED:

1. If you haven't already, check out a demo. You can also download the corresponding CSV to see how the file should look.
 

iPipet Demo from Team Erlich on Vimeo.

(narration and editing by Joanna Kaplanis)

2. Otherwise, the first thing you need to do is create your own CSV file. This file must be correctly formatted.
 

The first 4 columns must be in the following order:

source plate, source well, destination plate, destination well. (Column 5 is optional and may include volume.)

Note: the header will be skipped so as long as the column order is correct you can name the columns whatever you'd like. Just be sure to include a header in the file.

Wells must be numbered 1-96 (or 1-384). Wells 1-8 correspond to wells A1, B1, C1 ... H1 NOT A1, A2, A3 ... A8. If your wells are not in this order or are labeled alphanumerically (ie. 'H1' instead of '8') an easy solution is to first sort by the well columns so that they are in the correct order and then assign the correct number.


To light up destination plate wells only, simply enter place holders in the source plate and source well columns (or vice versa if you prefer) in the CSV file:
 
Note that the volume column is empty here. If you do not need to pipet variable volumes, simply leave this column blank. If you do use the volume column, ALL cells must have a value. Simply use "0" as a placeholder if necessary.

 
Multi-channel pipetting: currently supports 96 well plates only.
 

If you select the multi-channel pipet option on the home screen, your CSV file must be formatted accordingly:

Source and destination wells must be in groups of 8 adjacent wells.

For the example CSV on the right, columns 3 and 8 in the source plate and columns 1 and 2 in the destination plate will be illuminated.

See the multichannel demo to get an idea of how the run screen looks.

3. Once your CSV file is ready, go ahead and give your project a name and upload it on the homepage.
 
Note: The top plate on the run screen is the "source" plate and the bottom plate is the "destination" plate.
 
4. You can provide an email if you'd like iPipet to send you the project link. Otherwise, feel free to leave this field blank.
 
Just be sure to save your unique link. It's easier to create and upload the CSV file on a computer and open the link on your tablet.
 
5. Click "SUBMIT CSV" at the bottom of the homepage. Then just make sure the wells of each plate line up with the plate diagram.
 

It is highly recommended to test the program before handling actual samples to be sure the design is correct.

A layer of plastic wrap over the tablet screen works well to limit plate movement and still works with gloves. Taping the corners of the plates to the plastic wrap works well if you find that they are moving too much.

You can also order a custom 3D printed plate adaptor like the one on the right. Simply download the STL file and find a local 3D printer.

6. Make sure you have all your plates and you're ready to go!

Happy pipetting!
© Erlich Lab 2014
Questions? Email dina dot zielinski at gmail dot com