Software integrated with automated pipetting workstation

Web applications developed in Java, embedded locally on a Windows tablet, responsive design, Apache Wicket web framework, PostgreSQL database, Hibernate ORM, hosted on local Apache Tomcat server

Gilson is a family-owned global manufacturer of sample management and purification solutions for the life sciences industry.

Gilson was at a time developing a new benchtop liquid handling instrument PIPETMAX® and they were looking for a partner that would help them to design and develop user-friendly software for preparing pipetting protocols.

At that time they were also starting to address new markets such as molecular biology where the precision of pipetting and its repeatability, which Gilson is known for, is of great importance.

They noticed our product GENEIO (qPCR platform) and liked the idea of automatic preparation of pipetting protocol for execution of qPCR plate pipetting based on simple domain information provided by lab personnel. They identified us, as a partner with both expertise in software development as well as expertise from the field of molecular biology that could help them to access the new market.

BioSistemika developed a qPCR Assistant for PIPETMAX® automated pipetting workstation that runs on Gilson TRILUTION® micro 2.0.

PIPETMAX® qPCR Assistant enables reproducible and intuitive qPCR method set-up by automatic creation of master mix prep, sample dilution, and reaction plate preparation protocols executable on PIPETMAX® pipetting workstation by answering simple questions about your qPCR experiment.

Software screens

Both applications were designed to solve one of the main problems of automated liquid handling – the difficulty in programming the devices.

Instead of having the user define each liquid transfer, both applications allow the user to specify the results they would like to achieve, and the applications calculate the steps required to reach them on their own.

All of the mind-numbing but crucial details, such as dead volumes, pipetting offsets, multi channeling, and multi dispensing are handled in a way that optimizes both the speed and accuracy of the pipetting process.

Both of the assistants are Java web applications, developed using the Apache Wicket framework and running on an Apache Tomcat server. They use a PostgreSQL database to store their internal data.