Next generation platforms for high-throughput biodosimetry

Abstract

Here the general concept of the combined use of plates and tubes in racks compatible with the American National Standards Institute/the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening microplate formats as the next generation platforms for increasing the throughput of biodosimetry assays was described. These platforms can be used at different stages of biodosimetry assays starting from blood collection into microtubes organised in standardised racks and ending with the cytogenetic analysis of samples in standardised multiwell and multichannel plates. Robotically friendly platforms can be used for different biodosimetry assays in minimally equipped laboratories and on cost-effective automated universal biotech systems.

Figure 1.

Platforms for high-throughput biodosimetry: rack with 96 2D barcoded tubes with caps (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) (A); 96-square well plate with optically clear bottom (Ibidi GmbH, Germany) (B); slide-adaptor plate with four microscopic slides (Microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany) (C) and 64 microfluidic channel plate (microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany) (D).

Figure 2.

Metaphase spread of human lymphocyte with two dicentrics after exposure to 4 Gy of ¹³⁷Cs gamma-rays prepared in a microchannel of the microfludic plate (shown in Figure 1D): DAPI-stained (A); FISH with centromere FAM-PNA probe (B) and FISH with telomere Cy3-PNA probe (C). Fifty microlitres of peripheral human blood was cultured and fixed in microtubes organised in rack (shown on Figure 1A) according to the IAEA protocol⁽¹⁾ for whole blood culture with five times reduced volumes and 2-min centrifugation time. Standard FISH was performed according to the manufacture's recommendation (Panagene, Inc., Korea) with 7-µl volumes used for loading fixed cell suspension and reagents into microchannels of plate. Arrows show two dicentrics: ‘+’—two centromere signals and ‘−’—with no telomere signal between centromeres.