The University is soliciting prospective proponents to submit proposals for an Automated Liquid Handling Robot for Studying the Evolving Phage Endolysins Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria.
The overall goal of the project is to develop a novel pipeline to engineer (bacterio)phage-derived antimicrobial proteins using experimental evolution and to make them a more sustainable and efficient alternative and/or complement to antibiotics in the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections.
The instrument being sought with this tender is an automated liquid handling robot designed to perform high-throughput pipetting, dispensing, and sample processing tasks with high precision and reproducibility. It will enable efficient preparation of assays, serial dilutions, and transfer of liquids across multi-well plates, tubes and other laboratory vessels. This instrument will support a wide range of volumes and protocols, significantly increasing experimental throughput while reducing manual labor and human error, making it particularly suited for applications such as enzymatic assays, protein engineering, and experimental evolution studies.
Mandatory Technical Requirements:
1. Automated Liquid Handling Robot
1.1 Must include a head with eight (8) independent pipetting channels using disposable pipette tips with independent Y and Z-position and pipetting volume.
1.2 Must include a pipetting range of 1-1000ul per channel for all eight (8) channels.
1.3 Must include a liquid handler with deck hardware capable of holding SBS format plates, Matrix Tubes, 1.5mL flip top tubes and 2mL flip top tubes.
1.4 Must include a plate gripper, either separately or through the eight (8) variable-position pipettors.
1.5 The system must be capable of removing plate lids.
1.6 The eight (8) channel heads must provide an accuracy of 1–5% at mid to high volumes (>5 µL) and an accuracy of 5–10% at low volumes (1–5 µL). Repeatability must demonstrate a coefficient of variation (CV) of <5% across mid to high volumes (> 5 µL), with 5–10% CV permissible at low volumes (1–5 µL). For example, a target volume of 1 µL may range between 0.9–1.1 µL.
1.7 Must include a minimum of fifteen (15) SBS deck locations.
1.8 The system must be capable of executing automated methods repeatedly with consistent performance over a minimum of forty-eight (48) continuous hours without degradation in pipetting accuracy, tip handling, or plate positioning. Plate positioning repeatability must be maintained within ±0.5 mm relative to the programmed deck location over the full 48-hour continuous operation period. Pipetting accuracy must remain in accordance with all other Mandatory Requirements over the full 48-hour continuous operation period.
1.9 Must include all plate racks as well as a sufficient number of tubes and tips for installation, commissioning and training.
1.10 The robot must be user programmable by trained laboratory personnel, allowing independent creation and modification of automated methods, including pipetting parameters, deck layouts, labware definitions, plate movements, timing logic, and error handling, without vendor intervention.
1.11 The method must be able to call external executables.
1.12 Must be able to automatically copy robot methods from a central server on a regular, routine schedule.
1.13 The proposed solution must be a tabletop model. If the proposed solution exceeds maximum dimensions of 42" (W) × 30" (L), a table must be included.
1.14 The system must be equipped with a minimum of three (3) shaking incubators capable of operating at temperatures up to 50 °C.
1.15 The robot must be housed in an enclosed unit with a clean environment and a HEPA filtration system.
1.16 The robot must be able to pierce sealing membranes on plates using its pipette tips.
1.17 The internal workspace must be able to accommodate at least fifteen (15) plates.
1.18 The system must be capable of automatically discarding pipette tips into a dedicated waste compartment capable of holding a minimum of 600 pipette tips, sufficient to support continuous automated experimental evolution in 24-well plates over 48 hours without user intervention.
1.19 All necessary accessories to meet all Mandatory Requirements must be included in the main proposal and not included as options.
2. Other Requirements
2.1 Must include a laptop computer and all necessary peripherals (mouse, etc) to control the instrument. Said computer must run on a Windows operating system.
2.2 Delivery, installation, initial calibration, testing, and on-site training for a minimum of four (4) users must be included.
2.3 All software provided must include a perpetual (non-expiring) license.
2.4 CSA certification or equivalent is required, as per the Electrical Safety Authority Recognized Certification Mark:
https://esasafe.com/electrical-products/recognized-certification-marks/.
If any electrical components do not arrive with an acceptable certification marking, the University must be allowed to open/modify the instrument as required in order to have it CSA Certified. Said inspection/modification, if required, must not void any warranty.
2.5 Must include a minimum of one (1) year of warranty on parts and labour.
