One way to improve the efficiency of scientific experiments is by miniaturization, which allows experiments to be conducted more quickly, while using lower reaction volumes, and thus reducing cost. The standard method of performing high-throughput chemical screening experiments is to use 384-well plates. Recently, a new technology has been piloted: Curiox droparray assay plates, which hold droplets of sample on a flat plate printed with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.
Tripp compared these performance of these new Curiox assay plates to that of the standard 384-well plates, using four types of assays: cell viability, gene expression, protein secretion, and cell imaging. The new method did not produce high quality results with the gene expression and protein secretion assays, but results of the cell viability and cell imaging assays were quite promising. More development will be needed, however, to automate the Curiox plates and incorporate them into high-throughput chemical screens.
Tripp, a senior at Belmont Hill School, compared a new technology – used to perform high-throughput chemical screens in droplets on slides – to the current standard method.