Vet-LIRN Network Capacity-Buildinng Projects - Implementation of automated liquid handler for high throughput MALDI-TOF and PCR testing

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Project Summary The Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center (VDC) is a full service veterinary diagnostic laboratory. The VDC is fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, is a National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) Level 1 laboratory and is a certificated laboratory for National Poultry Improvement Plan testing. The laboratory processes over 300,000 specimens annually, conducting a variety of tests including ELISA, serum virus neutralization, AGID, hemagglutination, polymerase chain reaction, bacterial isolation from field specimens and identification, MALDI‐ TOF based identification and characterization of bacterial isolates, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, fluorescent antibody tests, immunohistochemistry, histopathology, and necropsy exams. In order to be more efficient in processing this large caseload, it is important that the laboratory is equipped with state‐of‐the‐art instrumentation and automation for high throughput testing to maintain capacity. This is particularly true in the event of facing high volume testing while participating with a response of a foreign animal disease outbreak or emergency response. The proposal is to purchase an instrument which would be used to automate and enhance capacity for repetitive tasks particularly for set‐up of MALDI TOF plates, and a variety of molecular or other tests with low volume and precise liquid handling requirements