High throughput sample handling for high throughput genomics

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Funds are requested to purchase a High Throughput Sample Handling Suite together with a 5-year warranty.The application to purchase the suite has been instigated by Professor Keith Edwards, the academic director of the Bristol Genomics Facility, following discussions with several researchers and industrial partners both at Bristol and beyond. Researchers who would directly benefit from installing the Suite at Bristol include Dr Amanda Churchill's Bristol-based research into ageing and wellbeing, Professor Ian King's Nottingham-based research into food security, Dr Alison Bentley's research into food security at NIAB and Dr Chris Burt's wheat breeding at RAGT to address issues associated with food security. All of these cases are in addition to Professor Keith Edwards' own extensive research into wheat breeding and its relationship to food security and Dr Gary Barker's research in metagenomicsThe scientific cases for support all require high throughput sequencing and genotyping; the high throughput sample handling suite enables this on a scale required for genome wide applications such as genotyping by sequencing and genome scanning. The high throughput handling suite consists of two main components; 1. The Biomek 4000 is a liquid handling workstation supporting a variety of applications including DNA extraction, amplification, setup, sample dilution and normalization, 2. The Covaris E220 is a focussed ultra-sonicator capable of multi-sample, batch preparation, and processing a wide range of sample types and volumes. The E220 may be programed to process up to 96 samples in a single batch each with variable sonication requirements and volumes. This makes it possible to bring the advantages to numerous biological and chemical applications including, DNA which is a standard part of genomic DNA library preparation methods for next generation sequencing. Whilst there are other automation platforms available, we are requesting one that provides maximum flexibility to feed into existing pipelines and support the development of new applications, as opposed to closed system robotics which would limit the usage of the investment