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P9001
The Effects of Pipette Tip Material & Sterilization on the Retention of Aqueous Liquids
Presenter John Bradshaw, Artel Inc., USA
Additional Authors: Benjamin W. Spaulding, Keith J. Albert, Daniel Campbell, George Rodrigues
During the process of manufacturing and sterilizing disposable pipette tips, the tips are subjected to various methods and treatments that have the potential to alter tip characteristics and properties. The goal of this study was to explore the amount of liquid retention after an aspirate and dispense step with various types of previously treated pipette tips. Using dual-dye ratiometric photometry and gravimetric methods, we studied the effect of two pipette tip manufacturing processes (low retention molding and e- beam sterilization) on liquid retention of two aqueous solutions – a dual-dye based solution and deionized water.The results of this study indicate that pipette tips have a tendency to retain various amounts of liquid after an aspirate and dispense step. Liquids retained in pipette tips can cause unseen assay errors such as contamination or carry-over if tips are re-used. Tips sterilized via an e- beam process produced higher volumes of liquid retention than those measured for non-sterilized tips. By contrast, tips manufactured to be “low retention” retained a lower volume of liquid. The measured photometric and gravimetric data for the retained liquids in the pipette tips are compared and discussed.