The UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC) is pleased to announce the opening of its newest lab, the High Throughput Synthesis and Catalysis Facility (HTSC). High throughput experimentation (HTE) has garnered increasing attention within the last few decades as a powerful approach to accelerate reaction discovery and optimization.
HTE allows for the screening of numerous variables within one experiment, yielding high volume data sets particularly suited for machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) models. Further, HTE can scale down to typically micromole quantities, reducing cost and consumption. The facility is equipped with two systems from Unchained Labs designed for high throughput synthesis.
Spearheaded by Professor Abigail Doyle, these systems were acquired through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) High End Instrumentation grant to expand the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry’s automated chemical synthesis research capabilities.
The robotic instruments reside in an inert purge box, and are capable of automating solid and liquid handling, as well as reaction processing. Software for designing, executing, and evaluating HTE screens on the Unchained systems is also available.
Specifically, the HTSC’s instrumentation can automate solid and liquid handling in numerous combinations of plate size formats ranging from 2×1 (2 wells, 125 mL) to 8×12 (96 wells, 1 mL). A breadth of customizable parameters governing solid and liquid handling may be optimized and tailored to ensure accurate, reproducible reagent handling. Reaction processing capabilities include heating, cooling, vortexing, stirring, and filtration in a 96 well format. Units for high throughput photochemical and electrochemical processing are available as well. The electrochemical unit can provide a variety of electrode combinations for constant current or potential electrolysis. The photo- and electrochemical units can also be assembled together for photoelectrochemical applications. Additionally, The HTSC’s automated instrumentation can accommodate high pressure vessels with independent stirring, pressure, and temperature control. Dispensing and sampling can be performed while pressurized for reaction monitoring. Pressure can be monitored for gas uptake or production. The facility also contains a vacuum concentrator and an LCMS with fraction collection capabilities for analysis and purification.
Interested labs have several options for exploring HTE in their research. Facility staff are available to meet and discuss capabilities, as well as help plan and execute HTE research campaigns. Labs may also request HTSC staff to give a presentation on the facility during lab meetings. Those interested in trying out HTE can enlist staff to set up, execute, work up, and analyze high throughput screens entirely for them, or may be trained to use the instrumentation themselves if interested. Training on the HTE systems is relatively much lengthier and more involved than other traditional instrumentation. Training takes approximately one week covering hardware and software capabilities of the Unchained Labs systems.
Please contact Brandon Jolly, MIC HTE Research & Development Engineer, jollyb@ucla.edu, to discuss exploring high throughput experimentation for your labs’ research!
About the UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC)
The UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC) in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is open to UCLA researchers, other academic institutions, and commercial enterprises. MIC encompasses sixmajor areas: Magnetic Resonance, Mass Spectrometry, X-ray Diffraction, Materials Characterization, Electron Microscopy, and High-Throughput Synthesis. Learn more here.
Article by Brandon Jolly. Photos by Penny Jennings.
