Sound sample set-up

BIBERACH, Germany—To prepare potential drug compounds for HTS, one of the most time consuming but critical steps is accurately weighing out samples. This is a straightforward process for dry powders, but sample sticking and loss is very problematic with oils, tars, and gums. To address this problem, researchers at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma designed the compounds in vials dissolution station (CIVDISS).

In a poster presented at the recent SBS conference in Montreal, the researchers explained that they avoided weighing issues by adding DMSO to the master vial to achieve the desired concentration. They then replaced the traditional mixing device, which they suggest offers poor reproducibility and long timelines, with a focused acoustic mixing device. Because the acoustic mixer relies on a water bath, the researchers recapped the master vials before mixing to prevent water contamination.

Upon removing the desired quantity of sample for plating, they logged this amount into the inventory system and either stored the remaining sample or freeze dried it to prevent long-term degradation. According to the researchers, the turnaround time to process 96 samples into triplicate plates is about five hours.