ACAPELLA, a capillary-based submicroliter automated sample preparation system for genome analysis

The Genomation Laboratory in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Washington has been developing an automated, high-throughput submicroliter-scale reaction preparation system for use in molecular biology, especially as part of the Human Genome Project and other high-throughput DNA sequencing endeavors. Small glass capillaries enable the preparation, handling and monitoring of one-microliter reaction volumes. The Genomation Laboratory, with corporate partners Orca Photonic Systems, Inc. and Engineering Arts, has developed modules for aspiration, dispensing, mixing, transport and rapid thermal treatment of biological samples contained in glass capillaries. The "ACAPELLA 1K" is the first integration of these modules, designed to process 1000 samples in an 8-hour day. It has served as a test bed for the technologies as well as for performing biological experiments in conjunction with the University of Washington Genome Center. The Genomation Laboratory is presently developing the next-stage "ACAPELLA 5K" system based on the results of the ACAPELLA 1K system.