Echo® Acoustic Liquid Handling
THE REVOLUTIONARY ACOUSTIC LIQUID TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY

Echo®
BROCHURE
Version 2.2 | SEPTEMBER 2017

LABCYTE INC.
170 Rose Orchard Way
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
Toll-free: +1 877 742−6548 | Fax: +1 408 747−2010© 2017 LABCYTE INC. All rights reserved.

BROCHURE | ECHO® LIQUID HANDLERSECHO LIQUID HANDLING TECHNOLOGY

Echo Liquid Handling Technology
Precise, Accurate, and Efficient Liquid Transfers Using Sound
The Echo acoustic liquid handling technology revolutionizes life sciences by using sound energy to provide highly accurate, fully automated,
non-contact dispensing of fluids. By utilizing the unique Dynamic Fluid Analysis™ technology from Labcyte, each Echo system is able to determine
fluid composition, fluid height, and the power needed to eject a precise volume of fluid into the destination well. This analysis happens in milliseconds– allowing for precise and accurate transfer of nanoliter (nL) droplets into an inverted microplate. Large volume transfers are achieved by transferring
several hundred droplets per second. Transfers can be made from any well to any well, allowing for miniaturization and automation of complex assays
to dramatically reduce reagent costs and save precious samples.

Echo Acoustic Droplet Ejection

FIGURE 1: Precise amount of acoustic energy is supplied to the fluid creating a single drop.

Destination plate well

2.5 nL or 25 nL

Source plate well

droplet transfers(Echo model dependent)

Fluid TYPE A

Acoustic energy generator(transducer)

Fluid TYPE B
Fluid TYPE C
Fluid TYPE D

FIGURE 2: Movement of the transducer below and the destination plate above the source plate enables rapid transfer from any well of the source plate to any well of
the destination plate for a broad spectrum of fluid types.

2

THE ECHO ACOUSTIC ADVANTAGE

The Echo Acoustic Advantage
Non-contact Transfers... No Tips... No Cross-contamination... No Carryover
Acoustic liquid handling avoids issues that can arise from the use of traditional tip-based systems including sample adhering to the tips,
lower precision at nL volumes, and the need for tip disposal.

Comparing Liquid Handling Technologies
Traditional

Echo®

LIQUID HANDLERS

LIQUID HANDLERS

Use motors to aspirate anddispense

Use acoustic energy toperform transfers

Treat every sample thesame

Treat every sample
individually

Slow transfer of liquids fromany well to any well

Rapid transfer of liquids fromany well to any well

Use pipette tips or pins towhich liquids or sample
can adhere

Use acoustic energy so that
nothing contacts the sample
during transfer

Potential carryover risks

No carryover

Use tips that create
waste or pins that require
extensive washingNo tips, nothing to wash or
throw away

Environmentally-friendly•

No disposable tips•

No wash fluid•

No hazardous liquid waste

3BROCHURE | ECHO® LIQUID HANDLERS

TRADITIONAL vs. ECHO LIQUID HANDLING WORKFLOW

Traditional vs. Echo Liquid Handling Workflow
SIMPLIFY YOUR WORKFLOW — Eliminate Steps While Increasing Data Quality
Highly precise nL transfers make it possible to streamline workflows by eliminating steps. Standard laboratory tests such as standard curves
performed with the Echo Liquid Handler require less sample, avoid propagation of pipetting errors, and eliminate unnecessary transfer steps.

TRADITIONAL SERIAL DILUTION WORKFLOWECHO DIRECT DILUTION WORKFLOW⊲ Sample loss may occur on tips

⊲ Solutions are NEVER IN CONTACT with a pipette tip⊲ Potential for leachates and cross-contamination from tips

⊲ Eliminates any potential for both leachates and cross-contamination⊲ Compounding errors may occur with the serial nature of the transfer⊲ Sample is transferred DIRECTLY to the assay wells

10 µL

10
3.16
µLµL

3.163.16µL µL3.16
3.16
µL µL

3.16 µL

Different volumes
Differentof volumes
the sameof the same
stock solution
stock
aresolution
transferred
are transferred
DIRECTLY DIRECTLY

75 nL

Stock
Solution
10 mM

mM
mM 0.10.316
mM mM
31.60.1µMmM
Stock1.0 mM 0.3161.0
Solution

10 mM

31.6 µM

Stock
SolutionTransfer 1.5TransferµL of each
1.5 dilutionµL of each dilution

10 mM

25 75
nL nL 7.5 25
nL nL 2.5 7.5
nL nL to2.5
nLassaythetoplatethe assay plate
to generate theto generatesame final
theconcentrations
same final concentrations

Stock
Solution
10 mM

to assay plate
to forassay
totalplateassay
forvolume
total assay
of 20volumeµL
of 20 µL

75 µM

23.7 75µMµM 7.523.7µM µM2.377.5µM µM

2.37 µM

75 µM

DMSO % in AssayDMSO=%0.75%
in Assaywhen= 0.75%
Diluent
whenis 10%
Diluent
DMSO
is 10% DMSO

25 µM
75 µM 7.5 25µM µM 2.5 7.5µM µM

2.5 µMDMSO % in AssayDMSO=%0.75%
in AssayAfter= 0.75%
BackfillAfterto 75Backfill
nL Total
to DMSO
75 nL Total DMSOFIGURE 3: Comparison of Traditional SERIAL DILUTION vs. Echo liquid handling DIRECT DILUTION workflows

Traditional
Traditional Liquid
Liquid Handlers
Handlers

Echo
Echo Liquid
Liquid Handlers
Handlers

OptimalOptimalprecision
precisionat
atdiffdifferent
erentvolumes
volumes

Precision
Precisionfor
forlowlownanoliter
nanolitertransfers
transfersisisunmatched
unmatched••GSI
GSIHummingbird™
Hummingbird™
••Boston
BostonInnovation
InnovationSmartPlate
SmartPlate384
384••IMTEKIMTEK384
384DWP™
DWP™
••Aurora
AuroraDiscovery
DiscoveryMPD
MPD
••TTP
TTPLabtech
LabtechMosquito™
Mosquito™
••Deerac
DeeracEquator™
Equator™

••Aurora
AuroraDiscovery
DiscoveryFRD™
FRD™
••Caliper
CaliperLS
LSinL10™
inL10™
••GilsonGilsonQuad-Z215,
Quad-Z215,ﬁﬁxed
xedprobes
probes••GSI
GSISynQuad™
SynQuad™
••Innovadyne
InnovadyneNanoDrop
NanoDrop••CyBi-Well
CyBi-WellVario™
Vario™384
384Disp.
Disp.Tip
Tip

VolumeVolume Dispensed
Dispensed (nL)
(nL)

Echo®
Echo®550
550Liquid
LiquidHandler
Handler

VolumeVolume Dispensed
Dispensed (nL)(nL)

SOURCE:
SOURCE:Comley
ComleyJ,J,Nanolitre
NanolitreDispensing,
Dispensing,Drug
DrugDiscovery
DiscoveryWorld,
World,Summer
Summer2004,
2004,43-54
43-54

All
Allproductproductnames
namesandandbrands
brandsareareproperties
propertiesof
oftheir
theirrespective
respectiveowners.
owners.
FIGURE 4: Comparison of achievable precision across a broad range of liquid handling instruments demonstrates that the Labcyte® Echo Liquid Handler consistently
produced %CV values of less than 2.5% across the full range of volumes tested.

4

ASSAY MINIATURIZATION WITHOUT COMPROMISEAssay Miniaturization without Compromise
Reduce Assay Volumes, Not Performance
Successful miniaturization of assays requires consistent transfer of nL and μL volumes of assays reagents and samples. Echo Liquid Handlers deliver
small volumes of reagents with no contamination enabling assay miniaturization to previously unattainable levels.

Assay Miniaturization⊲ Low volume sample, reagent, and compound addition⊲ Comparable results to traditional assay volumes⊲ Keeps final concentration of DMSO low⊲ Consistent results

Amplification Curves

Precise Transfers in nL Increments

Fluorescence (533 – 580)

31.93728.937

Sample transfer integrity is important for successful data

25.937

generation. With highly precise and accurate non-contact

22.937transfers, the Echo® 525 Liquid Handler introduces no19.937cross-contamination during transfer of reagents or DNA.

16.93713.93710.937
7.937
4.937
1.937

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

FIGURE 5: Real-time qPCR data showing transfer uniformity
using the Echo Liquid Handler. Source plate Echo Qualified
384-well Polypropylene Plus Microplate to a 384-well assay
plate. 1 μL puc19 in 0.1 %TE per well was transferred. Roche 1536
DNA Green Master reagent was used following the standard
protocol and data was read on a Roche LightCycler® 480.

Cycles

32% MORE Active Compounds Found

259x MORE Potent
AstraZeneca demonstrated better compound potency when transferring
directly with an Echo Liquid Handler versus using a serial dilution process2.

Potent by
Echo transfer

108 | 32%
Potent byboth methods

230 | 68%

In a screen of 975 compounds, Bristol-Myers Squibb found 108
more hits when using the Echo Liquid Handler1.

CompoundNumberEcho® Liquid Handler
IC50 (μM)

Traditional Liquid Handler
IC50 (μM)

4

0.003

0.146

5

0.002

0.553

6

0.007

0.973

7

0.003

0.778

8

0.004

0.445

9

0.052

0.170

10

0.064

0.817

11

0.486

3.03

1 Spicer, T. et al., Pharmacological evaluation of different compound dilution and transfer paradigms on an enzyme assay in low volume 384-well format.
Poster presented at Drug Discovery Technology, August 2005, Boston, MA.
2 Barlaam, B.C. et al., U.S. Patent 7,718,653, 2010.

5

BROCHURE | ECHO® LIQUID HANDLERSTHE ECHO WORKFLOW ADVANTAGE

The Echo Workflow Advantage
Re-imagine the Way You Do Science and Research
Acoustic fluid transfer enables researchers to push their research and science in new directions. The Echo Liquid Handler with the Access™
Laboratory Workstation provides a new level of speed and flexibility – allowing researchers to investigate scientific questions in new ways.

MAXIMIZEINCREASE

ACCELERATEAUTOMATE

Lab Budget

Data Quality

Productivity

Complex Assays• Miniaturize assays• Minimize assay reruns• Conserve sample and reagent• Eliminate pipetting variances• Eliminate tip costs• Eliminate sample loss on tips

• Reduce workflow steps• No cross-contamination• No bio-active leachates
from tips• Design, test, and optimize• Transfers with low CV and• Easily create multiple reagent• Transfer multiple reagents• Transfer multiple fluid types• Cherry pick rapidly

assays rapidly

combinations in one plateand concentrations from asingle plate

Rapid any-well-to-any-well capability enables creation of BOTH simple and complex assays

6high accuracy

combinations quickly(transfer from any wellto any well)

ECHO LIQUID HANDLER MODELS

Echo Liquid Handler Models
Revolutionary Liquid Handling Using Sound
Designed for a range of throughput and applications, all Echo Liquid Handlers utilize Dynamic Fluid Analysis for reliable, accurate fluid transfer of awide range of fluids. Rapid any-well-to-any-well capability enables creation of both simple and complex assays.

Echo 525

for higher volume transfer

Echo 550

for medium throughput

Echo 555

for high throughput

Echo Liquid Handler Specifications
Electrical

AC 100-120V, 50/60 Hz, 10 A
or AC 200-240V, 50/60Hz, 5 A

Weight128 kg (283 lbs)

Dimensions

53.9 cm width x 68.3 cm
depth x 92.5 cm height(21.2 x 26.9 x 36.4 inches)

Working envelope

Additional 25.4 cm(10 inches) on top, 2.5 cm(1 inch) on sides, 15.24 cm(6 inches) at front, 30.5 cm(12 inches) at backOperating temp

21°C ± 5°C (70°F ± 9°F)

Air

Filtered, oil-free, dry air• 552 kPA (80 PSI) min• 1034 kPA (150 PSI) max

Vacuum• House supply:
Minimum 200 Torr (266 mbar,
22 in. Hg)

TRANSFER VOLUME

25 nL – 5 μL

2.5 nL – 2 μL

• Standalone vacuum withsurge tank:Min. pump speed 2.0 m3/hr,
minimum pressure 100 Torr
(133 mbar, 26 in. Hg)

2.5 nL – 2 μL

HTS SCREENING

Coupling fluid
COMPOUND MANAGEMENT

Coupling fluid temp 22.1°C ± 0.9°C (71.8°F ± 1.6°F)
Transfer volume

Source microplates • Echo 555 and 550:
384- and 1536-well• Echo 525:
384-well, 6-well reservoir
Destination

CELL-BASED ASSAYS• Echo 555 and 550:
Any SBS-format microplate(24-3456 wells or slide
holder ≤16 mm in height)• Echo 525:
Most SBS-format
microplates

BIOCHEMICAL ASSAYSPROTEOMICS• Echo 555 and 550:
2.5 nL – 2 μL
• Echo 525:
25 nL – 5 μL

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGYGENOMICSType 1 ultra-pure water

Barcode reader
options

Short side and/or long side

DMSO hydration
surveyEcho 555 and 550 only

7

BROCHURE | ECHO® LIQUID HANDLERSAPPLICATIONS: GENOMICS AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

Significantly Improving Genomics Workflows
Enabling Researchers to Push Their Science in New Directions
Echo Liquid Handlers overcome traditional barriers in genomic research by dramatically reducing sample and reagent volume requirements, enablinglaboratories to maximize their working budgets while improving processes and data quality.

GENOMIC RESEARCH

TRANSLATIONALSEQUENCINGSINGLE-CELL
GENOMICS

Increase Efficiency
and Speed While
Reducing Costs

Low Cost,
Highly Efficient Library
Preparation

Low-Volume
Sequencing Libraries
from Single Cells

Cost Effective,
High Throughput
RT-qPCR

From Personalized
Medicine Towards
Precision Medicine

Echo Liquid Handlers
integrated into an AccessLaboratory Workstation
provide a high-throughput,
fully automated system forpooling oligonucleotides,
assembling constructs andspotting colonies. Whether
using the Gibson Assembly®
or Golden Gate® cloning
method, tipless acoustic
liquid handling reduces
costs, waste, and time.

Echo Liquid Handlers
enable library preparation
in low microliter or nanoliter
volumes for a range ofsequencing methods.
Drastically cut reagent
costs, save samples, andeliminate steps — all while
improving library quality
and throughput.

Echo Liquid Handlers
miniaturize library
preparation for wholegenome and transcriptome
analysis of genetic material
from single cells. With
precise, accurate, noncontact transfers, you canreduce reaction volumes
and eliminate cross-

Eliminate costly andlaborious preparation steps
to enable high-throughput
RT-qPCR analysis of
endogenous gene
expression. The Echo Liquid
Handler combined with
one-step reagents improvedetection systems, andautomated plate handlingmakes cost-effective,
high-throughput RT-qPCR
a reality.

Labcyte has partneredwith innovative researchers
who are working to evolve
precision medicine froma treatment based on
behaviors observed from atested population, to one
based on results from atested individual. Precise
screening of potential
therapies on a patient's
own cells in a highthroughput, cost-effective
manner enables thisnext-generation precision
medicine approach.

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

contamination risk.

qPCR

For a complete list of Echo liquid handling applications, please visit our web at www.labcyte.com/applications

Gibson Assembly® is a registered trademark of Synthetic Genomics, Inc.
Golden Gate® is a registered trademark of New England Biolabs, Inc.

8PERSONALIZEDMEDICINEAPPLICATIONS: DRUG DISCOVERY

Complete Drug Discovery Workflow with ONE Instrument
Enables Miniaturization with Unparalleled Throughput and Accuracy
Reagents, compounds, and samples used throughout the drug discovery process are transferred efficiently and accurately with Echo Liquid Handlers.
With various throughput options and fluid transfer capabilities, you can use the Echo system at all steps of the drug discovery process.

DRUG DISCOVERYHTS / SECONDARYSCREENING

CELL-BASEDASSAYS

Discover the Right
Drugs with Improved
Transfer Performance

Biologically Relevant
Assays with
Unmatched Data
Quality

Many scientific publications
have shown that discoveries
made using the Echo Liquid
Handler would have been
impossible with traditional
methods — thanks in partto direct dilution and theelimination of pipette
tip-related issues such ascompounds adhering to thesurface of pipette tips.

Cell-based assays offer abiologically relevant model
to predict the response
in an organism. The
increasing demand for thisin-depth analysis is pushingscientists to dramatically
improve assay throughput
while reducing operating
costs. Labcyte addresses
these needs with integrated
solutions for liquid handlingand automation designed
for cell-based assay
screening.

BIOCHEMICALASSAYS

ADME-TOXCOMBINATIONSCREENING

Simplify Assay
Workflows with
Precise Reagent
Transfers

EnableCost-Effective, Earlier
Safety Screening

Increase Efficiency
and Speed
While Reducing Costs

Buffer formulations areoften complex in order tomaintain protein stability
in long-term storage.
This complexity presents
challenges for traditionalliquid handling methods
to transfer reagents
without loss of material.
Echo Liquid Handlers
incorporate Dynamic Fluid
Analysis technology into
the liquid transfer processthat ensures reagents aretransferred without lossof material and regardlessof the storage buffer
complexity.

ADME-Tox assays are
critical to the drug
discovery process to help
determine the viability of adrug candidate. Echo Liquid
Handlers' non-contact
acoustic transfer and ability
to perform direct dilutions
eliminate the potential forsample loss on tips, error
propagation during serial
dilutions, and compound
precipitation – removing
drug elimination due toDrug combination
screening using the
Echo Liquid Handler has
revolutionized the approachto the assessment ofsynergistic effects of drug
combinations on disease.
The any-well-to-any-well
fluid transfer and the Echo
Combination Screening
application software makehigh-throughput, 2-way
dose-response matrix
studies a reality.

false negatives.

9BROCHURE | ECHO® LIQUID HANDLERSECHO SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

Echo® Software Applications

For more information, visit www.labcyte.com/software

For Quick and Reliable Liquid Handling Task Management
Labcyte has a suite of Echo Software Applications to assist researchers in creating liquid handling protocols for specific applications. Each Echoapplication is designed around a specific liquid handling workflow and uses a combination of wizards and graphical interfaces to simplify the creationof plate formats, liquid transfer routines, and output files. Researchers can quickly create a variety of protocols off-line for the Echo Liquid Handler
and use built-in simulators to validate every transfer before running live. The suite of Echo software applications enables the Echo Liquid Handler toquickly and efficiently accomplish any liquid handling task.
Echo
Array Maker

Echo
Cherry Pick

Echo
Combination Screen

Echo
Dose-Response

Echo
Plate Audit

Echo
Plate Reformat

AcousticallyTransfer Samples
and Reagents

File-Driven Transfersfrom Any Well to Any
Well

Design Complex
Combination
Screening Layouts

Eliminate Carryover,
Improve Resultswith Direct Dilution

Analyze, Monitor
Sample Libraries w/
Acoustic Analysis

Design, Develop,
and Assemble
AssaysGraphically design
custom patterns andformats as well astransfer protocols thatutilize themUses information inpick lists to transferfrom any source wellto any destination
formatA graphical interface
to visually combine
dose-response curves,
controls, and single
concentration transfers

Simplifies protocol
creation for doseresponse using direct
dilution with a wizardbased interface

Visualize, track,and compare thecharacteristics ofsamples within or
across plates

Design custom layouts
used to assemble
assays or reformat andreplicate screening
libraries

Labcyte® Consumables

For more information, visit www.labcyte.com/consumables

Echo® Qualified Microplates must meet the highest specifications to achieve the performance expected from Echo Liquid Handlers. Only plates thatare exceptionally flat with extremely low inter- and intra-plate CVs are considered qualified for use on Echo systems. To meet these requirements,
Labcyte offers a full range of Echo Qualified Source Plates from 6-well reservoir for bulk fill applications to 1536-well low dead volume microtiterplates for minimal sample and reagent loss.

10

ACCESS LABORATORY WORKSTATION

Access™ Laboratory Workstation

For more information, visit www.labcyte.com/access

Ready-to-Go Robotic Systems for Echo Liquid Handlers
The Access Laboratory Workstation combines the revolutionary performance of the Echo Liquid Handler with automated plate handling andintegrated devices into walk-away systems tailored for a range of applications. Access Laboratory Workstations are modular, flexible, solutions thateasily scale when needed.

Improving Throughput and Reproducibility
Access Laboratory Workstations multiply thebenefits of the Echo platform by improving
overall assay throughput and reproducibility.
With the ability to integrate a variety of devices
and the modularity to scale when needed, each
workstation offers the flexibility required byfrequently-changing assay requirements.

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS

for Assay-Ready Plate (ARP)

for Biochemical Assays
System Devices

System Devices●

Labcyte Echo 550 or 555 Liquid
Handler●Labcyte Echo 525 or 555 Liquid
Handler●

ThermoFisher Multidrop Combi nL●

Inheco Teleshake●

Agilent Technologies PlateLoc Sealer- Gas purge option●

BioTek EL406 Fully-loaded with
96- or 192-pin Manifold●

Agilent Technologies Microplate
Centrifuge●

PerkinElmer Envision Multimode
Plate Reader●

Brooks Automation XPeel Peeler●

ThermoFisher Cytomat 10C450
Series●Agilent Technologies PlateLoc
Sealer●

ThermoFisher Cytomat 10 Hotel●

Agilent Technologies Microplate
Centrifuge●

Brooks Automation XPeel Peeler●

Roche LightCycler 480 or 1536

TEMPO™ Software – Dynamic Scheduling for Labcyte Automation Systems
Tempo Automation Software offers a research-friendly interface for scheduling Access Laboratory Workstation protocols.
In a dynamic fashion, Tempo software manages all tasks — including sample management, plate handling, liquid handling,detection, and LIMS updates without custom programming or scripting.

11

LABCYTE INC.
170 Rose Orchard Way
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
Toll-free: +1 877 742−6548 | Fax: +1 408 747−2010

SALES
North America
Europe
Japan
Asia
Other

| +1 408 747−2000| +353 1 6791464| +81 03 5530 8964
| +61 39018 5780
| +1 408 747−2000| info-us@labcyte.com| info-europe@labcyte.com| info-japan@labcyte.com| info-us@labcyte.com| info-us@labcyte.com

All product names and brands are properties of their respective owners.
© 2017 LABCYTE INC. All rights reserved. Labcyte®, Echo®, MicroClime®, the Labcyte logo, Access™, andDynamic Fluid Analysis™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of Labcyte Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.
FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

BRH-ECLH-2.2
SEP 2017