The Heart of any high-throughput screening operation is the liquidhander, The CGSC is equipped with a Caliper/Zymark SciClone ALH3000 automated liquid handler.

The SciClone is equipped with a high volume head to prepare 96 well plates with transfer volumes from 1 µl* to 200 µl. The high volume head can use disposable tips in the following sizes:
50µl, 100µl, 200µl (plain)
50µl, 80µl, 180µl (filtered)

Alternatively the SciClone's main array may be swapped from the 96-channel high volume head to a high precision, low-volume head. The low volume head can dispense from 0.5 µl to 25 µl, in either 96- or 384-well formats. Both the 96 and 384 Arrays make use of high precision disposable tips.

In addition to the main array, the SciClone is equipped with an 8 channel independent pipeting system for use in hit-picking and inserting controls on assay plates. The Z-8 is designed for use with 80 µl Filter or 100 µl un-filtered tips, and can cleanly transfer between 1 µl and 98 µl.

The SciClone also has bulk reagent dispensers. Each one can dispense up to 2500 µl into as many as eight channels or fill a 96-well plate with up to 200 µl per well.

The SciClone is equipped with a 96-well tip washing station, and tips may be washed and reused for many operations. Addtionally tips may be ejected and reloaded many times without considerable shifts in performance.

* High Volume Head Transfers may be accomplished down to 0.5 µl with good reliablity under some conditions. However, transfers less then 1 µl are better suited to the low volume head.