# Automated Liquid Handler

> **NIH NIH S10** · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $247,215

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal requests funds for purchase of a US-manufactured Hamilton NGS STAR liquid handling platform,
including installation, training, and a 12-month warranty from Hamilton Company, Reno, NV. Institutional support
is to help defray purchasing cost and to cover facility costs, personnel salaries, and the service contract for the
lifetime of the instrument. The system will be housed with our existing next generation sequencing
instrumentation including the Illumina NovaSeq 6000, Illumina NextSeq 500, two Illumina MiSeq platforms,
10xGenomics Chromium Controller, and GenapSys sequencing platforms in the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-
designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) fee-for-service MetaOmics Shared Resource core facility at
Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) in central Philadelphia. The Hamliton NGS STAR will enable next-generation
sequencing demands at TJU, including the SKCC and its regional consortium partner Drexel University. Founded
in 2006, the MetaOmics Shared Resource has been instrumental in promoting genomics research by facilitating
hundreds of research projects utilizing a wide variety of experimental systems. The MetaOmics Shared Resource
initially offered high-throughput sequencing using two Life Technologies/Applied Biosystems 5500xl Genetic
Analyzers and two Ion Torrent PGM instruments, which were replaced by Illumina systems including the
NovaSeq 6000, offering the highest throughput of any commercially available sequencing instrument. The
NovaSeq 6000, acquired through an S10 grant in 2021, would greatly benefit from automated sample handling
for optimal operation. Availability of these platforms has spurred an increase in sequencing demand that exceeds
our manual handling capabilities. Acquisition of the Hamilton NGS STAR platform will ensure that laboratories
supported by this facility, especially the NIH-funded investigators described herein, as well as young
investigators who rely on MetaOmics Shared Resource resources for their first NIH grant proposals, will continue
to receive timely and cost-effective service. The Hamilton NGS STAR works in conjunction with Illumina
Sequencing Systems to offer higher precision, reproducibility, increased sample capacity, faster turnaround and
more cost-effective sequencing. Increased efficiency and cost savings will support and expedite research in
genetic diseases, complex traits, and mechanisms of tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic response.
Strengths of this proposal include: support from NCI-designated SKCC and TJU administration; leadership
experience and biotechnology expertise of the PI and key personnel; the large-scale infrastructure of the TJU
academic, clinical, and innovation pillars; highly productive faculty with innovative research projects. Acquisition
of this equipment will have long-lasting impact on biomedical research at TJU.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10424767
- **Project number:** 1S10OD032282-01
- **Recipient organization:** THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Paolo M Fortina
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $247,215
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10424767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10424767, Automated Liquid Handler (1S10OD032282-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10424767. Licensed CC0.

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