Parhelia Omni-Stainer FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does Omni-Stainer™ work?

Omni-Stainer™ enables microscopy staining automation by hosting samples in thin capillary exchange chambers, thus allowing a liquid handler to supply reagents to the tops of the chambers. When a new buffer is added to the top, it is drawn into the chamber by the capillary force, instantly displacing the old buffer.

What sample types does the Omni-Stainer™ support?

Omni-Stainer™ exists in two versions: Omni-Stainer™ S12 for slide-mounted samples and Omni-Stainer™ C12 for coverslip-mounted samples. Please make sure to order the version according to your needs.

What coverslip types does Omni-Stainer™ support?

The coverslip instrument Omni-Stainer™ can accommodate samples mounted standard rectangular microscopy coverslips, 22x22 or 18x18 size.

What types of applications require coverslip staining?

Coverslip staining is less conventional than staining on slides but it is widely used in a number of applications, such as:

1. Cell cultures - adherent cell lines are often grown on coverslips as they easily adhere to the glass and form micro-colonies

2. TIRF - Total Internal Reflection Microscopy illuminates a thin surface layer of approx. ~200nm and therefore requires the sample to be adhered directly to the coverslip

3. Cyclic protocols that require on-microscope sample perfusion protocols, such as CODEX, CycIF, MERFISH, variations of STORM such as Exchange-PAINT - all require coverslip-mounted samples.

What types of applications require slide-mounted samples?

Most OCT fresh-frozen or FFPE tissue sample staining protocols are performed on slides. Those include Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Immunofluorescence (IF), In Situ Hybridization (ISH), Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC).

Does Omni-Stainer™ support heating and cooling?

The Omni-Stainer™ is made of heat-conductive aluminum and can be used in conjuncture with a temperature control module (like the one here), allowing the temperature to be programmatically controlled between 4C and 95C. This enables a variety of protocols, such as FFPE Antigen Retrieval, smRNA-FISH, or CycIF to be performed directly inside the Omni-Stainer™ device.

Does Omni-Stainer™ support heating and cooling?

The Omni-Stainer™ is made of heat-conductive aluminum and can be used in conjuncture with a temperature control module (like the one here), allowing the temperature to be programmatically controlled between 4C and 95C. This enables a variety of protocols, such as FFPE Antigen Retrieval, smRNA-FISH, or CycIF to be performed directly inside the Omni-Stainer™ device.

smRNA-FISH

Which liquid handlers are compatible with the Omni-Stainer™ device?

Omni-Stainer™ can be used in most liquid handling robots that support 96-well-plate-sized labware, including Hamilton, Agilent Bravo, Tecan Evo, and others. For those labs that would need to purchase a liquid handler to enable Parhelia automation, we recommend Opentrons OT-2, a simple budget liquid handler that is available here

Omni-Stainer™ inside a liquid handling robot

How does Omni-Stainer™ compare to other autostaining solutions?

There are many staining automation solutions on the market, with big names from prominent vendors. However, most of those systems are bulky, expensive, not particularly reagent-efficient, and are oriented toward clinical pathology labs. Since they are not designed to be used in a research setting, such systems can be difficult to program and adapt to custom protocols. In contrast, Omni-Stainer™ is compact, affordable, extremely flexible and easy to use. In addition, the Omni-Stainer™ has the unique capability to stain coverslip-mounted samples.

Omni-Stainer™ hosts 12 coverslips samples and 12 slide samples.

What kind of buffers does Omni-Stainer™ support?

Omni-Stainer™ is made of chemically inert materials and is compatible with most aqueous buffers including those containing high-viscosity agents (e.g. dextran sulfate, glycerol), high salt buffers (up to 0.65M salt), detergents, DMF/DMSO, semi-polar organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone). It is not compatible with non-polar solvents such as petrol distillates or xylenes.

Dextran sulfate