Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine strengthen breast cancer research workflows with advanced liquid handling

A laboratory at the Tulane University School of Medicine has enhanced its drug screening and tumor modelling workflows by adopting advanced liquid handling solutions from INTEGRA Biosciences, including the PIPETBOY GENIUS serological pipet controller and VIAFLO electronic pipettes.

More than 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Louisiana and mortality rates are 14 percent higher than the national average. Researchers at Tulane are working to improve outcomes across the state and Gulf region.

Jorge Belgodere, Instructor at Tulane School of Medicine with a secondary appointment at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, leads a growing research team focused on developing tumor models, particularly for aggressive and difficult-to-treat malignancies, such as triple negative breast cancer. Jorge recently invested in INTEGRA’s PIPETBOY GENIUS serological pipet controller and VIAFLO lightweight electronic pipettes to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the lab’s workflows.

We needed help with our workflows, and the INTEGRA Biosciences systems can set up assays, experiments and PCR plates in less than half the time that it would have taken previously. When I’m training too, it is far easier with these instruments because of their reliability and accuracy; it means that undergraduates can get a method right the first time. This equipment also helps to reduce the monotony of tasks like serological dispensing, and our researchers feel more comfortable.”

Jorge Belgodere, Instructor, Tulane School of Medicine

With close ties to local communities that provide patient samples, this accuracy and reliability is critical to protect sample integrity and avoid repeat experiments. “Someone from the community has donated their cells, so we try to emphasize an ethos of not wasting them and the effort that was put in to acquiring them,” Jorge explained. “It has been really positive working with INTEGRA. You might think pipettes are just about moving liquids, but in reality they have a big impact on consistency and efficiency – and that makes a real difference in how we work,” Jorge concluded.