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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Lab Autom. 2012 Feb;17(1):66–74. doi: 10.1177/2211068211432197

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Process summary and timeline for automated chorion removal and embryo allocation to plate wells. Step 1, beginning at 4 h postfertilization (hpf), consists of removal of dead or obviously abnormal embryos from the mass of 2000 embryos in a 135-mm Petri dish. It requires 5 to 10 min to complete the cleanup using a Pasteur pipette connected to a vacuum aspirator. Step 2, beginning immediately after 1, requires the approximate division of the mass of embryos among 4, 100-mm glass Petri dishes, the addition of a pronase aliquot to each, and pressing the start button. The automated gentle shaking, rinsing, and rest period requires 40 to 45 min. Step 3, beginning immediately after the post-dechorionation rest period and rinse to remove any remaining traces of chorion, simply requires the movement of the plate of 400 embryos to the Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) robot station and pressing the start button. A single embryo is delivered to each of the 96 wells in 15 min.