Guide on the calibration, operation and handling of micropipettes

Project Description

This proposal aims to produce a working guide which will be based on the concentrated experience of the European National Institutes of Metrology and will clarify several issues related to:

a) The calibration procedure and all related experimental aspects (aspiration, immersion depth, influence of tips and environmental conditions, etc.) that might play a significant role in the output of the calibration of micropipettes

b) The operation of micropipettes (influence of operator, liquid, etc.)
c) Quality assurance aspects (recalibration frequency, target reliability level, maximum time before failure, etc.).

The guide will be developed in two phases.
A) Initially a detailed and targeted litterature survey will be conducted where all important issues related to the calibration, operation and handling of micropipetts will be established. Additionally any information regarding  the actual conditions of use of such instruments in medical and analytical laboratories will be recorded.
B) Based on the above information, whenever possible, additional targeted experiments will be designed by the participants in order to provide experimental evidence and proof on possible influences of calibration or operational factors that have not been previously investigated in depth.

Final Report 2019-01-31

The project has been completed and the final report can be downloaded here>>