We developed a procedure aimed at simultaneously treating thousands of C.elegans model organisms, from eggs to old adult, in liquid, in 96- or 384-well plates. This procedure can be used to perform drug and toxicological screening of millions of compounds, in very small volumes and on millions of animals. Thanks to easy handling, semi-automatic analysis can be performed using plate readers or High Content Screening instruments. It is therefore possible to use several different starting conditions in each well in terms of genotype, number of animals, volumes, nutrients and treatments. This can be further enhanced by dispensing with automated liquid handling devices. Nematocides, food contaminants, drugs and toxic substances can be identified with this system.
In recent years, the use of small model organisms, such as C.elegans, has proved extraordinarily productive for toxicology and pharmacology studies. These animals are easily manipulated experimentally, microscopic but multicellular and with different tissues and organs, which allows the analysis of millions of compounds of interest. In addition, models of many diseases have already been set up that allow to detect the effect of compounds on particular conditions. The biology of C. elegans is extremely well known and therefore offers the knowledge to accurately interpret the screening results. C. elegans is economically very advantageous compared to other models and offer quick answers (3-21 days). It makes it possible to reduce the sacrifice of vertebrate animals whose use, when not strictly necessary, finds widespread opposition in society.