Workstations, automated high-throughput

A fully automated high throughput analysis platform that has been successfully established is shown in Figure 14.1. This platform is able to provide unattended, continuous operation, by control of the entire process (i.e., load plates, scan bar codes, sample injection, analysis, report generation, and data archival) with a single computer workstation [21]. The throughput is 1200 samples per day with acceptable chromatographic resolution. Moreover, when... 

Figure 8.15. Typical sequence of steps in a high-throughput automated workstation.

Harness JR, Automation of high-throughput synthesis, Automated laboratory workstations designed to perform and support combinatorial chemistry, In Chaiken IM, Janda KD, eds., Molecular Diversity and Combinatorial Chemistry Libraries and Drug Discovery, ACS Conference Proceedings Series, Washington, DC, American Chemical Society, pp. 188-198, 1996. 

Products/technologies The mixing routine of the FAMOS microsampling HPLC workstation enables automated method development for sample handling techniques of single beads to produce combinatorial libraries high-throughput is achieved by multiple analysis per vial. 

One area where LIMSs have not provided out-of-the-box support is in the automation of sample preparation. This may be due to the fact, that analytical labs do not have sample-preparation workstations or that there is no standard for these workstations. Nevertheless, the authors think that sample preparation can be automated, providing similar benehts as in high throughput screening, for example. The use of portable devices such as pocket has been reported in the laboratory [74]. Commercially available applicahons such as LimsLink (Labtronics, Inc.) can upload laboratory instrument data from handheld devices to any LIMS. 

High-throughput screening automation exists at a variety of levels, from manual to semi-automated to fully automated turnkey systems (83). However, the types of equipment tend to be similar, and the way in which the screening process is integrated dictates the level of automation. For a brief discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of automated platforms versus workstations, see refs. 84 and 85. 

Microtiter plate Configuration for parallel assay is an important consideration if high-throughput analysis is contemplated. While filter plates and manifolds that can be disassembled and cleaned after each dot blot experiment are widely used, most homebrew DNA immunoassays have used commercially available plates for ELISA. Microtiter (96-well) plates allow assays to be conducted with multichannel pipettors and automated robotic workstations. Higher-order multiplexing with 384-well or 1024-well plates is possible. A typical assay protocol is provided in Table 5. 

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