Current automation projects follow two major trends: customized technologies and smaller dedicated systems.
In labs from academia and industry, researchers automate an increasing number of tasks. According to Wendy Lauber, director of product management, biopharma, at Tecan (Männedorf, Switzerland), automation is following two major trends: “The first is technologies [are] required for new and novel applications, usually involving heavily customized integrations. The second divergent trend is towards smaller dedicated systems.”
To serve these trends, vendors face a range of challenges, such as developing software to drive sample handling. Tecan’s TouchTools Suite, for example, includes a runtime controller for high-end users and “instant pipetting,” which lets a lower-end user set up routines through a graphics-based touch screen. “Another exciting advance in the TouchTools Suite is the ability to remotely monitor the status of multiple systems through any networked computer or mobile device via a web browser,” says Lauber.
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Tecan’s TouchTools Suite lets users set up routines through a graphics-based touch screen. (Source: Tecan) |
Other vendors also aim to improve pipetting. Rick Luedke, product manager at Hamilton Robotics (Reno, Nev.) says, “Our TADM—total aspiration and dispense monitoring—function has been an important advancement for our Microlab Star platform, including the latest extension to our 96-channel head. TADM monitors the air pressure in each pipetting channel to verify that a sample has been successfully transferred.”
Beyond pipetting, scientists need tools—or even vendors—that work in teams. Kacey Wiley Pouliot, product manager, sample storage and microplates at Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Mass.), describes one example of companies collaborating: “At Lab Automation 2010, we will be introducing—jointly with The Automation Partnership—a capper-decapper for screw-top tubes. This equipment decaps or caps an entire rack of screw-top tubes at optimal torque in under 10 seconds.” Versions of this technology have been designed specifically for Thermo Scientific Matrix and NUNC tubes.
As Stephen Guy, product manager, modular cell culture systems at The Automation Partnership (Hertfordshire, UK), adds, “These compact units have been tested to ensure consistent capping over 1,000,000 tubes, and can be easily integrated into automated liquid-handling systems. Most importantly, the capped tubes have been tested to ensure long-term sample integrity.”
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The QIAsymphony system helps researchers prepare samples for the polymerase chain reaction. (Source: Qiagen) |
In short, products must help scientists follow the fundamental trends in automation. Consequently, PerkinElmer (Waltham, Mass.) provides a portfolio of products that can support dedicated or highly customized applications. As Nance Hall, vice president and general manager, automation and detection solutions, explains, “A more flexible and integrated approach across applications and research disciplines is a key ingredient to enable our customers’ success—increasing their laboratory efficiency, generating enhanced assay signals, and providing better discovery precision to the research community.”
With two main automated liquid handling platforms, PerkinElmer can support customers’ assays and reagents of choice, as well as integrate detection instruments.
Selecting Samples
Basic and clinical studies often require biofluids such as blood or urine. To prepare biofluids for analysis, researchers often use liquid-liquid extraction, but this technique might not completely separate the liquids. To resolve this issue, Biotage (Uppsala, Sweden) created its ISOLUTE SLE+ supported liquid-extraction plates, which can be used to prepare biofluid samples for liquid chromatography (LC) or LC-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. According to Claire Desbrow, marketing manager, analytical sample preparation products at Biotage, “This approach is simpler and faster than solid-phase extraction, gives cleaner extracts than protein precipitation, and is much easier to automate than traditional liquid-liquid extraction.” Moreover, these plates can be used to clean up as much as 400 microliters of aqueous sample, and as many as 96 samples can be processed simultaneously.
Once a sample is ready for MS, a researcher needs to make sure that an instrument is ready too. For the Xevo and SYNAPT mass spectrometers from Waters (Milford, Mass.), the IntelliStart software ensures proper operation. Gordon Kearney, product manager for TOF-MS at Waters, says that this software was “designed to take the complexity out of tuning, calibrating, and operating a mass spectrometer.”
For example, says Kearney, this software “strips away the underlying complexity and presents a simple, intuitive user interface that allows the operator to automatically and correctly set up the MS-based analytical system.” In addition, IntelliStart can automatically monitor instrument operation during data gathering.
Beyond fluids, some of today’s research programs require cells. Consequently, many vendors develop cell-based automation. For example, Graham Threadgill, PhD, director, life science automation, discovery solutions business center of Beckman Coulter (Fullerton, Calif.), says, “Our Biomek liquid handler–based, cell-cultivation workstations provide flexible and expandable automation platforms for cell-line development processes—including clone screening, hit-picking, culture-media optimization, and cell-line maintenance and expansion—and can incorporate such analytical devices as the company’s Quanta SC MPL flow cytometer and the PARADIGM Multimode Plate Reader.”
Beckman Coulter also works with other companies. For example, says Threadgill, “We interfaced our CyAn flow cytometer with IntelliCyt’s HyperCyt autosampler. The CyAn provides acquisition rates of up to 70,000 events per second, which, when combined with the continuous, rapid sampling capabilities offered by the HyperCyt, will allow high-speed processing to be used in many cell-surface and intracellular flow-cytometry applications. In addition, the Biomek NX or FX liquid handler can be interfaced with the HyperCyt to allow complete automation, from sample preparation to results.”
Technology in Tandem and More
Even existing techniques, such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), benefit from advances in automation. For example, Qiagen’s (Hilden, Germany) QIAsymphony AS (assay set up) “integrates the sample-purification capabilities of the QIAsymphony SP [sample preparation] with assay set up,” says Elisa Morales, marketing manager, automated instrument solutions. She adds that this system provides “an easy-to-use format while maintaining the high performance of Qiagen real-time PCR and PCR assays.” The QIAsymphony AS module interfaces directly with the QIAsymphony SP and is operated using intuitive software. As Morales says, “For integrated operation, samples processed on the QIAsymphony SP can be automatically transferred to the QIAsymphony AS, reducing manual handling steps and documentation.”
Some other vendors also foster technology teamwork. For example, Kevin Keras, business unit manager, automation, consulting, engineering, and services at Caliper Life Sciences (Hopkinton, Mass.), says, “We have really embraced the ‘workstation’ automation concept. We define workstations as highly focused systems or liquid handlers that capture one or many applications with pre-developed methods and enhanced tools.” The Zephyr Genomics Workstation, for instance, processes nucleic-acid assays. In addition, says Keras, “The Zephyr GW includes several new features that will enable life science researchers to conduct common genomics applications with greater reliability and unprecedented ease of use.
For example, Zephyr GW includes a new graphical interface the allows even a lesser experienced bench technician to select from a menu of pre-developed filtration and bead-based applications from leading kit vendors such as Millipore, Machery-Nagel, Promega, and others.” This 96-channel instrument even includes a non-contact ultrasonic sensor to verify liquid level and detect clogged wells within filter plates.
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The Agilent Direct Drive Robot can be used as a standalone robot, or as part of Agilent’s BioCel System. (Source: Agilent) |
Researchers also seek efficient ways to collect data. As one new example, BioTek Instruments (Winooski, Vt.) offers its Synergy H4 Hybrid Microplate Reader, which combines filter- and monochromator-based optics for microplate-based assays. According to Xavier Amouretti, product manager at BioTek, “What worked for simple biochemical assays may not work for complex cell-based assays. Our Synergy H4 Hybrid Microplate Reader was created with both assay types in mind, covering the entire range of microplate-based fluorescent, absorbance, and luminescence assays.” This technology works with nucleic-acid and protein quantification, enzyme assays or biomarker quantification, and ELISA assays. It can also be applied to cell-based assays, such as gene-expression assays that use green fluorescent protein.
PerkinElmer also expanded automated data collection with its ultra-sensitive luminescence detection mode for its EnSpire Multilabel Plate Reader. According to Hall, “Ultra-sensitive luminescence detection provides scientists with enhanced capabilities to improve assay performance, particularly those working with primary and stem cells in cancer and neuro-pharmacology.” EnSpire also provides a quad-monochromator that detects fluorescence intensity and absorbance.
Filling Pharma’s Pipeline
To stay successful, pharmaceutical companies must keep adding new compounds to their pipeline. As explained by Marc Beban, PhD, director, integrated systems and software marketing at Agilent Automation Solutions (Santa Clara, Calif.), “Our customers are truly challenged with getting quality leads into their development pipeline.” To enhance reliability, Agilent Automation Solutions released a new Direct Drive Robot (DDR). According to Beban, this product was “designed from the ground up to move microtitre plates.” He adds, “It is the centerpiece of our high-end automation platforms where our customers are processing hundreds or thousands of plates in a single run.”
In addition to reliability, Agilent’s DDR brings flexibility. As Beban points out, this system makes it easier for researchers to switch between applications. “The DDR wrist joint, enhanced vertical reach, and unrestricted rotation means that devices can be configured without rigid layout requirements.” This technology also incorporates what Agilent calls the “one person, one touch teach” feature. As Beban explains, “DDR allows users to enter a teach mode where the robot arm is easily, manually moved to a location and taught by a simple press of a button on the end effector.”
Being able to walk technicians and tools through such operations depicts the ultimate needs of automation in the biosciences: It must be easy to accomplish and still capable of advanced actions.
About the Author
Mike May, PhD, is a publishing consultant for science and technology based in Minnesota.
This article was published in Bioscience Technology magazine: Vol. 34, No. 1, January, 2010, pp. 1, 8-12.