33 LIMS & Lab Automation Flat-bed or camera based?
Some liquid handlers can accommodate higher instruments, but this is unusual. Those automation platforms which use discrete sizeable ‘carriers’ rather than a solid level deck, have diffi culty accommodating anything that is bigger than one carrier position. If a solid-deck design is in use, then a lower-profi le scanner is the best option. For some applications, older legacy designs based on fl at-bed scanners have been preferred, but the basic functional units are now becoming obsolete and the scanners built around them are harder to source. Camera-based designs are much faster, have no moving parts to wear out and can read the vast majority of tube types on the market. With designs such as the Ziath Express, the control functions are in a separate box which can be stowed beneath or behind the robot, leaving only the optical unit to be accommodated on the deck; an obvious advantage. Even Ziath’s one-box solution, the Mirage, will fi t on most decks, benefi tting from a clever optical design that helps keep the overall form low.
Ease of Integration
When selecting a scanner for integration with your robot it is important to determine in advance what support is available from your chosen manufacturer. In most cases, you will need an API (Application Programming Interface) in order to control the scanner from the robot. The drivers for this may be available directly from the
manufacturer of the robot, but if they do not already exist, getting them written for a particular scanner/robot combination can be expensive. Established manufacturers such as Ziath will have APIs available for most of the popular laboratory automation systems. In addition, Ziath offers a ‘command line’ interface in their software that obviates the need for a driver completely. It can also help to have CAD drawings available as .STP fi les that allow you to accurately plan the layout of your robotic cell. CAD drawings for the Ziath camera-based scanners are available from their website, highlighting the small footprint and low height of the Express for integration applications.
Conclusion
Choosing the right type of barcode rack reader for your robot is a complex decision which requires careful planning. It is certainly an easy and reliable way to keep track of the many samples passing through your workfl ow, but mistakes can be costly in this case. Poorly specifi ed readers may not fi t the robot or may not accommodate the racks you want to use and, in some cases, may not communicate correctly with the robot control software. In that case, having a wide range of data export formats, such as XLS, XML, JSON, Text and Image can help. The message here is to consult widely with manufacturer’s published information and the sales and applications specialists from your chosen vendors to ensure a seamless integration of robot and reader.
Read, Share and Comment on this Article, visit:
www.labmate-online.com/article Pipetting Robot Provides Flexibility in Virology Research
Researchers in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago, New Zealand, are focused on understanding the mechanisms and clinical consequences of drug resistant viruses, as well as performing antiviral drug discovery. The group is using Integra’s ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot and VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipettes to streamline a number of its workflows. Professor Miguel Quiñones-Mateu, Webster Family Chair in Viral Pathogenesis and Principal Investigator of the group, explained: “We’re mainly interested in the properties of drug resistant viruses - such as transmission and pathogenicity - and applying this research to the evaluation of novel drug strategies aiming to eradicate HIV infections.”
“I heard about Integra from a colleague that I have collaborated with for many years, and he suggested the ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot because of its flexibility, small footprint and low cost compared to traditional robots. Instead of needing a number of expensive, task- designated instruments, the ASSIST PLUS could do all of the things I needed, and at a fraction of the cost. I frequently use the VOYAGER pipettes on their own for liquid transfers - such as RNA samples - from tubes to 96 or 384 well plates, and we are able to mount the VOYAGER onto the ASSIST PLUS to automate our drug discovery workflows and a host of other activities. For instance, the platform has been used to automate an entire metagenomics workflow for isolating DNA and RNA from penguin samples, including a magnetic bead-based purification workflow. It really is so versatile. I’m going from dispensing cells and drugs to automating workflows for penguin samples - it’s just amazing!”
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/LKgd 53086pr@reply-direct.com
Is Analytical Data Management Explicitly Part of Your Organisation’s Digitalisation Strategy?
The covid-19 pandemic has brought data digitalisation and management into pinpoint focus. With scientists suddenly locked out of labs, working in shifts, or working from home, organisations are thinking about how to improve data accessibility and storage.
As scientists, we don’t often dwell on how data is stored. Buzz words like digitalisation lie in IT’s domain. But if we cannot contribute to the data-management solution, we will find ourselves with one thrust upon us. Digitalisation isn’t a matter of putting things on a computer monitor. Digitalisation should enable us to do everything we need with data: to manipulate, review, and interrogate it for answers and to support decisions.
Analytical data is among the most complex and varied data we collect. While we may think it’s already being managed - in the instrument software, in our ELN, in the LIMS - imagine accessing it remotely. Can you zoom into the spectrum or chromatogram to take a closer look? Can you re-integrate, detect that previously overlooked peak, or re-process the data?
Users of software on the ACD/Spectrus Platform found themselves in a unique position in 2020: they could answer ‘yes’ to these questions, and more. Spectrus enables digital assembly of analytical data from >150 instrument vendor formats and multiple analytical techniques (LC/ UV/MS, GC/MS, NMR, Raman, IT, and more). The portfolio of Spectrus Workbooks offers advanced tools for processing, analysing, and storing analytical data in chemical context. Furthermore, users need not step into the instrument lab to make a decision from analytical results. Automation sweeps data from the instrument so it can be processed and stored in re-analysable form in a searchable database.
Rescue your analytical data from summary tables and uneditable images. Keep your experimental results alive for whenever and wherever you need them. More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/vaB9
53324pr@reply-direct.com
Interested in publishing a Technical Article?
Contact Gwyneth on +44 (0)1727 855574
or email:
gwyneth@intlabmate.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
