Automation in biotechnology – active ingredient analysis on brain tissue

Abstract

Purpose

Introduction of an automated laboratory system for a new field of laboratory operation, namely cultivation and handling of live brain tissue.

Design/methodology/approach

The company's expertise in manual throughput was transferred to automatable methods. Processing data is used for scheduling purposes to yield efficient production of results.

Findings

Automated process has comparable survival rates and high reproducibility. Time tolerance is lower than for manual operation.

Research limitations/implications

Several bottle necks of the system have been identified and are to be improved upon in future research. These are especially “handling of membrane inserts” and slow‐running procedures.

Practical implications

Cataloging of activity data (timestamps, parameters, etc.) allows for much easier statistical analysis and data‐mining than with manual operation data.

Originality/value

Tissue‐based, high‐throughput screening is a seminal field in laboratory automation.

Citation

Hortig, J., Boehme, T., Felsch, T. and Elkmann, N. (2005), "Automation in biotechnology – active ingredient analysis on brain tissue", Sensor Review, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 292-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/02602280510620835