Kjell Kochale, IUTA Duisburg
Automation is increasingly finding its way into the biochemical laboratory. While many individual workstations are already automated, the question of feasibility often arises for entire processes. In the case of high sample throughput and fixed work steps, full automation is the obvious choice. However, these usually have to be implemented by external companies at high cost and can only be adapted by them if necessary. Frequently, however, the process is subject to constant change and must therefore be adapted on an ongoing basis. Flexible laboratory automation can then be used to exploit the advantages of automation, i.e. increased sample throughput with better reproducibility. In this presentation, the automation of two different effect-related assays, the acetylcholinesterase assay and the A-YES assay, will be explained. Here, the focus will be on the abstraction of the individual steps, the implementation in automation stations and the subsequent coupling to a process. The entire implementation takes place without IT or automation domain experts. After the implementation, an improved reproducibility with increased sample throughput could be achieved.
