Automation
We support the maintenance, operation and continuous improvement of laboratory instrumentation and processes.
About Automation
Our automation experts are responsible for the maintenance, operation and continuous improvement of a full range of laboratory instrumentation and processes. Our engineers and machinists support our activities in high-throughput screening and assay development and optimization.
Resources
Systems supported by the automation team include:
Primary Screening System
With three robotic arms for plate transportation, a storage capacity of more than 3 million compound wells (approximately 2,000 1,536-well compound plates), more than 1.5 million assay wells (approximately 1,100 1,536-well assay plates), and an ability to run multiple assays in parallel, NCATS can achieve world-class screening productivity while maintaining the high level of data quality required by researchers. Center experts have developed custom software to monitor and control the system, in addition to archiving the complete process history for every screen in real-time.
Secondary Screening System
With two robotic arms for plate transportation and a storage capacity of nearly 1 million compound or assay wells (about 600 1,536-well compound or assay plates), we use this system to screen smaller-scale compound libraries not present on the primary screening system. This platform is designed to complement the primary system, and it is easily customizable, allowing for the rapid integration of additional screening technologies.
Tox21 Screening System
This system contains a single robotic arm for plate transportation and a storage capacity of about 1.5 million compound wells (about 1,000 1,536-well compound plates) and more than 1.5 million assay wells (approximately 1,100 1,536-well assay plates). With a pin tool and two acoustic dispensers for compound addition, four low-volume dispensers for reagent addition, and three plate readers enabling a variety of assay detection methods, this system can rapidly screen, in triplicate, the Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) library of 10,000 compounds. We monitor and control this system with the same custom software used for the primary screening system.
RNAi Screening System
This high-throughput system has two robotic arms for plate transportation with incubators for assay plate storage and plate stackers to facilitate continuous system operation. A multichannel pipettor, low volume dispensers, an aspirator for plate washing and two different plate readers support a wide variety of detection methods for this RNAi-focused system.
Automation News
Robots Could Spur Use of Stem Cells in the Laboratory and Clinic
February 14, 2022 - NCATS News
- Automation
- Our Impact on Research Operations
- Stem Cell Translation Laboratory (SCTL)
NCATS scientists used robots to automate the culturing of stem cells, thus speeding up the process and bringing stem cells one step closer to clinical use.
Read ArticleRelated Research
Toxicology in the 21st Century
This federal collaboration aims to replace harmful testing methods with more efficient and accurate approaches, allowing us to better understand the potential risks associated with various chemicals.
3-D Tissue Bioprinting
We create and use 3-D printing techniques to make tissue models that closely resemble the complex structure and organization of our cells.
Compound Management
Our compound management team uses sophisticated and automated techniques to supply chemicals for NCATS screening experiments to uncover new treatments for diseases.