Rise of Automation in Laboratories

The rise of automation in laboratories has been steadily increasing over the past few decades. With the advancement of technology, various instruments and equipment used in labs can now be automated to perform repetitive and complex tasks with much greater speed, accuracy and consistency compared to manual methods. This has allowed laboratories to massively improve efficiency, throughput and reproducibility of experiments while reducing the need for human intervention.

Automated liquid handling systems were some of the earliest forms of Lab Automation adopted widely. Liquid handlers can pipette, dilute and transfer fluids rapidly and precisely according to programmed protocols. This enabled high-throughput screening of chemical and biological samples in assays. Integration of liquids handlers with robotic systems further expanded their capabilities.

Automated Detection and Analysis

Along with automating fluid handling steps, various detection and analytical instruments used in research are also being automated. Devices like microplate readers, which detect characteristics of samples in microtiter plates, have automated sampling and reading functions. Chromatography systems used to separate chemical mixtures can run automated methods to analyze multiple samples consecutively. Imaging systems equipped with automated microscopy are used for high-content screening in fields like cell biology.

Automation has also revolutionized methods for nucleic acid analysis critical in fields like genomics, molecular diagnostics and forensics. Robotic liquid handling stations combined with thermal cyclers automate multi-step processes like DNA/RNA extraction, amplification and detection. Next-generation sequencing instruments automate major pre-analytical and analysis steps in DNA sequencing workflows. These automation platforms have enabled massively parallel, high-throughput processing and analysis of genetic samples.

Increased Robotic Integration

As standalone automated devices proliferated in labs, there has been a natural progression towards greater integration of these systems with robotics. Fully automated laboratory robotic systems are developed which can autonomously perform complex multistep experiments and analytical protocols by interfacing various core lab equipment and instruments.

Robotic systems eliminate repetitive manual sample handling, reagent preparation and loading/unloading of instruments. They integrate functions like barcode reading, volumetric pipetting, tube and plate transport, liquid dispensing as well as running analytical methods on integrated equipment without human intervention. Various configurations allow for parallel automated processing of different parts of the same workflow or separate experiments. This has further increased lab throughput while reducing manual effort and chance of human errors.

Data Management and Informatics

Along with automating physical tasks in the lab, integration of informatics tools has been crucial for leveraging the full potential of lab automation. Automated systems generate vast amounts of experimental data that needs to be captured, organized and analyzed to extract useful insights. Laboratory information management systems (LIMS) are used to track samples, link metadata to raw experimental data files and conduct basic analyses and quality control checks.

Advanced data analytics platforms mine this “big experimental data” using powerful algorithms. They help scientists identify patterns, correlations and extract novel biological inferences that would be impossible through manual experiments alone. Cloud-based analytics further scales these capabilities for very large datasets. Collectively, informatics tools are transforming raw laboratory data into actionable scientific knowledge at an unprecedented scale thanks to automation.

Impact on Research

The widespread implementation of automation technologies has significantly impacted biomedical research productivity and outcomes over the past few decades. Automated platforms have allowed biologists, biochemists and clinical researchers to not just scale up their experiments exponentially but also conduct new types of complex experiments that were previously infeasible. As a result, many new biological insights have been gained at a much faster pace than possible with manual methods.

Automation has especially been transformative for areas like drug discovery. Techniques like high-throughput screening examine millions of chemical compounds rapidly for their biological activity, identifying promising leads that may become new drug candidates. The genomic revolution was also enabled to a large extent by automation of DNA sequencing and analysis. Going forward, as technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence and cloud computing continue to advance, laboratory automation will substantially accelerate the pace of scientific progress even further.

In the lab automation utilizing technologies like robotics, liquid handling, advanced detection instruments and sophisticated informatics has tremendously boosted research productivity across various scientific disciplines over the past few decades. It has allowed unprecedented scale, precision, speed and throughput in conducting biological and chemical experiments. The transformed capabilities of automated laboratories will likely play a major role in addressing future challenges in areas like healthcare, environmental protection and new technology development.

For Deeper Insights, Find the Report in the Language that You want.

About Author:

Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/money-singh-590844163)