Do-it-yourself instrument integration into an existing mammalian cell
line development automation platform
Abstract
Laboratory automation in the biopharmaceutical industry as a rule
requires contracted service from highly professional automation solution
provider, at times involving the purchase and development of specialized
or customized hardware and software, which can be proprietary and
expensive. Alternatively, with the availability of open-source software
customized for automation, it is possible to automate existing
laboratory instruments in a do-it-yourself (DIY), low-cost, and flexible
fashion. In this work, we used an open-source scripting language,
AutoIt, to integrate an existing microplate imager into an existing
automation platform that is already equipped with a 4-axis robotic arm
and an automated incubator, to achieve automation of the imaging
procedure in our cell line development workflow. Furthermore,
optimizations were performed using AutoIt to improve the overall
automated imaging process, namely i) incorporating an automated scan
profile selection step, ii) setting up automated handling of system
errors, and iii) setting up remote handling of system errors. In
summary, the use of AutoIt for DIY instrument integration proves to be
cost-saving, versatile, and able to enhance the efficiency of automation
workflows in the laboratory.