The high throughput screening infrastructure: The right tools for the task

HTS is a key component of pharmaceutical lead identification process. Over recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has experienced significant incre ases in the throughput capabilities of its HTS functions, In those companie s where HTS has been effectively deployed, it is now possible to screen the entire corporate compound collection against a pharmacological target with in a timescale of several weeks to a few months. This capability has been r ealized, not as a result of the purchase of any one particular piece of har dware, but rather through the development of a truly effective HTS infrastr ucture that matches the needs of the parent organization. Central to this i s the need to understand how to effectively combine the use of the differen t types of hardware available to the HTS specialist. The use of both modula r workstations and single-arm robotic systems have underpinned most HTS gro ups operations. Recent advances in the field of multiple-arm robotic system s and dedicated automation systems offer even further potential for increas ing productivity. This article describes our experience with the use of a d edicated automation system for HTS applications.