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.