M. Beggs et al., Stacker modules used in a high-capacity robotics system for high throughput screening compound replication, J BIOMOL SC, 4(6), 1999, pp. 373-379
High throughput screening is now established as a key component of the phar
maceutical lead identification process in many pharmaceutical companies. Ov
er recent years, thanks to advances in assay technology, process automation
, and logistics control, the throughput capacity of HTS groups has increase
d significantly, It is now entirely possible:to screen corporate compound c
ollections against an individual :pharmacological target within a timescale
of several weeks. Despite these improvements, many HTS groups find that th
eir capacity is limited by the rate at which they can provide test compound
s in a "screen-ready" format. This limitation is usually imposed by the cap
acity and productivity of the single-armed robotic systems utilized, We hav
e recently constructed a robotic system aimed at overcoming this particular
problem. This system uses purpose-built microplate stacker units that prov
ide high-capacity microplate storage and, importantly, provide an easy and
fast interface between the robotic system and the human operators, This pap
er describes this automation project and the benefits that have resulted fr
om its deployment.