Stacker modules used in a high-capacity robotics system for high throughput screening compound replication

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.