Automated Imaging of Microtiter Plates
Fraunhofer Life Sciences Engineering Group
- © 2006 Fraunhofer CMI.
Fast, automated microtiter plate loading for luminescent image analysis
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Objective
In the field of drug discovery, assays must be automated to achieve the required high throughput analysis for screening new drug candidates. A large pharmaceutical company was interested in automating the loading of microtiter plates into a Luminescent Image Analyzer to increase the throughput of their screening assays. In addition, the design was required to have a small footprint to be compatible with the crowded laboratory environment.
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Methodology
The unique system reduces the number of part "handoffs" thereby reducing cycle time and dimensional foot print. The entire load / unload mechanism including the magazine are all attached to what became a new door on the imaging chamber. The load / unload mechanism is attached to the inside of the door. Microtiter plates are then picked from the queue using an arm / gripper assembly that actually holds the plate during imaging (like a CD / DVD load mechanism). Servo motors and pneumatics were utilized to reduce overall system cost. A bar code reader helps ensure traceability and scheduling of hundreds of samples daily.
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Results
- Capacity for 50 microtiter plates to be replenished on the fly
- Changeover time of less than 10 seconds
- Two removable cassettes for remote loading
- Unattended operation
- Simple retrofit to existing systems
- Bar code reader reduces errors in identification and data collection
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