Free up some time: 2017 SLAS

This was my first year attending the SLAS meeting. I was impressed with the tremendous breadth of automated instrumentation available to life science professionals. Being a bit of a gear-head, it was easy being captivated by all the moving arms, spinning pumps, traveling vessels and liquids being moved about. At the end of the day though, it really comes down to determining the bottlenecks in a particular workflow and how this myriad of technologies helps free up more time to manage other tasks.

Spending time listening to other scientists and automation partners visiting the BioTek booth provided excellent examples of how BioTek instruments are currently being used and ideas for future use as both standalone workstations or by incorporating into larger automated work cells. Examples ranged from an automated washing and dispensing workstation for up to 100 plates per day to live cell experiments lasting weeks by incorporating an EL406 Washer Dispenser and BioSpa Live Cell Imaging System to manage media exchanges and kinetic imaging/plate reading.

It appeared that once again the BioSpa was a big hit drawing the attention of many passers-by. Folks were pleased to find an automated solution with such a small footprint, intuitive control and scheduling software and flexibility to interface with a variety of instruments. Of equal interest was the Lionheart FX Automated Live Cell Imager for the same small footprint and integrated environmental control for longer term kinetic experiments on cells.

 

As a testament to the practical use of the BioSpa System the Scientists’ Choice Award for Best Drug Discovery & Development Article included the use of the system in combination with an EL406 for research into cancer-causing genetic abnormalities and potential therapies.

 

The meeting was a fantastic opportunity to connect with partners, customers and scientists working in a variety of areas, solving difficult scientific problems. Having a full complement of BioTek instruments available at both the BioTek and partner booths allowed for demonstration of possible solutions.

By: BioTek Instruments, Peter J. Brescia Jr., MSc, MBA