High-throughput screening rapidly evaluates vast amounts of active compounds, biological molecules, or genetic sequences for a specific biological activity or effect. Scientists can quickly exclude compounds or other experimental materials with little or no effect while identifying “hits.” Hits are candidates presenting the desired effect and provide a starting point for research. This scientific method is primarily used for drug discovery and development, but scientists also use it in biology, chemistry, and materials science research. 

Applications of High-Throughput Screening

• Drug Discovery: High-throughput screening was originally designed for pharmaceutical research. It allows drug developers to screen vast chemical libraries to find compounds that interact with targets implicated in diseases. The hit compounds are then further optimized for better efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic properties.

• Functional Genomics: Scientists screen genetic libraries to study gene function and interaction. This approach provides insights into biological pathways and disease mechanisms. 

• Biochemical Pathway Analysis: Researchers use high-throughput screening to interpret complex biochemical pathways by identifying molecules that can modulate these pathways. New therapeutic targets and a better understanding of disease mechanisms result from this process.

• Toxicology Studies: Compounds are screened for toxic effects on cells or organisms to assess drug safety and environmental toxicity.

High-throughput screening traditionally involved manual transfer of small volumes of liquids into multiwell plates followed by the addition of biological samples for analysis. However, a manual approach to this method is labor-intensive, error-prone, and limited in scalability. This is when automation equipment enters the laboratory. Automated aliquoting systems and liquid dispensers are essential in the accurate facilitation of high-throughput screening. Automated liquid handlers expedite the aliquoting process with precise and reproducible dispensing of scientific materials in microscale volumes. Robotics, advanced software algorithms, and integrated technology like air displacement work together to accurately transfer chemical compounds, biological samples, or reagents with minimal user intervention.

Advantages of Automated Liquid Handling in High-Throughput Screening

• Increased Throughput: Automated liquid handlers are equipped to process thousands of samples in a fraction of the time it would take manually. Using automation to create compound libraries significantly accelerates the pace of experimentation.

• Enhanced Accuracy: Automation eliminates the variability associated with manual pipetting. Precision tools monitor liquid levels to dispense identical volumes for reproducible results across experiments. A high level of accuracy is critical for identifying subtle biological effects and reducing false positives or negatives.

• Reduced Contamination Risk: Minimization of human intervention also decreases the likelihood of sample contamination. Lab personnel can transfer microorganisms via skin, hair, breath, and clothing. The shielded environment of automated liquid handlers also reduces risk of airborne contaminants entering samples. By reducing these risks, there is increased confidence in screening outcomes. 

• Flexibility: Automated liquid handlers are highly adaptable, supporting multiple workflows, sample types, and throughput requirements. Versatility plus an intuitive user interface enable the rapid optimization and execution of diverse screening assays.

• Resource Efficiency: With the reduced need for manual labor, lab personnel can optimize their time by focusing on tasks more complex than repetitive pipetting. Scientific materials are also far less likely to be wasted without the inaccuracies of manual liquid handling. Laboratories save costs by maximizing labor and materials.   

Automated liquid handlers play a key role in high-throughput screening, from library management to data collection. Uniform distribution provides reliability in the creation of compound libraries and assay setup. Thorough mixing of reagents and compounds contributes to accurate assay results. Some liquid handlers can also play a part in the sealing and storage of samples and assays to maintain data integrity. Other technologies may be integrated with liquid handlers for data collection purposes, managing real-time tracking of sample processing, automatic recording of experimental conditions, and direct input of assay results into databases. Development of breakthrough drugs and therapeutics benefits from the accuracy and speed offered by laboratory automation.

At Scinomix, we strive to simplify lab processes while ensuring top-quality results. Our innovative solutions in laboratory automation continue to eliminate repetitive and tedious tasks. By automating lab processes using efficient benchtop solutions, we help to free valuable time and resources, allowing researchers to focus on groundbreaking discoveries. We understand that data accuracy and quality are essential for scientific progress, and that is why we are dedicated to providing automation solutions that guarantee reliable and accurate results. With Scinomix, you can expect lab automation that simplifies processes and ensures quality results every time.

Increase your throughput with Scinomix’s all-in-one benchtop laboratory automation system.