What the future has in store

Gary Walsh gives us an overview of the current trends driving the automated sample storage and management market in the pharmaceutical, clinical and medical research industries.

WHILE improvements in technology and supplier know-how are often enabling factors in product R&D, successful innovation is invariably driven by customer need. As automated sample storage, RTS Life Science is well placed to address current market needs for sample storage.

Automated sample storage and management in life sciences is in a state of change; application areas are being broadened and there is an ever increasing need for improvements in sample quality. Key factors for change have included:
o Container types to be stored.
o Picking throughput and storage capacity requirements.
o Storage temperature and environment (e.g. low humidity, inert gas etc).
o Links to downstream automation.
o Integrated processes (such as powder weighing, solubilisation).
o Space and budgets.

As a result of these factors, sample storage and management solutions have undergone significant changes to address the requirements for increased throughput, and minimised sample freeze-thaw effects.

Throughput can be significantly increased by utilising systems that combine novel technology with high-speed mechatronics, giving the potential for picking and placing multiple sample tubes in a single pick/place cycle. To maximise overall system throughput however, it is important that any solution can process multiple customer requests simultaneously.

Single-use microtubes allow individual low-volume sample replicates to be cherry-picked from the automated storage system, thus preventing the need to thaw samples before use and hence eliminating freeze-thaw effects. When combined with high-throughput picking, the resulting systems are ideally suited to focused screening activities. 

More recently, a better understanding of the factors affecting sample quality, and more subtle factors such as the effect of novel processing technologies (including low volume acoustic dispensing), have had an impact on the pharmaceutical industry’s approach to sample storage and replication.

Large pharmaceutical organisations are currently exploring the benefits of storing low volume samples in 384/1536 well plates, rather than individual tubes, and the direct creation of 1536 assay plates by acoustic droplet ejection. This presents a number of challenges:
o Edge effects in 1536 storage plates.
o Speed of plate ‘stamping’ compared to a typical 384 tip pipettor.
o Exposure to the atmosphere of cherry-picked destination plates.

However, acoustic dispensing technology is now seen as a viable and beneficial solution for liquid handling allowing nanolitre transfer volumes whilst overcoming some of the issues normally associated with traditional liquid handling instruments, such as cross contamination.

As the take-up of automated sample management has increased, with more organisations realising the benefits that such systems can deliver, smaller biotech, academic and research institutions are now seeking to adopt this technology. Cost-efficient solutions, which offer the right mix of features and functionality, including capacity, storage density, picking throughput and ease of integration, are now in great demand.

Recognising this need, and building on over 25 years of automation experience, the storage solutions offered by RTS Life Science (SmaRTStore, Sample-Store and Compact-Store) conform to the main requirements that such systems should satisfy according to sample management professionals.

RTS Life Science smaRTStore

The company has also recently developed an innovative sample management solution called Libradexx, an integrated sample library management solution which encompasses sample storage, creation and tracking of master and replicate copies, and an integrated data platform across each of the different sample management processes.

In recent years, the advent of acoustic dispensing technology for liquid handling has had a great impact on sample management and processing. The tiny volumes (low nanolitres) which can be transferred by acoustic droplet ejection without carryover and without the need for tip washing have opened up new possibilities.
Sample management and HTS (High Throughput Screening) workgroups face a number of challenges. These include the regeneration from archive to working plates, tracking of master and replicate copies and fulfillment of cherry picked requests and the decision between automated or manual storage of samples
Logistic challenges can include planning work over multiple stations, dealing with the addition of controls and generation of QC plates and dispatching the resulting output to end users.

All of these challenges can be overcome by using Libradexx software which provides a mechanism to integrate sample storage with acoustic dispensing and manages the whole process through replication, replenishment and cherry picking. The software can be used with manual or semi-automated storage. By utilising a workstation approach, combined with powerful and user-focused software applications, a high degree of flexibility and ease of future upgrade has been achieved.

A large sample library represents a major investment in chemistry and pharmaceutical expertise. As a consequence, an efficient strategy for sample management is a growing necessity within both life science and biotechnology organisations. Only by ensuring successful sample management can the demands of current drug discovery processes be supported.

A key element is the storage and retrieval of the samples themselves. The collections must be stored safely and securely but at the same time remain readily accessible by end users. The introduction of storage and retrieval solutions into the sample management process, whether by means of automation and robotics, or by innovative software solutions can provide significant cost and time savings while increasing throughput and laboratory productivity.
Whilst this article has focused on sample storage and management, many challenges also exist in sample preparation prior to storage, or sample processing after retrieval from storage. To meet these growing needs RTS Life Science has developed a new automated system uniquely suited to the demands of the Biobanking and Biorepository industry.

The Automated Blood Fractionation system

The RTS Life Science Automated Blood Fractionation (ABF) system is used to extract buffy coat (white blood cells) from whole blood samples. The upgradable system provides a fully automated solution to blood fractionation and processing. The ABF system is a self-contained unit capable of processing up to 500 samples per day, providing substantial time and labour cost savings compared with manual fractionation. The ABF system incorporates vision system technology which measures the height of each fraction and calculates the volume of each layer following fractionation via centrifugation. The ABF solution also offers significant health and safety benefits by reducing employee exposure to unscreened blood and a LIMS interface ensures ease of acquisition and manipulation of data. As well as the fully Automated Blood Fractionation System, RTS also offers this solution as a semi-automated system.

By Gary Walsh. Gary is a qualified Mechanical Engineer with a degree and post graduate qualifications in Business Studies. Since 2006 he has been a Director of Robotic Technology Systems PLC (RTS) and since 1998, a Director of RTS Life Science, leading sales and marketing, where he has been responsible for the development of successful new business areas. Prior to this, he held a number of senior operational and business development posts in the automation industry.