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Understanding the importance of precision in research is a key fundamental in laboratory work. This is especially true in fields such as molecular biology, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. Small errors can have big ramifications, errors that would affect the integrity of the results, leading to unreliable outcomes.
Precision Matters:
The process of pipetting could seem straightforward but it’s a complicated process. The process requires skill and efficiency, even slight errors could have big consequences. Slight changes in liquid volumes can have serious consequences.
Top 3 pipetting errors:
- Inconsistency: differences in measurements can change the outcomes of findings and can lead to inconsistent results.
- Costs: wastage of materials can be costly as a result of incorrect pipetting.
- Reproducibility: if pipetting practices aren’t standardized, experiments may not yield consistent results upon replication.
Lab Automation and its role in Research:
Laboratory automation eliminates most human errors resulting in more reliable data and improved productivity. Together with complete integration inside OneLab, all experimental data from Andrew+ will be recorded and stored, improving the traceability of experiments and the data analysis.
What are the key benefits of automated pipetting?
- Moving to an automated system will not only improve your liquid handling procedures but also the reputation your organization holds when it comes to trust in your laboratories.
- By using pipetting robots, the challenges faced by manual pipetting are removed and in place you have a fully automated system that can be managed online, even from a remote location.
- The Andrew+ Robot and OneLab software directly address the difficulties of many labs within this context and beyond. By implementing the Andrew+ robot and cloud-based OneLab software, scientists are able to run protocols while saving time to focus on other tasks increasing productivity and efficiency.
Real-time Tracking and Reporting
The tracking within OneLab is one of its defining features, all steps of your experiments are tracked which provides a detailed audit trail that supports troubleshooting and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Reports are generated automatically, which gives researchers the clarity of how their experiments have been conducted, allowing for easy review and refinements.
OneLab: Existing Protocols
OneLab contains a protocol library with validated protocols for various sample preparation assays that can be added straight to your OneLab projects. You can use these methods in your lab right away, enabling you to get up and running even faster. If you don’t find what you are looking for, protocols are constantly being added to the library.
Promoting health:
Pipetting requires repetitive movements (of up to 500 times per day for the average user) that can lead to musculo-skeletal disorders like repetitive strain injury. Andrew+ helps eliminate physical stress to professionals, and also reduces the risk of exposure to hazardous materials used in certain experimental procedures.
Reproducibility and full traceability:
OneLab enables scientists to graphically design their own pipetting protocols in minutes and execute them straight away in any laboratory in the world, even allowing the remote monitoring of ongoing experiments. Use a flexible and secure platform that withstands the rigors of regulatory validation.
For laboratories conducting large-scale studies, high-volume pipetting is essential. However, maintaining precision on such a scale is challenging, particularly with repetitive manual pipetting. Water’s automation solutions meet this need by offering tools that seamlessly handle high volumes while maintaining high standards of accuracy. This not only streamlines workflows but also preserves the integrity of the data.
Case Study: Water’s Automated Liquid Handling Systems in Use
In a case study carried out by researchers at Bayer, the team demonstrated the benefits of switching from manual liquid handling to the Andrew Alliance liquid handling robot. The team developed an automated high-throughput method of Oligonucleotide-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles for High Throughput In-Vitro Screening.
Automation, as pioneered by companies like Water’s, is revolutionizing this space by providing scientists with tools that deliver unparalleled precision.
By incorporating automated systems and digital solutions, labs can enhance the reliability of their research and continue making strides in scientific discovery.
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