Nearly every science lab in the world requires that liquids be handled at some point, be they acids, oils, or blood, they all require very careful handling in order to maintain accurate samples that lead to consistent data. This isn’t a simple process, some liquids are quite volatile and an accident involving something as simple sounding as a dropped vial could spell disaster, with toxic gas clouds, chemical burns, fires, and even explosions! Then there are those liquids that are very sensitive to contamination or temperature changes, for example, a rare blood sample that could be compromised by just the slightest amount of mishandling, resulting in the failure of the entire experiment!
Because of the critical importance liquids play in the pursuit of science across all its broad spectrum, its correct and careful handling is paramount! In the past, the handling of liquids in the lab depended on the imperfections of the human hand and accidents were sadly all too common. Now, thanks to amazing technological advances, the error-prone human element can be completely removed from the situation, replaced by the precision of a pipetting robot that can handle liquids far more efficiently and safely.
The process of moving liquids about is one of the most important tasks performed during laboratory procedures around the world. The duties of the robotic liquid handler sound quite simple, moving various amounts of liquids from a container like a pipette to an instrument that will be used to study or prepare its contents for some practical use. Quite often the handling of liquids requires their measurement into exceedingly small amounts such as 1 microlitre, which is extremely difficult for the human eye and hand to control. Not so for your robotic helper, you can be sure your measurements will be exact, a critical requirement of any scientific endeavour.
Just to give you an idea, here are just a few of the processes that can benefit from the implementation of a robotic liquid handling system:
- Sequencing for next generation
- Preparation of nucleic acid
- Assay of enzyme-linked immunosorbent
- Setting up PCR
- Workstations using bio array or spot printing
- Extraction for solid phase
- Performing liquid biopsies
- Extraction of liquid from liquid
Let’s now take a closer look at the benefits of automating your lab’s liquid handling requirements!
Increased Precision, Accuracy, and Speed – These are three priorities for any scientific process. By implementing automated liquid handling in your lab you remove the chance of human error and guarantee consistency. Attempting to do the liquid pipetting prices manually runs the risk of the data becoming compromised, requiring expensive measures to rectify the mistake. The robotic handling of liquids greatly increases the precision and accuracy of the process, while decreasing the amount of time needed to perform the tasks.
Preventing Possible Injuries – Considering the repetitive and time-consuming nature of manual liquid handling, it all too commonly results in putting unnatural stress on human joints and muscles that can lead to repetitive task injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a serious problem that a robotic pipetting unit will never face! The need for manual tasks is greatly reduced with the automated system, which in turn reduces the chance of human injuries in the lab.
Eliminates Cross-Contamination – Being able to trust in reliable results is the chief requirement for anyone working in a lab setting, it’s how the ultimate goal of acquiring accurate knowledge is ensured. One of the major problems that lab technicians traditionally face is cross-contamination, when even microscopic amounts of unwanted materials find their way into the liquid being worked with, often resulting in major headaches and even the failure of the entire process! Avoiding the possibility of cross-contamination when working manually results in a very time-consuming and difficult process prone to mistakes, whereas the use of an automated handling apparatus reduces the chances to nearly zero!
Increased Productivity – Having to perform boring, repetitive tasks is something any employee dreads, even scientists! Taking the burden of liquid handling off your technician’s shoulders will free them up to perform their most important task- discovery! Everyone involved will be able to get a lot more accomplished in less time and with less stress, leading to the best possible results!
We hope that this article has demonstrated the benefits and value of implementing robotic liquid handling procedures so that you can consider if they are appropriate for your scientific lab projects.