International collaboration is essential for the advancement of scientific research. Scientists working together on international projects leverage the benefits of innovative technologies to improve research outcomes, with laboratory automation playing an increasingly important role in these efforts.
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Lab Automation: Foundations and Impact
The modern laboratory is increasingly becoming automated, with tasks traditionally carried out manually by lab assistants now being performed by automated technologies such as algorithms, robots, automatic aliquoting machines, and pipette machines. Repetitive tasks such as liquid handling and library preparation are just two examples of lab tasks that are increasingly becoming fully automated.1
Partial or entire workflows can also be fully automated, bringing huge benefits for research teams in terms of throughput, accuracy, and reproducibility. Overall, automation vastly improves the quality of research data and makes optimal use of increasingly stretched resources and personnel in labs of all shapes, sizes, and specialisms. Automation can be a game-changer for these laboratories and the international research community.1
Laboratory automation has already had a significant impact on several research areas that demand high throughput, efficiency, accuracy, quality, and reproducibility, such as high-throughput screening, genomic sequencing, and numerous disciplines within the fields of analytical chemistry and life sciences.
Enhancing International Research Through Automation
International research teams working together on projects in multiple disciplines require ways of improving collaboration to work together successfully and reproduce high-quality results and data. Whether employed in a small, medium, or large laboratory, automation enables researchers to conduct experiments with precision and reproducibility at scale.
A number of benefits that automation brings to the table improve the work of international research teams. In an increasingly data-driven research environment, automation helps to enhance data accuracy, for instance.
One example of this would be the consistent automated plate streaking of samples in the microbiology lab which helps to improve the accuracy of pathogen differentiation.1
Automation also reduces human errors, such as handling-induced variability and sample labeling errors, which can impact reproducibility across international research. Furthermore, traceability, a major concern in scientific research, is vastly improved by automating lab processes: automation can take care of data custody chains and improve sample documentation accuracy, improving provenance.1
Another key benefit automation can bring is record digitization, making it easier to share data and results across academic institutions and R&D labs in multiple geographical locales.
Digital record-keeping systems improve workflow management, creating flexible and adaptable research structures and reducing errors.4
Lab automation has benefited several international projects over the past few decades, with one noteworthy example being the Human Genome Project.
One of the 20th and 21st century’s great research achievements, scientists working on this project have leveraged several automated technologies and processes to improve data quality, traceability, efficiency, and international collaboration.2
Shotgun sequencing was one automated technology that was developed in the Human Genome Project.
In this process, DNA sequences are broken down into fragments via mechanical or enzymatic means and then cloned into vectors, allowing them to be sequenced individually, which was a key part of sequencing the entire human genome: thus, automation was central to this international research effort.3
Challenges and Solutions in Automated Collaborative Research
Whilst automation has been proven to help overcome common problems encountered in scientific research, leading to better international collaboration across multiple disciplines, achieving widespread automation in several fields is not without its key challenges.
Firstly, there is the question of cost: automated equipment is more expensive than traditional technologies, which, whilst not as much of an issue in large commercial laboratories, may hinder its uptake in smaller labs that may not have adequate funding.
Secondly, laboratories seeking to leverage the benefits of automation in international collaborative research can suffer from a lack of researchers trained in the use of automated systems and processes.
Furthermore, different devices from different vendors can make integration problematic at both a local and international level, especially with a lack of trained staff.
International research collaboration has its own unique issues, with examples being differences in infrastructure and the finances available to incorporate relevant automated infrastructure, differences in regulations and standards and data privacy concerns.
Implementing and fostering governmental and institutional partnerships could go a long way toward addressing many of these challenges.
Emerging Technologies in Lab Automation
Several emerging automation technologies are playing a key role in enhancing international research efforts. AI and machine learning, for instance, are improving data analytics, experiment design, and data processing.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies help to improve communication between laboratory equipment at an international scale.
Modular automation systems are also democratizing automation, making it possible for smaller laboratories, which are part of international projects, to justify the cost of automation by providing them with increased flexibility.1
New commercial solutions are always emerging, further enhancing international research teams' capabilities to work together across multiple key scientific industries.
Future Directions in Lab Automation and International Collaboration
According to McKinsey Research, there has been a steady increase in automation hardware vendors in recent years: this number has doubled between 2008 and 2013, from 93 to 206.4
This has led to a dynamic vendor landscape, with novel partnerships between vendors and companies in the pharma field and other key scientific research areas.
Breakthroughs in automation technology will likely continue to have an impact in the coming years, moving automation to the forefront of scientific research. Increasing collaboration between international stakeholders and increasing recognition of the beneficial role of lab automation can only positively impact international research collaboration.4
Final Thoughts
Whilst automation should not be considered a “one size fits all” solution, the benefits it brings in terms of data accuracy, reproducibility, efficiency, quality, safety, and traceability, to mention but a few, are becoming more apparent to the international research community.
Whilst there are some key challenges that need to be urgently addressed, such as the high cost of automated infrastructure investment, especially for smaller labs and in developing nations, which otherwise could be frozen out of these research efforts due to cost considerations, these problems are being addressed by multiple stakeholders.
In short, automation can be a huge boon to international research collaboration, helping to advance research and bring new products to market across a wide range of scientific disciplines and industries.
References and Further Reading
- Automata (2024) What is Lab Automation? (online) automata.com. Available at: https://automata.tech/what-is-lab-automation/ (Accessed on 07 May 2024)
- Wilson, S et al. (2021) Innovative technological advancements in laboratory medicine: predicting the lab of the future Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment 36 pp. S9-S21 [online] tandfonline.com. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13102818.2021.2011413 (Accessed on 08 May 2024)
- Zhang, J et al. (2011) The impact of next-generation sequencing on genomics J Genet Genomics 38(3) pp. 95-109 [online] PubMed. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21477781/ (Accessed on 08 May 2024)
- McKinsey & Company (20223) From bench to bedside: Transforming R&D labs through automation [online] mckinsey.com. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/from-bench-to-bedside-transforming-r-and-d-labs-through-automation (Accessed on 08 May 2024)