AUTOMATED PLATE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

High throughput screeningHTShas emerged as a leading method of drug discovery and development in the pharmaceutical industryacademiaand at the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational SciencesNCATSHTS relies on the ability to rapidly screen tens of thousands of compounds to identify the most promising drugs and their dose response curvesHTS isof necessityhighly automated and demands mechanized transfer of microplates between different laboratory instrumentsAt presentplate transfer relies on industrial robotic arms to move microplates in the laboratoryThese systems provide limited reachare very expensiveand require great care when operating in close proximity with each other to avoid collisionsThe contractor is developing a novel method of drone based microplate transportDrones can move microplates over significantly longer distances than conventional robotic handling systemsallowing them to reach just about any point in the laboratoryMultiple drones can fly simultaneously to increase throughput and provide greater flexibility in routingThe flexibility afforded by drone based plate transport accommodates changes to microplate handling workflow that are often encountered during drug discovery