Do-it-yourself instrument integration into an existing mammalian cell line development automation platform

Laboratory automation in the biopharmaceutical industry as a rule requires contracted service from highly professional automation solution provider, at times involving the purchase and development of specialized or customized hardware and software, which can be proprietary and expensive. Alternatively, with the availability of open-source software customized for automation, it is possible to automate existing laboratory instruments in a do-it-yourself (DIY), low-cost, and flexible fashion. In this work, we used an open-source scripting language, AutoIt, to integrate an existing microplate imager into an existing automation platform that is already equipped with a 4-axis robotic arm and an automated incubator, to achieve automation of the imaging procedure in our cell line development workflow. Furthermore, optimizations were performed using AutoIt to improve the overall automated imaging process, namely i) incorporating an automated scan profile selection step, ii) setting up automated handling of system errors, and iii) setting up remote handling of system errors. In summary, the use of AutoIt for DIY instrument integration proves to be cost-saving, versatile, and able to enhance the efficiency of automation workflows in the laboratory.