Cool tools:
96 ways to avoid tedium and strain
Named after the Roman god of beginnings and endings, the JANUS Automated Workstation has been an eagerly awaited arrival in the Antibody Services lab at the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute.
Properly called a "robotic workstation," this product shoots fluids out of its multiple fingers into a corresponding number of wells. The transport of accurate amounts of fluids using a pipette (a narrow glass tube) is a necessity in most research labs. The 96-well configuration of the JANUS will be like adding 96 pipetting staff to the lab team, none of whom will be at risk for repetitive-strain injuries. Even better, this particular setup can be expanded to 384 wells.
"This robot makes us smile," says Dr. Karl Riabowol , lab director. "Not only will it improve pipetting accuracy and increase production, but we expect it will help improve staff morale by freeing them from tedious, repetitive tasks."
The increased capacity this robotic arm provides means that the Antibody Services lab can serve more researchers and increase its revenues as well. A key resource for the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine , the lab also counts among its clients AHFMR researchers, Government of Canada scientists, and biopharmaceutical companies.
The lab's new robotic helper has already received its first assignments. One of its main duties will be to screen for monoclonal antibodies (substances that can find and attach to cancer cells), a time-consuming task required by many biochemistry researchers. But, in the same way as our expectations and uses for e-mail have grown over the years, Dr. Riabowol believes the future will provide many more tasks for the group's robotic partner.
AHFMR Scientist Dr. Karl Riabowol received an AHFMR Major Equipment Grant to purchase the JANUS Automated Workstation.