Making Science Make Sense
| Home > Scientific Writing and Editing > Feature Article Sample | Home | About | Samples | Contact |
|
Bench Bots: Inside the Laboratory Robotics Interest Group
"What does that do?" the boy asks, pointing at the liquid-handling tips of a Gilson Multiple Probe 215/889 Injection Module. His question is less technically astute, but otherwise quite similar in intent and enthusiasm to those being posed around him. The Scouts, along with some 400 scientists and vendors, are visiting a meeting of the Laboratory Robotics Interest Group (LRIG), a forum for users to share strategies for automating research laboratories. The LRIG was formed in the early 1980s, when laboratory automation was found mainly in analytical labs. But membership in the group has exploded in recent years, partly due to the pivotal role that automation now plays in high-throughput R&D. "I gave a talk before the LRIG on high-throughput screening in 1990 and got a bunch of blank looks," recalls Dennis France, a senior scientist in the department of oncology at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (Summit, NJ). France has served as the LRIG's executive chair since 1996. The group had 200 members then—today, membership exceeds 2,100, with meetings regularly packing in crowds of 300 or more. Where the Users Are The LRIG's phenonmenal growth has not distracted the group from its primary mission: to serve as an educational and professional resource for users of robotics and automation. Unlike larger industry organizations such as the Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) and the Association for Laboratory Automation, the LRIG collects no dues, sponsors no annual meeting or conference, and produces no journals. That's because the group targets the scientists at the bench, who rarely, if at all, have the opportunity to attend the big meetings where many of the conversations about changes in the industry occur. "So many of the obvious things, the real practical issues in working with automation, come off the bench," says Steve Fillers of Biogen, Inc. (Cambridge, MA), executive chair of the LRIG's new Boston chapter. The LRIG taps this resource by giving users a chance to interact not just with their peers, but also with automation vendors, which the group invites to select meetings. Vendors offer the same demonstrations they might give on a sales call or at a tradeshow, but they can offer them to whole groups of scientists at a time in a casual setting. Simultaneously, users have a chance to compare instruments and technologies while engaging in practical problem-solving with colleagues. "If I were in the market for a piece of equipment, I'd love this venue, because it's a chance to see everything for the laboratory in one place at one time," Peter Siesel, eastern regional manager at Tecan U.S. (Research Triangle Park, NC), says. Even as meetings have grown to include as many as 500 people, the format has remained unchanged. Meetings are held after work, dress is come-as-you-are, and the formal program is finished by 9:00. Topics vary, though HTS typically draws the biggest crowds. France notes, however, that membership remains decidedly multidisciplinary. "At the end of the day, all of us, from the screeners to the analytical chemists, are dealing with the same issues. A robot is a robot—whether it's picking up a microplate or a test tube, your main question is whether it's a good, reliable instrument." Venting the Issues LRIG meetings also give users the chance to vent, an activity that has almost become essential given the continual changes occurring throughout the automation industry. At LRIG meetings, presentations and conversations address the choices that laboratories must make to be effective. Should my lab miniaturize or stick with 96-well plates? Should we build our own customized informatics infrastructure or buy a commercial system? Should we continue doing ELISAs or RIAs or should we look at some of the newer detection technologies coming out? Standards, or, more accurately, the lack thereof, are one of the more ubiquitous sources of frustration for HTS scientists. Other than the microplate, automation standards are virtually non-existent. Customers concede that the technology is complex, particularly in the area of data management. But should it really cost thousands of dollars to interface a reader? According to Andy Zaayenga, president of TekCel Corporation (Martinsville, NJ) and the LRIG's secretary, such fees are all too common. "When I go to the store and buy software or a new computer, I can, for the most part, just put everything together and run it," Zaayenga notes. "It shouldn't be any different in the automation industry. Sure, my company can build interfaces, but I'd much rather spend my time working on the applications that will make the final system unique and valuable to my clients." Because there is no shortage of opinions on this or any of the other subjects raised at LRIG meetings, the group considers itself a facilitator, bringing vendors and users together to hash out their differences. When a subject warrants further investigation, the LRIG readily joins forces with professional industry organizations such as SBS. In fact, the LRIG and the SBS are currently working on establishing standards for data collection interfaces and instrument drivers, according to William P. Janzen, president of the SBS. "The real strength of our collaboration with the LRIG comes from the ability to identify areas of common interest and leverage our combined memberships to bring these issues before a much larger audience," Janzen says. Web Causes Growth Spurt HTS has certainly contributed to the LRIG's growth. But as Mark Dembowski, a senior biologist in discovery research at FMC Corporation (Princeton, NJ), points out, many of these technoloiges aren't that new. "Four years ago, the technologies were out there; people just didn't know that there was a group around for discussing them," he says. In the past two years, the LRIG has used the Web to build its membership, creating an online community for laboratory robotics users worldwide. All meeting notices and membership updates are sent electronically, which helps the group cut costs. And the Web site itself offers a broad range of resources to users, including a job opportunities page, a list server, a "swap shop" (where users can sell, buy, or trade used equipment), and links to automation Web sites, newsgroups, manufacturers, and meetings. While electronic discussions have their place, apparently they are no substitute for face-to-face meetings. The LRIG has perhaps the most geographically diverse meeting attendance of any regional technical society. The December 1998 meeting, in fact, was attended by a researcher from the Pierre Fabre Research Institute in Ramonville, France, along with users and vendors from across the United States. The group is accommodating the clamors from its online members by launching a Boston chapter and is investigating chapters in San Francisco, San Diego, Research Triangle Park, and Europe. New groups will run independently of each other in order to better address the needs of users in their particular areas. At least so far, the group shows no signs of letting its success change its modus operandi. "When this stops being fun, I'm out of here," says France, the LRIG chairman. Like the fascinated Boy Scouts at the LRIG's December meeting, it seems that even grown scientists occasionally need a chance just to play with the robots. Deborah J. Ausman, a freelance science writer based in St. Louis, writes about the tools and technologies that support pharmaceutical and chemical discovery and development. |