Unlocking the efficiency of genomics laboratories with robotic liquid-handling
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Unlocking the efficiency of genomics laboratories with robotic liquid-handling Houriiyah Tegally1* , James Emmanuel San1, Jennifer Giandhari1 and Tulio de Oliveira1,2*
Abstract In research and clinical genomics laboratories today, sample preparation is the bottleneck of experiments, particularly when it comes to high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS). More genomics laboratories are now considering liquid-handling automation to make the sequencing workflow more efficient and cost effective. The question remains as to its suitability and return on investment. A number of points need to be carefully considered before introducing robots into biological laboratories. Here, we describe the state-of-the-art technology of both sophisticated and do-it-yourself (DIY) robotic liquid-handlers and provide a practical review of the motivation, implications and requirements of laboratory automation for genome sequencing experiments. Keywords: Automated liquid handling, Workstations, Genomics, Lab automation, Liquid handling systems, Liquid handling robots, Automating life sciences
Background Since the completion of the first human genome in 2003 [1], the scope of genomics science and medicine has really diversified [2]. After the emergence of nextgeneration sequencing (NGS) sequencing technologies, the costs of DNA sequencing considerably decreased, making it much more accessible to scientists worldwide [3, 4]. Indeed, by 2012, 1000 human genomes were completely sequenced [5] and by 2020 this number rose to over 1 million [6]. This cohort included participants from all over the world and revealed important genomic variants which informed crucial opportunities for research and precision medicine [6]. Today, whole genome and whole exome sequencing (WGS, WES) are becoming routine practices in academic, medical and industrial laboratories [7]. Despite an overall drop of costs associated with the sequencing technologies exceeding expectations of * Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] 1 Kwazulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (KRISP), College of Health Sciences, K-RITH Tower Building, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, South Africa Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Moore’s law [4], there are still major hurdles in the human-led stages of this process. Sample preparation steps in laboratories can be quite time-consuming, tedious and repetitive and are often considered the bottleneck of DNA sequencing [8]. A study of the applicability of genomic analysis to routine cancer diagnosis in the UK revealed that all-manual laboratory processing for NGS results in a turnaround time of as much as 6 days from a request for molecular diagnostics to a genomics report [9]. This is quite long, considering that manual processing would potentially allow operations to only be scaled up to a dozen samples at once. While some parts of the workflow, like nucleic acid extraction, has al
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