Participating Units / Platforms in G-INCPM:
Automation Services Unit/G-INCPM/WIS (Dr. Leonardo J. Solmesky, Course coordinator)
Automation Services Unit/G-INCPM/WIS: a new member of the unit (to be designated).
Department of Systems Immunology/Faculty of Biology/WIS: Dr. Diego Jaitin
Department of Molecular Genetics/Faculty of Biochemistry/WIS: Ms. Yeynit Asraf
Department of Biomolecular Sciences/Faculty of Biochemistry/WIS: Mr. Edo Kiper
Students will bring their own laptops that depending on their software election should have installed the software in advance or have remote access to the software in another computer
Summary
This course provides biology or chemistry students and early-career researchers with practical, high-value automation skills. By combining lectures, hands-on scripting, and project-based learning, participants will be able to immediately apply these techniques in their own labs, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world automation.
Main automated Platforms that the training will cover:
Tecan Freedom EVO + EVOware, Hamilton Microlab STAR + VENUS, Beckman Biomek Platforms, Agilent Bravo + VWorks.
Aim
To provide students insight into how robotic applications can solve tasks and advance research in the lab. It is meant for students from labs that have robots or wish to advance this capacity in their labs. The course will include lectures for both theoretical foundations and practical skills in laboratory automation using state-of-the-art liquid handling robots and control software. By the end of the course, students will: Understand the core principles of laboratory automation, scripting, and workflow design. Gain hands-on experience with one major liquid handling platform. Demonstrate mastery by creating and running their own scripts and protocols.
Course Structure
A software hands on-based course lasting 25 hours over 5 days. Each day starting at 10 am till 3 pm.
Day 1 (5 hours/day): Theoretical introduction to laboratory automation and liquid handlers.
Days 2–5 (5 hours/day): Hands-on workshops on scripting and operation of up to four leading platforms (each student will decide which platform wants to learn in a form that will be filled before the course) and will work on a script preparation for automating a given laboratory method. The resulting script will be submitted to course coordinator for evaluation of the student.
Participants: Up to ~15–20 students (no more than 8-9 students per robotic platform).
Evaluation: Based on attendance (10%), and submitted scripts (90%).
Abstract
Laboratory automation enables reproducibility, throughput, and precision in modern research. This course provides an immersive introduction to liquid handling systems, covering both hardware and software aspects, focusing on scripting for automation and their operation. Students will develop their own workflows and test them in a simulated environment, acquiring highly transferable skills for biotech and academic labs.
Course Schedule (General)
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Day
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Content Overview
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Format
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Day 1
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Introduction to Laboratory Automation. Overview of the four main automated liquid handlers. Additional concepts in lab automation.
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Lectures (frontal)
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Day 2-5
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Scripting Basics for Liquid Handlers. Design of own liquid handler script.
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Hands-on software training (including own script design).
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Detailed Course Content
A. Introduction to automation and the automated liquid handlers covered by the course (Day 1)
Introduction to Laboratory Automation: automation principles, workflow design. Overview of Leading Liquid Handlers. Comparative analysis of Tecan, Hamilton, Biomek, Bravo platforms. Acoustic transfers. Peristaltic dispensers. Positive pressure dispensers. Other liquid handling technologies. Scripting Essentials: Logic building, loops, variables, and modular design.
B. Additional theoretical concepts (Day1).
Safety, Maintenance, and Calibration: Ensuring reliability and compliance. Quality assurance. Introduction to robotics. Degrees of freedom. Types (industrial, collaborative). Integration of automation in robotic platforms. Mobile robots. Other automated instruments: dispensers, washers, incubators, hotels, shakers, centrifuges, readers. Introduction to liquid handling principles: influence of speed, distance from bottom, tip retracting speed, tip touching, air gaps. Conductivity based detection of liquid level. Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). Traceability of plates, compounds, reagents, labware. Lab of the future. Automation technologies for novel applications: combinatorial chemistry, chemical synthesis. Incorporation of AI into workflows optimizations. Scheduling. Image recognition as a way of controlling automated workflows for walking away. Examples of applications of automation from several labs: Drug discovery, Nucleic acid extraction and sequencing, yeasts research.
C. Platform-Specific Hands-On Modules (Days 2–5)
Students will decide on which platform to be trained. The available liquid handlers for training are: Tecan Freedom EVO, Hamilton Microlab STAR, Beckman Biomek, Agilent Bravo. Each module includes Introduction to hardware components, overview of software environment, hands-on scripting, compilation, commands and their syntax, liquid class management, labware management and conditional programming.
D. Students design a mini-project protocol (with instructor guidance) and submit it to course coordinator for their evaluation. (Days 2-5)
Assessment
Attendance (10%). Hands-on exercises & submitted scripts (90%).