Flexible End2End Workflow Automation of Hit-Discovery Research.
The article considers a new approach of more complex laboratory automation at the workflow layer. The authors purpose the automation of end2end workflows. The combination of all relevant subprocesses-whether automated or manually performed, independently, and in which organizational unit-results in end2end processes that include all result dependencies. The end2end approach focuses on not only the classical experiments in synthesis or screening, but also on auxiliary processes such as the production and storage of chemicals, cell culturing, and maintenance as well as preparatory activities and analyses of experiments. Furthermore, the connection of control flow and data flow in the same process model leads to reducing of effort of the data transfer between the involved systems, including the necessary data transformations. This end2end laboratory automation can be realized effectively with the modern methods of business process management (BPM). This approach is based on a new standardization of the process-modeling notation Business Process Model and Notation 2.0. In drug discovery, several scientific disciplines act together with manifold modern methods, technologies, and a wide range of automated instruments for the discovery and design of target-based drugs. The article discusses the novel BPM-based automation concept with an implemented example of a high-throughput screening of previously synthesized compound libraries.
Center for Life Science Automation (celisca) at the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany silke.holzmueller-laue@celisca.de.
Silke
S
Holzmüller-Laue
Institute of Automation at the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Bernd
B
Göde
Center for Life Science Automation (celisca) at the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Kerstin
K
Thurow
D057205:Automation, Laboratory / Q000379:methods*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D019451:Information Management / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012107:Research Design; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries; D012984:Software; D057188:Workflow
D054852:Small Molecule Libraries
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN); end2end workflow; human task support; laboratory automation; systems integration