Automating cell based screening and morphological profiling

To study how complex biological systems - cells and organisms - work, researchers evaluate large collections (thousands) of chemical compounds for their ability to alter the biological system. A specific example is the search for drug candidates that can stop cellular processes known to be connected to human disease. We have established a new method that allows us to investigate the full scope of biological activity connected to a given chemical compound without pre-defining the exact biological process being investigated. The new infrastructure allows us to automate the workflows involved in this experiment. This very significantly increases the experimental capacity and, as a consequence, the chances of making new biological discoveries.