Importance of Laboratory Automation in Microbiology

The tendency toward automation is expanding across all scientific disciplines. This essay will examine the increased usage of automation in microbiology and how it benefits existing lab-based research.

Fremont, CA: Automation has been helpful in laboratories for many years, and it may refer to any use of machines there. The switch from manual to machine work is called automation. The centrifuge is a reliable illustration of long-used laboratory automation.

The desire for methods that automate the whole workflow process has recently increased. For instance, substantial research has gone into the creation of automated tools that analyze blood cultures, continuously track culture growth, or identify the least inhibitory concentration. Hardware and procedure are the two primary elements of laboratory automation. These two concepts are intricately linked because changing a process to reach automation potential helps realize the automation potential of the hardware. Therefore, a well-organized and flexible hardware control system is necessary for automation.

Importance of Automation in Microbiology

Researchers are facing challenges as a result of the swift change in microbiology labs. In addition, stakeholders like commercial payers and governments are exerting pressure on clinical researchers,

increasing studies' complexity and associated costs. Consolidation and centralized facilities are becoming more essential due to these limitations and challenges. Cost savings, quicker turnaround, and improved test efficiency are some of the current goals of microbiology.

Comprehensive automation of the overall testing process greatly enhances microbiology investigations. It promotes both the safety of researchers and the effectiveness of studies. However, achieving "full lab automation," or automating every step of the diagnostic procedure from injection to final results, is a hotly debated issue among microbiologists.

Workflow is a multi-step process with many different parts. An ideal laboratory automation system must be able to manage numerous agar plates, broths, slides, and specimen containers, for example, in microbiological research studies. Delivered inoculated samples must be checked and reported on, along with culture findings. If required, follow-up work must then get started. In a perfect world, the creation of reports and the recording of samples as they enter the lab would get automated.

Automated reading allows for the simultaneous examination of several samples, a task that would normally take a clinical researcher a long time, adding to the cost and length of the study.