At Boehringer Ingelheim's principal research site in Biberach, Germany, the Screening Support group is using automated sample storage and retrieval systems from REMP, a subsidiary of Swiss group Tecan, to provide compound management services for the company's high throughput screening laboratories worldwide.
The automated REMP systems include stores for solid samples, a -20ºC store for compound solutions using REMP 96 and 384 Tube Technology consumables and automated cherry picking functions, a plate store at -20ºC, as well as an expansion of the vial store to accommodate another 250,000 vials.
The group also depends on several REMP workstations for automated copying of plates, weighing of solid compounds, preparing stock DMSO solutions and generating 96-well mother plates.
'Over the years, the number of compounds to be managed has increased tremendously, and we rely heavily on our REMP sample storage systems; with more than 800,000 compounds in our collection, our service would not be possible without this technology,' said Dr Gerhard Mihm, head of the Screening Support group.
'There are only six of us in the group, so it is essential that all of our processes are highly streamlined and very efficient.'