Control-Architecture for Cell-Based High-Content and High Throughput Screening

Addressing the rising interest in biomedical and pharmacological high-content screening assays, a concept has been developed, which integrates automated imaging, multi-parametric sensor readout and probe handling into a single embedded platform (IMR). This paper describes the real-time automated microscopy capabilities of the IMR: Utilizing a topology of distributed intelligences and hardware-based synchronization, the platform concept allows precisely timed and synchronized operation of all integrated platform components. Hardware level synchronization is achieved by means of a newly developed, highly modular digital signal processor based “Integration Control Unit”, which runs a real time environment and provides standard electrical interfaces to connect to other platform components. Being suitable for high-content and high-throughput analytical screening, the automated platform may thus develop into an enabling technology for future screening assays, especially in the field of pharmacological drug screening.