Management and Maintenance of High Throughput Screening Systems

The object of all high throughput screening (HTS) laboratories is to provide the pharmaceutical research community with potentially active compounds rapidly and in the most cost effective manner possible. The most reliable way this can be achieved is by rigorous attention to the quality of the assays themselves, the quality of the compounds used, as well as the quality and condition of the equipment used. To effectively reach this goal all of the systems needed within the screening environment must function in a smooth, efficient manner. Since the complexity of the equipment used in screening labs is constantly increasing, the requirements for its continued maintenance are problems faced in all laboratories. An additional process that requires constant maintenance, but that is often forgotten, is management of personnel within the screening environment. This is, however, also an integral part of the efficient screening process.