Photo of the new robotic system at CBCS

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The SciLifeLab CBCS platform opens four new nodes and vastly improves capabilities

With the 65,9 MSEK funding, the Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden platform will also expand their services into areas such as functional precision medicine. On top of this, CBCS have recently installed a fully automated robotic screening system, funded by SciLifeLab.

“A few months ago, Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden (CBCS) long standing dream came true – we installed a fully-automated robotic system at our Karolinska Institutet node” says Anna-Lena Gustavsson, CBCS facility director

CBCS (Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden) is a SciLifeLab national research infrastructure for the discovery, development and utilization of small molecules and chemical tools for life science applications.

The system, or screening hub, allows uninterrupted automation throughout all the essential steps and instruments of high throughput enzymatic or cell based screens: a plate reader (Envision 2104), a high-throughput cellular screening system (Flipr Tetra), an assay plate incubator (Cytomat), a microplate washer (Aquamax 4000) and two reagent dispensers (Multidrop), all within the reach of a robotic sample handler (PF-400). This means significantly reduced assay variability and screening times.

In addition to the robotic arm, the platform received funding from the Swedish Research Council, totalling 65,9 MSEK over five years. This money will be used to expand the services into areas such as functional precision medicine, as well as open nodes in Uppsala, Linköping, Gothenburg and Lund. This will improve user access nationally and will complement the existing capabilities with services in cell painting, electrophysiology and the possibility to screen for small molecule tools and compounds in Biosafety level 3 facilities.

“The new nodes have different focus areas reflecting the local strong research environments. We are also expanding our screening- and chemistry teams at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University” says Anna-Lena Gustavsson.

Head on over to http://www.cbcs.se/ to get in touch with the platform, or to simply learn more.

Photo of the robotic system: Francesco Massai, Research Specialist at CBCS/Karolinska Institutet.


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Last updated: 2022-03-31

Content Responsible: Niklas Norberg Wirtén(niklas.norberg@scilifelab.se)