PaR-PaR Laboratory Automation Platform

Labor-intensive multistep biological tasks, such as the
construction
and cloning of DNA molecules, are prime candidates for laboratory
automation. Flexible and biology-friendly operation of robotic equipment
is key to its successful integration in biological laboratories, and
the efforts required to operate a robot must be much smaller than
the alternative manual lab work. To achieve these goals, a simple
high-level biology-friendly robot programming language is needed.
We have developed and experimentally validated such a language: Programming
a Robot (PaR-PaR). The syntax and compiler for the language are based
on computer science principles and a deep understanding of biological
workflows. PaR-PaR allows researchers to use liquid-handling robots
effectively, enabling experiments that would not have been considered
previously. After minimal training, a biologist can independently
write complicated protocols for a robot within an hour. Adoption of
PaR-PaR as a standard cross-platform language would enable hand-written
or software-generated robotic protocols to be shared across laboratories.

劳动力密集型、多步骤的生物实验任务，例如 DNA 分子的构建与克隆，是实验室自动化的理想候选。机器人设备的灵活操作及其在生物实验室中的成功融合，关键在于其操作所需的努力远低于传统手工实验。为实现这些目标，亟需一种简单易用、符合生物实验需求的高级机器人编程语言。我们已开发并经实验验证了此类语言：编程机器人（PaR-PaR）。该语言的语法和编译器基于计算机科学原理和对生物实验流程的深刻理解。PaR-PaR 使研究者能够高效运用液体处理机器人，开展先前未曾考虑过的实验。经过最短时间的培训，生物学家便能在一个小时之内独立编写复杂的机器人操作协议。PaR-PaR 作为一种标准化的跨平台语言的应用，将使得手写或软件生成的机器人操作协议能够在不同实验室之间共享。