LAB Automation 99

Welcome to LabAutomation'99!

LabAutomation has quickly become the world's premier meeting focused on all facets of laboratory automation. LabAutomation is one of the growing list of activities sponsored by the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA), an international non-profit organization, established in April 1995, whose mission is to advance the worldwide utilization of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to improve the quality, efficiency, and relevance of laboratory analysis. The ALA has introduced several new vehicles to keep you informed about developments in this rapidly expanding field.

• A&T Corporation

• Abbott Laboratories

• Aurora Biosciences

• Bayer

• BeckmanCoulter

• Becton-Dickinson

• Chiron

• CRS Robotics

• Dade Behring

• Los Alamos National Laboratory

• Olympus

• Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

• Roche Diagnostics

• Packard

• Sysmex

• Tecan

• Zymark Corporation

The Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation (JALA) which has evolved from Laboratory Automation News (LAN) is a bimonthly publication with full color guide to the products, news, as well as scientific papers related to laboratory automation. The ALA has also completed EuroLabAutomation which is held in Oxford, UK, Our state of the art web site is updated regularly with information about the ALA and its activities, JALA, and the annual LabAutomation and EuroLabautomation conferences. The scientific committee has been expanded and we welcome new members Dennis France, Dr. Mark Russo, Dr. Ray Dessy, Dr. Richard Hough ten, and Dr. Anne Kopf-Sill, Together with the committee, the organizers have been working diligently since last January to bring you a state-of-the-art lectures presented by leaders in the exponentially growing field of laboratory automation.

The exhibition area has been significantly expanded to include all of the leading vendors of laboratory automation equipment and software. We also have many new vendors in 1999 many of which promise to be tomorrow's leading companies. Each of our exhibitors is committed to providing you with hands-on exposure to their products and services.

The scientific program will be opened this year by an important event, our annual Beckman Award Lecture given by Dr. J. CraigVenter. Dr. Venter stunned the genome community this past year with his announcement that he will undertake to sequence the entire human genome in 3 years. This will be a technological tour-de-force and a topic of great relevance to the laboratory automation community.

J. Craig Venter, Keynote Speaker

Similar to previous years, we will continue our popular, simultaneous sessions, which focus on selected areas of laboratory automation including laboratory medicine, drug synthesis and discovery, environmental monitoring, artificial intelligence, and software tools. The short course program on Saturday and Sunday will teach skills which can be immediately applied in your laboratory from artificial intelligence to implementing electronic laboratory notebooks. Three new short courses in Java, Tel and mass spectrometry applied to drug discovery have been added this year.

Finally, Wednesday morning has been devoted to emerging technologies which will shape the future of laboratory automation.

The following pages detail the conference schedule, short course descriptions, workshop description and list all exhibitors.

The high quality of our scientific program is result of the efforts of our scientific committee with the generous support of our sponsors. We sincerely wish you a pleasant stay at the Sheraton San Diego and a productive LabAutomation'99 meeting.

Friday, January 29, 1999

Registration

5:00–8:00pm

Saturday, January 30, 1999

Registration

7:00–6:00pm

Short Courses

8:00–5:00pm

Exhibitors Set-up

8:00am

Sunday, January 31, 1999

Registration

7:00–9:00pm

Short Courses

8:00–5:00pm

Exhibitors Reception

3:00–4:00pm

Opening Reception -Exhibit Area

4:00–8:30pm

Monday, February 1, 1999

Morning Session

Registration

7:00–6:00pm

PLENARY SESSION

Welcome and Presentation of the Beckman Lecture Award Robin A. Felder, Program Chairman

8:30–8:45

BECKMAN AWARD LECTURE

Afternoon Session

Track 1

CLINICAL OVERVIEW

SESSION

Chair: Masahide Sasaki

Track 2

STANDARDS SESSION

Chair: Rod Markin

Track 3

INFORMATICS SESSION

Chair: Petar Stojadinovic

Track 4

COMPOUND MANAGEMENT SESSION

Chair: Houng-Yau Mei

SEE PAGES 30–31

Tuesday, February 2, 1999

Morning Session

Track 1

CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION

Chair: Robin Felder

CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION

Chair: Pierangelo Bonini

Track 2

SOFTWARE ADVANCES SESSION

Chair: Mark Russo

Track 3

ANALYTICAL ENGINEERING SESSION

Chair: Steve Hamilton

COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY SESSION

Chair: Michael Lebl

Track 4

SPECTROMETRY STANDARDS SESSION

Chair; Gary Kramer

HIGHTHROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION

Chair: Steve Hamilton

Track 5

INFORMATICS SESSION

Chair: Rein hold Schaefer

MASS SPECTROMETRY SESSION

Chair: Gary Siuzdak

SEE PAGES 32–36

Tuesday, February 2, 1999

Afternoon Session

Track 1

CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION

Chair: Rod Markin

Track 2

INTERNET APPLICATIONS SESSION

Chair: Ray Dessy

SOFTWARE ADVANCES SESSION

Chair: Mark Russo

Track 3

AUTOMATED SYNTHESIS SESSION

Chair: Richard Houghten

Track 4

HIGHTHROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION

Chair: Dennis France

Track 5

MASS SPECTROMETRY SESSION

Chair: Dave Herold

SEE PAGES 32–36

Wednesday, February 3, 1999

Morning Session

Track 4

HIGHTHROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION

Chair: Dennis France

Afternoon Session

Track 4

HIGHTHROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION

Chair: Mark Goldman

SEE PAGE 37

Monday, February 1, 1999
7:00 – 6:00pm	Registration
PLENARY SESSION
8:30 – 8:45am	Welcome and Presentation of the Beckman Lecture AwardRobin A. Felder, Program Chairman
BECKMAN AWARD LECTURE
8:45 – 9:30am	KEYNOTE SPEAKERJ. Craig Venter, Beckman Awardee
9:30–10:00am	To Be Announced
	Dennis Purcell, Managing Director, Hambrecht & Quist, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:00am	Structure-Based Drug Design in an Era of Increasing AutomationPaula M. D. Fitzgerald, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Strategic Approaches To Technology AdoptionSteven D. Goldby, Symyx Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Lab Automation on the MicroscaleWolfgang Ehrfeld, Institut fuer Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH, Mainz, Germany
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall

For the latest information on LabAutomation'99, visit our conference web site at http://labautomation.org

Monday Afternoon -Track 1
CLINICAL OVERVIEW SESSION Chair: Masahide Sasaki
4:00 – 4:30pm	From Phlebotomy to Therapy: New Developements in Automated Laboratory Medicine.Robin A. Felder
4:30 – 5:00pm	An Attempt to Develop a Highly Advanced Laboratory System in Clinical MicrobiologyYutaka Tajima, Saga Medical School Hospital, Saga, Japan
5:00 – 5:30pm	Automating the Laboratory Process: Evolution of the Vision.Stephen A. Middleton
5:30 – 6:00pm	To Be AnnouncedMasahide Sasaki, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan
6:00 – 8:30pm	Reception in Exhibit Hall
Monday Afternoon - Track 2
STANDARDS SESSION Chair: Rod Markin
4:00 – 4:30pm	NCCLS Area Committee on Laboratory AutomatonRodney S. Markin, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
4:30 – 5:00pm	Bar-Coding Using the NCCLS StandardRandall R. Davis, Dade Behring, Inc., Newark, DE, USA
5:00 – 5:30pm	Report from the NCCLS Subcommittee on Communications With Automated SystemsCharles D. Hawker, ARUP laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
5:30 – 6:00pm	ASTM Laboratory Equipment Control Interface Specification Standard E1989-98John W. Elling, Bioreason, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, USA
6:00 – 8:30pm	Reception in Exhibit Hall
Monday Afternoon - Track 3
INFORMATICS SESSION Chair: Petar Stojadinovic
4:00 – 4:30pm	An Informatics System for the Management of Combinatorial SynthesisMark F. Russo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ
4:30 – 5:00pm	Effective Organization of Data in High Throughput ScreeningFrank W. Plankey, Zymark Corporation, Hopkinton, MA
5:00 – 5:30pm	Automated Robotics Software Based on Microsoft Common Object Model (COM) TechnologyRoger L. McIntosh, Cavro Scientific Instruments, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
5:30 – 6:00pm	The Si-Combiner: Making Sense of Results from Multiple Trained ProgramsBobi K. Den Hartog, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
6:00 – 8:30pm	Reception in Exhibit Hall
Monday Afternoon - Track 4
COMPOUND MANAGEMENT SESSION Chair: Houng-Yau Mei
4:00 – 4:30pm	Automated Liquid Sample Management for Lead DiscoveryPeter N. Aperghis, Glaxo Wellcome R&D, Stevenage, Herts, UK
4:30 – 5:00pm	To Be AnnouncedStylli
5:00 – 5:30pm	To Be AnnouncedNeil Bason, RTS Thurnall PLC, Irlam, Manchester, UK
5:30 – 6:00pm	To Be AnnouncedHammar, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wallingford, CT
6:00 – 8:30pm	Reception in Exhibit Hall

Tuesday Morning -Track 1
CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION Chair: Robin Felder
8:30 – 9:00am	From Computer Model to Core Lab: A Total Systems Approach to Laboratory Systems DesignMichael Gannon, Beckman Coulter, Miami, FL, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	How Does the Clinical Laboratory Automation System Benefit You? - Pros and ConsAkira Igarashi, A&T Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
9:30 – 10:00am	Progressive AutomationRalph Dadoun, St-Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
10:00–10:30am	Coffee Break
Tuesday Morning -Track 1
CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION Chair: Pierangelo Bonini
10:30 – 11:00am	Scalable Modularity and Software: The Keys to Laboratory AutomationBingham H. Van Dyke, Jr., SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, King of Prussia, PA, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Six Hospitals, 2600 Beds, 22 Clinics and One Core Totally Automated laboratoryStanley Bauer, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
11:30 – 12:00am	To Be AnnouncedTBA
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall
Tuesday Afternoon -Track 1
CLINICAL LABORATORY AUTOMATION SESSION Chair: Rod Markin
4:00 – 4:30pm	Trends in laboratory Design: Incorporating RoboticsKaren K. Mortland, Karlsberger Laboratory and Technology Group, Chicora, PA
4:30 – 5:00pm	Integrating Automation in the Core LaboratoryGeorge Krempel, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA
5:00 – 5:30pm	Experience With An Automated Transport and Sorting System at ARUP LaboratoriesCharles D. Hawker, ARUP Laboratories, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA
5:30 – 6:00pm	Laboratory Automation: Challenges, Solutions, and OpportunitiesArthur Glenz, ACM Medical Laboratory, Rochester, NY, USA
6:00 – 7:30pm	Cocktail Reception in Grande Ballroom C
7:30 – 9:00pm	Gala Evening Dinner Grande Ballroom A & BPresentation of the BECTON DICKINSON AWARDPresentation of the ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARD

Tuesday Morning -Track 2
INTERNET APPLICATIONS SESSION Chair: Ray Dessy
8:30 – 9:00am	An Automated Reminder System Using Internet TechnologyDale A. Kern, Intermountain Health Care, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Web-based Chemical Ordering and Inventory using ChemStorePaul A. Egli, Affymax Research Institute, Santa Clara, CA, USA
9:30 – 10:00am	TeleMed: Development of a Java/CORBA-Based Wide Area, Secure, Collaborative Object Computing InfrastructureTorsten A. Staab, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
Tuesday Morning -Track 2
SOFTWARE ADVANCES SESSION Chair: Mark Russo
10:30 – 11:00am	The System Capability Dataset: Descriptive Standardization of System Characteristics, Attributes and FunctionsThorsten Richter, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Flexible Control Software for a Fully-Automated HTS SystemPatricia A. Medvick, Coyote Software, Inc., Los Alamos, NM, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Using Declarative Specifications in Pharmaceutical Robotics SystemsPawel Rodziewicz, ReTiSoft Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall
Tuesday Afternoon -Track 2
SOFTWARE ADVANCES SESSION Chair: Mark Russo
4:00 – 4:30pm	A Data Management System for Automated Instrumental AnalysisJames Duckworth, Galactic Industries Corp., Salem, NH, USA
4:30 – 5:00pm	Anatomy of a Lab Automation Software PackageMarion Karasiuk, CRS Robotics Corp., Burlington, Ontario, Canada
5:00 – 5:30pm	Advanced Scheduling and Its Impact on Laboratory IntegrationReinhold Schaefer, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany
5:30 – 6:00pm	Integrating Synthetic and Analytical Automation and InformaticsDavid Chapman, Afferent Systems, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
6:00 – 7:30pm	Coctail Reception in Grande Ballroom C
7:30 – 9:00pm	Gala Evening Dinner Grande Ballroom A & BPresentation of the BECTON DICKINSON AWARDPresentation of the ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARD

Tuesday Morning -Track 3
ANALYTICAL ENGINEERING SESSION Chair: Steve Hamilton
8:30 – 9:00am	Strategies for The Successful Sourcing of Robotic SystemsRobert F. Trinka, Cyberlab, Inc., Norwalk, CT, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Development of a Fully Automated Drug Concentration Analyzer Using Liquid Phase Extraction MethodShintaro Nishimura, Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., Osaka, Japan
9:30 – 10:00am	Introduction to the Multiple Probe High Throughput Solid Phase Extraction SystemJoan M. Stevens, Gilson, Inc., Middleton, WI, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
Tuesday Morning -Track 3
COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY SESSION Chair: Michael Lebl
10:30 – 11:00am	Strategies for Rapid Deconvolution of Combinatorial Libraries: Comparative Evaluation Using a Model SystemSusan M. Freier, ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Mixture-Based Combinatorial Libraries -The Interface Between Chemistry and High Throughput ScreeningRichard A. Houghten, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, San Diego, CA, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	A Multi-Target Radio Frequency Sputter System for Combinatorial Material SynthesisYouqi Wang, Symyx Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall
Tuesday Afternoon -Track 3
AUTOMATED SYNTHESIS SESSION Chair: Richard Houghten
4:00 – 4:30pm	Experience With a Workstation-Based Multiple Parallel Solid Phase Synthesis System Co-developed by Zymark Corporation and Zeneca PharmaceuticalsRichard A. Wildonger, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Wilmington, DE, USA
4:30 – 5:00pm	High Performance Automated Synthesis-Successful Advanced Chemistry in an Integrated SystemClare L. Ruddick, The Technology Partnership, Royston, Hertfordshire, UK
5:00 – 5:30pm	Automated Solid Phase Synthesizer Based on Centrifugation of Tilted PlatesMichal Lebl, Trega Biosciences & Spyder Instruments, San Diego, CA, USA
5:30 – 6:00pm	A New Reaction Block as the Core of an Integrated System for High Throughput Automated Organic SynthesisHarold Weller, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ, USA
6:00 – 7:30pm	Coctail Reception in Grande Ballroom C
7:30 – 9:00pm	Gala Evening Dinner Grande Ballroom A & BPresentation of the BECTON DICKINSON AWARDPresentation of the ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARD

Tuesday Morning -Track 4
SPECTROMETRY STANDARDS SESSION Chair: Gary Kramer
8:30 – 9:00am	Calibration and Standardization of Chemiluminescence-Based Detection SystemsDennis J. O'Kane, Mayo Clinic and Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Rochester, MN, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Fluorescence Standards: What Works and What Doesn'tEdward J.A. Pope, MATECH, Westlake Village, CA, USA
9:30 – 10:00am	Standards for Molecular Absorption Spectrometry in Chemical AnalysisGary W. Kramer, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
Tuesday Morning -Track 4
HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION Chair: Steve Hamilton
10:30 – 11:00am	Automated Systems For Performing ViroLogic's PhenoSense HIV Cell Based Phenotypic Susceptibility AssaySteven J. Lenz, ViroLogic, Inc., S. San Francisco, CA, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	An Integrated System for 384 Well Format Biological AssaysT.C. Ramaraj, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Pearl River, NY, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Automating High Throughput Sequencing Sample PreparationJoeBen Bevirt, Incyte Phamaceuticals, Palo Alto, CA, USA
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall
Tuesday Afternoon -Track 4
HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION Chair: Dennis France
4:00 – 4:30pm	The Zeiss Ultra High Throughput Screening (UHTS) System (Part 1): Presentation of the Novel System PlatformKlaus Mlejnek, Carl Zeiss Jena Ltd., Jena, Germany
4:30 – 5:00pm	The Zeiss Ultra High Throughput Screening (UHTS) System (Part 2): Implementation of Assays and First Practical ExperienceMarkus R. Probst, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
5:00 – 5:30pm	The Allegro® Architecture: A New Paradigm in Ultra High Throughput Screening AutomationGene Tetrault, Zymark Corporation, Hopkinton, MA, USA
5:30 – 6:00pm	MicroTape - A 384-Well Ultra High Throughtput Screening SystemThomas W. Astle, Tomtec Inc., Hamden, CT, USA
6:00 – 7:30pm	Coctail Reception in Grande Ballroom C
7:30 – 9:00pm	Gala Evening Dinner Grande Ballroom A& BPresentation of the BECTON DICKINSON AWARDPresentation of the ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARD

Tuesday Morning -Track 5
INFORMATICS SESSION Chair: Reinhold Schaefer
8:30 – 9:00am	Extracting Information From DatabasesHwa A. Lim, D'Trends, Inc, San Ramon, CA, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Connecting and Communicating Using the New Industrial Laboratory Automation StandardsRichard Lysakowski, The Collaborative Electronic Notebook Systems Association (CENSA), Woburn, MA, USA
9:30 – 10:00am	Laboratory Management Information: The Missing IngredientDouglas Shumate, Robins Science & Engineering Laboratory, Robins AFB, GA, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
Tuesday Morning -Track 5
MASS SPECTROMETRY SESSION Chair: Gary Siuzdak
10:30 – 11:00am	Optimizing Catalytic Processes with MSJay Chiang
11:00 – 11:30am	Automation of Mass Spectrametric Methods for Combinatorial Library Quality ControlWilliam L. Fitch, Affymax Research Institute, Santa Clara, CA, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Use of Automated MALDI Mass Analysis in the Investigation of Protein Structure and Drug ActivityKathleen Lewis, Kratos Analytical, Chestnut Ridge, NY, USA
12:00 – 4:00pm	Poster Session/ExhibitionLunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall
Tuesday Afternoon -Track 5
MASS SPECTROMETRY SESSION Chair: Dave Herold
4:00 – 4:30pm	FTICR Mass Spectrometry: A New Paradigm for Drug Discovery Against RNA TargetsSteven A. Hofstadler, Isis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA, USA
4:30 – 5:00pm	Broad Spectrum Drug Identification Directly from Urine using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass SpectrometryRobert L Fitzgerald, VAMC/UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA
5:00 – 5:30pm	Advances in Biomolecular Interaction Analysis Mass Spectrometry (BIA/MS)Randall W. Nelson, Intrinsic Bioprobes, Inc., Tempe, AZ, USA
5:30 – 6:00pm	To Be AnnouncedLee
6:00 – 7:30pm	Coctail Reception in Grande Ballroom C
7:30 – 9:00pm	Gala Evening Dinner Grande Ballroom A & BPresentation of the BECTON DICKINSON AWARDPresentation of the ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARD

Wednesday, February 3, 1999
DETECTION / MICROARRAY TECHNOLOGIES SESSION Chair: Tony Beugelsdijk
8:00 – 8:30am	DNA Arrays on Nylon MembranesAndrew M. Dubitsky, Pall Corporation, Port Washington, NY, USA
8:30 – 9:00am	Novel Magnetic Messenger Labeling SystemLonnie W. Adelman, Ericomp, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Nucleic Acid and SNP Detection Using Flow Cytometry: A New Platform for High Throughput Genomic AnalysisJohn P. Nolan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
9:30 – 10:00am	The Leadseeker Imaging Proximity Assay Technology PlatformRobert A. Jessop, Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Little Chalfont, Bucks, UK
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
MATERIALS RESEARCH SESSION Chair: Dave Herold
8:00 – 8:30am	Title To Be AnnouncedPeter Schultz, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
8:30 – 9:00am	Functionalization of Silicon Surfaces for Device ApplicationsJillian M. Buriak, Purdue Unversity, West Ladayette, IN, USA
9:00 – 9:30am	Aerogel: Unique Material, Fascinating Properties, Unlimited ApplicationsPamela M. Norris, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
9:30 – 10:00am	A Parallel Polymerization Reactor with Applications in Combinatorial Material ScienceG. Cameron Dales, Symyx Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA
10:00 – 10:30am	Coffee Break
Wednesday Morning - Track 1
POINT OF CARE TESTING SESSION Chair: Bill Godolphin
10:30 – 11:00am	RAMP™: A rapid, quantitative immunochromatographic platform for point-of-care.Author Don Brooks, Response Biomedical Corp. Vancouver, B.C., Canada
11:00 – 11:30am	Non-Invasive Point of Care Serum Bilirubin MeasurementMark A. Samuels, Spect Rx, Inc., Norcross, GA
11:00 – 12:00pm	Title To Be AnnouncedTBA
12:00 – 2:00pm	Lunch on own OR Industry Sposored Workshops
Wednesday Afternoon - Track 1
MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS SESSION Chair: Ted Mifflin
2:30 – 2:30pm	Developement of a Portable Device “MicroBE™” Which Can Provide Rapid, Automated Results for Molecular Diagnostic Methods.Alan Northrip, Cepheid, CA, USA
2:30 – 3:00pm	3-Dimensional Microarray Chips for High Throughput AnalysisHongjun Yang, GENE LOGIC, INC., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
3:00 – 3:30pm	Optical Chips for Direct-Detection, Multiplex AssaysBernard H. Schneider, Photonic Sensors Systems, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA
3:30 – 4:00pm	Automated Nucleic Acid Purification from Plasma and Serum SamplesFred S. Siegman, QIAGEN, Inc., Valencia, CA, USA
4:00 – 5:30pm	Hosted ReceptionSelections of fine imported and domestic beers and chips will be served.

Wednesday Morning -Track 2
BIOTECHNOLOGY SESSION Chair: Petar Stojadinovic
10:30 – 11:00am	Automated Plate Setup for Quantitative PCR Yields Consistent Results and Increases Laboratory EfficiencyMark P. Galbraith, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Research Automation: An Integrated Approach to Proprietary and Commercial Substance Supply, Preparation, Tracking, and Request Fulfillment Using Novel Information Management TechnologyDave Kniaz, EMAX Solution Partners, Newtown Square, PA, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Use of Robotic System to Automate the Cumulative Release Analysis of Transdermal SystemsBenjamin Mendoza, Cygnus, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA
12:00 – 2:00pm	Lunch on own OR Industry Sposored Workshops
Wednesday Afternoon - Track 2
BIOTECHNOLOGY SESSION Chair: Harvey Stern
2:00 – 2:30pm	The GeneOracle SystemChristian C. Oste, BioScope International, Placentia, CA, USA
2:30 – 3:00pm	Automation of Laboratory WeighingSuzanne Blohm, Bohdan Automation, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL, USA
3:00 – 3:30pm	An Automated System for Testing Mass-Produced BiosensorsGabriel Chan, Cygnus, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA
3:30 – 4:00pm	Assay Development in Silent Screen Membrane Bottom PlatesMadhuri Lucas, Nalge Nunc International, Naperville, IL, USA
4:00 – 5:30pm	Hosted ReceptionSelections of fine imported and domestic beers and chips will be served.
Wednesday Morning -Track 3
MICROTECHNOLOGY SESSION Chair: Sheila DeWitt
10:30 – 11:00am	Novel Tools for Creating and Reading DNA MicroarraysStanley D. Rose, Genetic MicroSystems Inc., Woburn, MA, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	Lab-On-A-ChipAnne R. Kopf-Sill, Caliper Technologies Corporation, Palo Alto, CA, USA
11:30 – 12:00pm	Micromachined Biosensor ArraysMichel J. Doktycz, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
12:00 – 2:00pm	Lunch on own OR Industry Sposored Workshops
Wednesday Afternoon - Track 3
MICROTECHNOLOGY SESSION Chair: Anne Kopf-Sill
2:00 – 2:30pm	Chemistry and Genomics in Microformats and ChipsSheila H. DeWitt, Orchid Biocomputer Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA
2:30 – 3:00pm	The Incredibly Shrinking Lab - Reactions and DetectionJan Eijkel, Zeneca/SmithKline Beecham Center for Analytical Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
3:00 – 3:30pm	Microfabricated Tools for Fast Chemical AnalysisElisabeth Verpoorte, University of Neuchatel Institute for Microtechnology, Neuchatel, Switzerland
3:30 – 4:00pm	Cybernetic Molecular BiologyRolfe Anderson, Affymetrix Inc., Pala Alto, CA, USA
4:00 – 5:30pm	Hosted ReceptionSelections of fine imported and domestic beers and chips will be served.

Wednesday Morning - Track 4
HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION Chair: Dennis France
10:30 – 11:00am	Running HTS at the Allegro™ Rate?Carol Homon, Boehringer Inglelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, USA
11:00 – 11:30am	New Approaches in Integrated Robotic Systems to Improve HTS ProductivityJohn Babiak, Wyeth Ayerst Research, Princeton, NJ, USA
11:30 – 12:00am	Automation Architectures for HTS and their Impact on ProductivityJulian Warhurst, Tekcel LLC, Ashland, MA, USA
12:00 – 2:00pm	Lunch on own ORIndustry Sponsored Workshops
Wednesday Afternoon - Track 4
HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING SESSION Chair: Mark Goldman
2:00 – 2:30pm	Automated Laboratories for High-density Microplate Screening: Merging Novel and Traditional TechnologiesFranz E. Lichtfried, Robocon GmbH, Vienna, Austria
2:30 – 3:00pm	The ThermoFluor® Strategy for High Throughput Screening of Chemical Libraries against Therapeutic Targets Including Those Derived From GenomicsMichael D. Pantoliano, 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Exton, PA, USA
3:00 – 3:30pm	Xtreme Screen® - Ultra High Throughput Screening ServicesJason Armstrong, HTS Consulting Ltd, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
3:30 – 4:00pm	The Pros and Cons To Build Up A Miniaturized HTS-System in 1536-Well-Plates: A Technology Ahead Of Its Time?Gunther Knebel, Greiner Labortechnik GmbH, Frickenhausen, Germany
4:00 – 5:30pm	Hosted Reception - Selections of fine imported and domestic beers and chips will be served.

For the latest information on LabAutomation'99, visit our conference web site at http://labautomation.org