A laboratory automation platform: the next robotic step. (Cover Story)

Take a walk through the laboratory of the not-too-distant future.

ADVANCES in science and technology are driving the evolution of medical practice and its reliance upon the clinical laboratory. As the practice of medicine shifts toward more complex and profound medical and surgical procedures, such reliance increases. One of the most laboratory-dependent therapies is solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, for which up to 34% of a patient's hospital bill may consist of laboratory-related charges.|1~ As the costs of health care continue to climb, attempts to stabilize…