Brunn: an open source laboratory information system for microplates with a graphical plate layout design process.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Bioinformatics
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Microplate assays are central to compound profiling and drug screening, generating vast datasets.
• Existing information systems are often commercial, closed-source, and resource-intensive.
• There is a need for a flexible, lightweight, open-source solution for managing assay data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an open-source system for designing, validating, and preparing data from microplate assays.
• To provide a flexible and lightweight alternative to commercial drug screening information systems.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Bioclipse plugin comprising a client and a relational database.
• Implemented a multi-step, point-and-click interface for plate layout design within Bioclipse.
• Integrated a data validation step for outlier removal and automated report generation.

Main Results:

• The Brunn system successfully handles data from microplate assays.
• The system generates dose-response curves and calculates IC50 values.
• A user-friendly interface facilitates plate design and data analysis.

Conclusions:

• Brunn effectively manages microplate assay data, including dose-response curve generation and IC50 calculation.
• The system streamlines laboratory workflows by enabling reuse of plate designs and reducing error sources.
• Brunn offers a valuable open-source tool for drug discovery and compound profiling research.