Comparing Calibration Technologies for Liquid-Handling Quality Assurance

High-quality, precision liquid-handling instruments have tended to give scientists throughout the drug-discovery, testing, and production processes a sense of confidence in their data. However, the large amount of resources dedicated to drug development, the long US Food and Drug Administration approval process, and the numerous recalls and legal actions plaguing well-known drug companies suggest that more attention should be paid to quality assurance. In particular, liquid-handling processes—the core of pharmaceutical laboratory operations—demand the application of robust, rigorous, science-based methods and tools to ensure data quality.

In life-science laboratories, which commonly include technologically advanced instruments, scientists often have various tools to complete everyday tasks such as liquid-handling quality assurance. Several options are available to laboratories for calibrating liquid-handling instrumentation and measuring the efficacy of liquid-handling processes. Each option has its own applications, benefits, and drawbacks. The optimal technology for a laboratory application depends on factors such as the volume of liquids to be quantified, the type of instrumentation used, and the applicable regulatory and quality standards. Also to be considered are the laboratory environment, tolerance for risk, required calibration frequency, and the demands of the laboratory's processes.