Live demonstration: Enhancing biomedical research precision, productivity and reproducibility via autonomous data acquisition and robust data curation

Abstract

We present the eGor digital laboratory assistant platform that improves the experience of characterizing materials, devices and processes. Conceived to address challenges in biosensor and biomedical system development, eGor is a highly flexible platform for 1) automation of data acquisition with precise timing control, 2) production of results objects that are rich with information defining the measurement setup and provenance of instruments and datasets, and 3) curation of results objects and processed child datasets throughout the data life cycle. eGor packs three tools into a user-friendly browser interface: Designer to manage digital inventory of instruments and digitally capture measurement project scheme details including instrument layout and test procedures; Executer to monitor real-time measurements, search and run project schemes, and schedule future automated project runs; Analyzer to search, view and annotate results objects containing a digital description of the project scheme and the results data it generated, filter and process datasets, and trace provenance across all instruments, schemes, and datasets. These eGor services interface with a measurement workbench through the Instrument Manager tool that runs on local workbenches to collection data from and manage communication with physical instruments. Together, these eGor tools enable biomedical research with improved accuracy and precision through timing-controlled automation and with greater productivity through intuitive user-friendly interfaces capable of scheduling and running measurements without user presence. Moreover, eGor can have groundbreaking impact on research reproducibility by generating meta-rich results objects that permit exact repetition of measurements and collaborative sharing of both data and detailed project schemes.