Automation of liquid chromatographic techniques for biomedical analysis.

The complete automation of liquid chromatographic (LC) techniques increases their work capacity and makes them more acceptable for biomedical applications. The ability to analyse priority specimens is also advantageous. The areas to be considered in a fully automated LC are reviewed in terms of the analytical operations, the types of processing and the various control systems that can be adopted. In particular, sample preparation and liquid handling are described in detail together with techniques and equipment that can be utilised for their automation. Strategies are given for the rational design of a fully automated LC that can analyse raw samples completely unattended.