The prospects of automation in drug discovery research using silkworms

Abstract

We have established several models of infectious diseases in silkworms to explore disease-causing mechanisms and identify new antimicrobial substances. These models involve injecting laboratory-cultured pathogens into silkworms and monitoring their survival over a period of days. The use of silkworms is advantageous because they are cost-effective and raise fewer ethical concerns than mammalian subjects, allowing for larger experimental group sizes. To capitalize on these benefits, there is a growing importance in mechanizing and automating the experimental processes that currently require manual labor. This paper discusses the future of laboratory automation, specifically through the mechanization and automation of silkworm-based experimental procedures.