Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

In a high volume production genetics laboratory, optimizing throughput and removing bottlenecks are serious concerns. The goal of this project was to automate optimization of run length on ABI gene sequencers on a per plate level. Several methods for estimating the optimal run length of individual past sequences are presented as well as an algorithm for calculating the optimal run length for the population of plates. The algorithm accurately determines a shortened run time for low performing projects but also indicates that many projects should be run longer than they currently are.