Democratizing Lab Automation with Open-Source Microscopy
At OpenUC2, our mission goes beyond making microscopy affordable and modular—we want to lower the barrier for lab automation as a whole. With the FRAME microscope, we provide researchers and educators with an open-source, high-throughput imaging platform that can seamlessly integrate into automated workflows.
Traditional laboratory automation systems are often expensive, closed, and difficult to adapt to new use cases. By contrast, FRAME is designed as part of an ecosystem of modular hardware and open software, making advanced imaging and automation accessible to a much wider community.
FRAME in Automated Workflows
The FRAME microscope is more than just an instrument—it is a service-oriented device that connects to other lab automation tools. Through standardized APIs, FRAME can be orchestrated alongside:
Liquid-handling robots (e.g., Opentrons OT-2) for automated staining and washing
Robotic arms (e.g., Fairino) for slide transfer and positioning
Computing clusters and AI pipelines for large-scale image analysis
This interoperability enables researchers to combine microscopy, robotics, and automated analysis into end-to-end workflows with minimal programming effort.
StainSTORM: An Open-Source Proof of Concept
One flagship example of FRAME in action is StainSTORM, an open-source workflow for cyclic chromogenic immunohistochemistry (cIHC). This pipeline integrates:
Automated staining and washing (Opentrons OT2)
Autonomous slide handling (robotic arm) (Fairino)
High-throughput imaging (FRAME microscope) (https://openuc2.com/FRAME)
Distributed orchestration via Arkitekt microservices (https://arkitekt.live/)
AI-assisted biomarker detection on Helmholtz HPC infrastructure
By combining these components, StainSTORM enables reproducible, decentralized cancer diagnostics across different laboratories. What was once a fragmented, manual process—sample preparation, imaging, and analysis—becomes a fully automated and traceable pipeline.
Why FRAME Is Different
Open-source hardware: All designs are published, ensuring transparency and adaptability.
Affordable entry point: A complete setup including an Opentrons OT-2 and an openUC2 FRAME microscope can be realized for well under 30,000 EUR – a fraction of proprietary alternatives.
Scalability: FRAME can be configured for brightfield, phase contrast, fluorescence, or advanced computational imaging (e.g., Fourier Ptychography).
Remote control and integration: Using REST APIs and ImSwitch, FRAME can be controlled locally or remotely, allowing distributed experiments and collaborations.
Community-driven innovation: FRAME grows with the open-source community, ensuring constant improvements and adaptability.
Towards Open-Source Spatial Biology
The integration of FRAME into international collaborations is already underway. Together with partners in the Helmholtz community, Helsinki, and Linz, FRAME forms part of a distributed lab infrastructure for AI-driven biomarker profiling in cancer research.
By combining robotics, microscopy, and high-performance computing, we are building workflows that:
Reduce manual workload in histopathology
Improve reproducibility across laboratories
Enable scalable, AI-assisted diagnostics
Strengthen open science in the life sciences
Get Involved
With FRAME, we are not just democratizing microscopy—we are enabling open-source lab automation for the next generation of biomedical research.
If you are working in pathology, cancer diagnostics, or automated imaging, FRAME provides the flexibility and affordability to bring your workflows to the next level.
📩 Contact us to discuss collaborations, configurations, or pricing options for FRAME in your laboratory.
