Insights from this year's SLAS

At the SLAS2024 conference, we engaged at the forefront of automation and robotics, connecting with our customers' experts to better understand the current challenges and advances in the field. Discussions with speakers and exhibitors highlighted the critical role of automation in advancing genomics and multi-omics research.

During the ALDA Breakfast, Dr Litao Zhang from Johnson & Johnson shared her perspective on the convergence of AI, biologics and small molecules in drug discovery and the challenges ahead, such as the need for more targeted receptors in kinase inhibitor development.

In terms of industry trends, the steady progress in NGS automation and cell biology was evident. The technical issue of isolating single cells from organoid structures for detailed analysis remains a significant technical hurdle. In addition, Cellular Highways presented a novel approach to ultra-high speed cell sorting, which was also demonstrated at the Seed and CSEM booths.

Liquimetrix was one of the winners of this year's New Product Innovation Award for its novel approach to fast and efficient liquid volume measurement of up to 1536-well plates. Highly appreciated by high throughput screening laboratories.

An innovative approach to replacing robotic arms for integrating automation modules was presented by Beckhoff: Its Automation XPlanar magnetic tiles allow rapid transport of labware and also realise functions such as shaking and centrifugation with the same tiles.

Our contribution to the conference, the Colibri DNA QC unit, was well received and confirmed the market need for integrated on-deck quality control methods.