DDW covers some of the biggest announcements from the first day of SLAS2026.  

Carterra launches high-throughput SPR instrument  

High-throughput technology provider Carterra  launched its Carterra Vega High-Throughput Surface Plasmon Resonance (HT-SPR) instrument – the industry’s first 48-channel SPR platform. The instrument has been designed to deliver 12-fold higher throughput versus the market leading system for small molecule through large molecule discovery and development workflows. 

SPR platforms have traditionally over covered lower throughput, since researchers would have to sacrifice resolution for speed. Vega’s software configurations, however, can screen over 20,000 small molecule interactions per day, compared to a few thousand per day with current SPR systems.  

The system’s flow cell format includes an internal reference and two binding locations in every channel, allowing researchers to run the broadest range of label-free SPR applications currently available. 

The company says Vega comes at a time when there is a pressing need in the industry for highly parallel analysis of molecular interactions. The company has developed Vega and its other platforms to enable investigators to train their algorithms from high-resolution data sets scaled to unprecedented size. 

Josh Eckman, Co-Founder and CEO at Carterra said, “One of the greatest challenges scientists face is time: the time required to screen large libraries of small molecules and fragments to find a promising lead. This process has been limited by the capabilities of legacy SPR systems. From working closely with researchers, we understand this is a significant frustration.” 

“The Carterra Vega platform is a technological leap forward — a true step change. Faster hit discovery with 48 parallel channels means a quicker route to viable clinical candidates. Vega is the only platform of its kind, opening new possibilities for early discovery teams to reshape workflows and accelerate pipelines.” he added. 

SPT Labtech & BellBrook Labs collaborate on oncology 

SPT Labtech and BellBrook Labs are collaborating to advance cancer research, having developed a miniaturised, high-throughput screening platform for the discovery and profiling of Vacuolar protein sorting associated protein 4B (VPS4B) ATPase inhibitors.  

VPS4B has emerged as a high-priority therapeutic target in oncology due to its overexpression in specific tumours and its synthetic-lethal relationship with its paralog, VPS4A, but despite its potential, the industry has so far lacked robust, scalable screening approaches to identify effective inhibitors. 

The new miniaturised platform addresses this challenge by combining BellBrook Labs’ Transcreener ADP2 fluorescence polarisation assay with SPT Labtech’s dragonfly discovery system.  

The Transcreener assay enables direct, homogeneous detection of ADP with high sensitivity, while SPT Labtech’s dragonfly discovery system for automated reagent dispensing offers a precise and scalable solution. The combined solution is capable of operating in 384- and 1536-well formats, improving data quality over manual approaches, while minimising reagent consumption and cost.

High-throughput screening on this platform enabled identification of 13 novel VPS4B inhibitors, which can be further evaluated using SPT Labtech’s mosquito liquid handling platform for rapid, robust follow-up testing. 

Justin Brink, President of BellBrook Labs, said: “Our collaboration with SPT Labtech is a response to the industry’s need for smarter, more resource-efficient drug discovery. Through a combination of our Transcreener technology with the precision of the dragonfly discovery platform, we have significantly lowered the barriers to VPS4B screening, allowing researchers to dramatically reduce reagent consumption while maintaining the high Z′ values and data sensitivity required for reliable hit identification. It’s a gamechanger for any biotech or pharma team targeting these complex ATPases.” 

“Building on 25 years of positive displacement technology, we are supporting our customers to achieve faster, more efficient liquid handling, laying the foundation for the next generation of laboratory automation,” added Joby Jenkins, Chief Technology Officer at SPT Labtech.

“Our latest collaboration with BellBrook Labs demonstrates the power of combining industry-leading assay chemistry with world-class liquid handling. By miniaturising the VPS4B assay without compromising data quality, we are providing Pharma and Biotech companies with a truly scalable path toward new cancer therapeutics.  

Revvity launches high-impact discovery platform 

Revvity launched multiple new discovery platforms and technologies at SLAS2026, all designed to accelerate high-throughput drug discovery workflows.  

The company debuted its Opera Phenix OptIQ high-content screening system, the EnVision Nexus One multimode plate reader, and the AssayMate workstation.  

The Opera Phenix OptIQ high-content screening system is designed to reduce bottlenecks in phenotypic screening and advanced cellular analysis, this system enables quantitative imaging across complex biological models, including 3D organoids and organ-on-chip systems. The system is equipped with Phenologic.AI image analysis software that now includes new classification capabilities, such as cell cycle analysis, expanding beyond its previous focus on segmentation. The system can also enable the detection of organoids in brightfield image stacks. 

The EnVision Nexus One multimode plate reader is designed to deliver sensitivity and reliability for the company’s Envision Nexus platform in a streamlined single-detector configuration optimised for high-throughput screening environments. The system has been configured to simplify automation and integration while supporting evolving assay needs. The system also provides enhanced sensitivity across TRF, Alpha, and luminescence detection. 

Lastly, Revvity’s AssayMate workstation is a liquid handler that delivers intelligent automation performance for labs of any size. It supports a wide volume of ranges without requiring head changes, and includes Intelligent features such as pressure-based liquid level detection (PLLD) and built-in workflow error handling—including detection of missing plate lids—enable reliable operation and quick experiment resumption.  

“SLAS2026 marks a key milestone for Revvity with the introduction of new platforms that support the evolving needs of discovery labs,” said Kevin Quick, Vice President, Platforms, Revvity.

“These launches integrate automation, trusted assay technologies, and AI-driven imaging to help customers accelerate results while maintaining data quality.”