Diana Spencer breaks down the areas of drug discovery where automation is enhancing accuracy and efficiency, ultimately bringing therapies to patients faster.

Credence Research predicts that the lab automation in drug discovery market will grow by 5% from $6.1 million in 2023, to $9.5 million in 2032, driven by the need to improve productivity and data accuracy, and reduce human error in the laboratory¹.

A greater reliance on genomics and personalised treatments has led to an increase in the amount of data processing required, while advances in robotics technology, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning, are enabling unprecedented progress in this sector. 

Automation can speed up the process of developing a new drug and reduce costs, but also improve quality control and regulatory compliance.

Protein discovery

Dr Michael Chen, CEO and Co-Founder at Nuclera, explains why automation is so important in protein discovery: “Proteins represent 95% of drug targets designed to combat disease. The speed and accuracy with which proteins can be produced and analysed significantly impacts the early stages of drug development, where identifying promising targets is critical. Today’s automation systems are not well suited for the demands of protein production screening. Automated systems that enable faster and more efficient production of proteins not only address current challenges in protein production but also open up new avenues for scientific discovery and therapeutic development.”

Nuclera completed a $75 million financing round (circa £57 million) in October 2024 to enable the continued development of its automated solutions for protein discovery. The company’s eProtein Discovery benchtop system is designed to speed up protein expression and purification in research labs, including those using AI for protein design, by automating construct screening. It uses digital microfluidics, protein quality assays, and cell-free protein synthesis on eProtein Discovery cartridges.

Next-generation sequencing

Tecan is using automation integrated into and alongside its Fluent Automation Workstation for next-generation sequencing. For example, the company provides NGS library preparation and nucleic acid purification solutions, including the MagicPrep NGS and DreamPrep NGS platforms, designed to enable high-quality sequencing and adaptable throughput.

For proteomics, Tecan has recently added the Resolvex i300 positive pressure module and AffinEx Protein A Capture columns, supporting workflows in biomarker discovery and drug development. In cell-based assays, multi-mode plate readers, such as the Spark Cyto, support advanced cellomics applications, including live cell imaging, real-time cytometry.

“Advancements in lab automation are accelerating drug discovery by enhancing precision, reproducibility and workflow efficiency,” says Mukta Acharya, Executive Vice President and Head of Life Sciences Business at Tecan. “By minimising manual intervention, automated solutions reduce variability and increase data reliability, allowing scientists to focus on complex analytical tasks. Real-time digital insights further support optimised decision-making and workflow transparency, driving faster, more informed discoveries.”

Flow cytometry

The latest technologies are designed with automation in mind. One of these is Bio-Rad’s ZE5 Cell Analyzer for flow cytometry, which offers hands-off operation, is widely compatible with new or existing robotic workcells, and includes data acquisition with 21 CFR Part 11 support.

Richard J Cuthbert, Product Manager, Flow and Antibody Business, Bio-Rad Laboratories, expands on why this matters: “Flow cytometry is increasingly used with automation in drug discovery. Few technologies provide such highly dimensional data at a single cell level. Until recently, flow cytometers struggled to analyse high volumes of samples. 

“Recent advances have allowed faster sample handling making automation in applications such as screening a viable prospect. However, lack of automation friendly features like automated fault recovery and automatic cleaning can negate any benefits. Similarly, an efficient, modern API (Application Programming Interface) that allows flexibility for scheduling software control is critical.”

Media preparation

“Media preparation is an essential part of biopharmaceutical drug discovery and development. Every drug candidate will likely require several specialised media formulations throughout its production, which are often stored as powder form and hydrated as needed. It is widely recognised that powder hydration is time consuming and can pose risks related to contamination, variability and worker safety,” says Guy Matthews, Director of Market Development, Single Use Technologies at FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific. 

“Automated solutions that can address these gaps will be crucial to optimising this step in biopharmaceutical processes, significantly improving cost-effectiveness, reducing manufacturing time, and minimising risks whilst allowing more therapeutic developers to harness the benefits of powdered media.”

In September 2024, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific launched Oceo Rover, a single-use technology system that automates the hydration of media, feeds, and buffers. The system combines single-use consumables and media design services to provide an alternative to current stirred tank mixing technologies.

Single cell analysis

Sphere Fluidics’ picodroplet microfluidic platforms are designed specifically for single-cell screening and isolation, complemented by a range of microfluidic tools. The company’s flagship product, Cyto-Mine, integrates single cell screening, sorting, dispensing, imaging, and clone verification within an automated platform.

Maryam Ahmadi, Director of Science, Sphere Fluidics, comments: “The pharmaceutical industry is in urgent need of high-throughput technologies capable of manipulating large cell numbers to identify new therapeutics and improve biotherapeutic production methods. Traditionally, these workflows require multiple pieces of equipment, are resource-intensive, time-consuming and expensive, limiting speed-to-clinic.”

In October 2024, Cyto-Mine Chroma was launched, the second generation of Cyto-Mine. Sphere Fluidics says the new platform will offer enhanced capabilities, including multiplexing and greater assay flexibility. The new platform’s four-colour laser and detector system is intended to expand the utility of the single-laser platform by increasing the number of targets that can be analysed for each encapsulated cell.

Liquid handling

SCIEX is one company that has embraced automation for liquid handling through a partnership with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences to create workflows for high-throughput screening, HT-ADME and synthetic biology studies. In a new method utilising the Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Biomek i7 automated liquid handler, paired with the Echo MS+ system with ZenoTOF 7600 system, scientists can prepare, perform a kinetic study and quantify analytes using automation.

Rahul Baghla, Senior Manager of the Echo MS Center of Excellence at SCIEX, adds: “During drug discovery, kinetic reactions are critical for understanding how compounds behave in changing physical and chemical environments. This collaboration between Beckman and SCIEX shows how harnessing the power of best-in-class instruments can secure the strongest outcome. In testing, we reported that samples were analysed at five seconds per sample, without disrupting the timing of the kinetic study and with no sample clean up.”

From DDW Volume 26 – Issue 1, Winter 2024/25 Read the digital issue

Reference:

1. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/lab-automation-in-drug-discovery-market

About the author:

Diana Spencer is Senior Digital Content Editor at DDW. She has 20 years’ experience in both print and digital editorial roles for B2B publications dedicated to the life sciences sector, including medical and pharmaceutical industry journals/magazines.