Resources

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dragonfly

Generating Bespoke Datasets for Foundation Models in AI Drug Discovery

The application of AI in drug discovery relies on high-quality, reproducible training datasets. Traditional screening campaigns focus on identifying potent hits, but ML-driven drug discovery requires comprehensive potency evaluation across entire compound libraries. Here, we introduce a partial concentration-response curve (pCRC) approach that estimates potency using just two data points per compound. We onboarded a panel of 65 diverse kinases and screened 7000 compounds against the panel at ATP concentrations near Kₘ to minimize modality bias, achieving a mean robust Z’ of 0.74 across all targets. A direct comparison of 100 fragments tested in both 2-point pCRC and conventional 11-point CRC formats demonstrated excellent correlation, confirming that our pCRC methodology produces high-quality data suitable for ML model training. The integration of our automation platform, including SPT Labtech’s dragonfly® discovery, with automated data pipelines enabled the generation of 221,000 high-quality ML-ready data points per day, accelerating the development of foundation model training for drug discovery.

Webinar

Advancing 3D Cell Culture: Automated positive displacement dispensing of MCF7 and HepG2 cells, mixed with PeptiMatrix™ Hydrogel

In vitro cell cultures are essential for modelling disease, but traditional 2D cell culture systems fall short in replicating the complex microenvironments of native tissues. This limitation hinders the translation of in vitro findings to in vivo contexts and contributes to the high attrition rates seen in drug discovery pipelines.

Application note

Automating antibiotic discovery in academia: A collaborative screening effort to identify novel TB therapeutics

In this webinar, hear how a collaboration between SPT Labtech, Automata, GSK, and researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, employed cutting-edge automation tools, including the dragonfly® discovery liquid handling system by SPT Labtech and Automata’s LINQ platform, to conduct a high-throughput enzymatic screen targeting a vulnerable pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

Webinar

Designing the future of cultivated meat: An Uncommon journey to cost-effective stem cell growth media

Cellular agriculture could be instrumental to environmentally-friendly food production. However, high raw materials costs impede financial viability. This poster highlights how the team at Uncommon have applied automated liquid handling and Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology to drive the development of low-cost, animal-free media.

Poster

Advancing in vitro high-throughput transcriptomics for chemical toxicity testing | SPT Labtech

Hear from researchers from McGill University, as they present case studies in optimizing and advancing efficient workflows that couple in vitro exposures with ultraplexed library preparation using the QIAseq UPXome RNA Library Kit. This approach has increased the throughput of differential expression and dose-response analysis for tPODs derivation.

Webinar

Optimizing multi-cellular models for high-throughput screening - Webinar

Join us as we dive into recent research which has combined Design of Experiments methodology with automated liquid handling to develop a cardiotoxicity assay platform. We discuss how this approach could become routine in the future, not only offering more accurate predictability of new drug candidates, but also enabling researchers to leverage resources more efficiently through streamlined workflows and data-driven decision-making.

Webinar

Transforming PCR protocols in pandemic response with automated non-contact liquid dispensing

The UK’s first testing “megalab”, the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory (RFL) in Royal Leamington Spa, was established in 2021 with the aim of processing and sequencing thousands of COVID-19 tests a week, playing a key role in preventing disease outbreaks and responding to new variants of concern and future disease threats. With the critical need for accurate pathogen surveillance, the manual execution of PCR workflows emerged as a bottleneck, limiting throughput and introducing potential for human error and variability among lab personnel. To enhance efficiency and data quality, the lab chose to adopt dragonfly® discovery to improve the accuracy and reliability of extraction plate preparation for the UltraDX SARS-CoV-2 N1/N2/RP assay (LGC, Biosearch Technologies).

Poster

dragonfly discovery technical note: PCR reaction set-up by dragonfly®

A vast number of advantages can be gained by semi-automating genomics workflows through use of low volume liquid handling instruments, such the mosquito® genomics and dragonfly® discovery offered by SPT Labtech. Benefits include the miniaturization of reaction volumes to reduce cost per sample and the elimination of most sources of human error to increase experimental reproducibility. In this technical note we have tested the effect of mixing on cross-contamination between different wells during PCR set-up.

Technical note

dragonfly® discovery: Pioneering Sustainable Liquid Handling in the Modern Laboratory

In this poster, we highlight the significant role that dragonfly discovery plays in reducing the environmental impact of liquid handling workflows. In our first case study, dragonfly discovery demonstrates a reduction in plastic pipette tip usage by over 99% compared to traditional air displacement pipetting systems when performing a 3456-run enzymatic assay operated by 6-factor space-filling Design of Experiment (DoE). In Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) library preparation workflows, such as the NEBNext® Ultra™ II FS DNA Library prep kit presented in our second case study, dragonfly discovery achieves a plastic reduction of over 50%.

Poster

Transforming PCR protocols in pandemic response with automated non-contact liquid dispensing

During the COVID-19 pandemic, robust polymerase chain reaction (PCR) workflows were required to detect the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: SARS-CoV-2) virus in clinical samples. Accurate detection of the virus in clinical samples allowed for rapid infection containment and subsequently alleviated the pressure on healthcare services during this time. Automation of these workflows has the benefit of not only increasing throughput, but also minimizing variability and human error particularly when dealing with precious reagents and limited sample. This application note describes the process by which the UKHSA testing megalab, the Rosalind Franklin laboratory, transitioned from the manufacturer recommended extraction plate preparation workflow for an ePCR/MAGMAX MVPII, to an automated workflow using SPT Labtech’s non-contact reagent dispenser, dragonfly® discovery, resulting in an 80-fold increase in the sensitivity of the assay.

Application note

High-throughput bacterial isolation and culture using dragonfly® discovery for rapid single-cell dispensing in 384-well molten agar plates

We aim to perform high-throughput culturomics analysis of the vaginal microbiome with the goal of developing live biotherapeutics that modulate the composition and function of the vaginal microbiome to improve women’s gynecological and obstetric health. To achieve this, we need to better understand the intra-species diversity of the beneficial bacterium, Lactobacillus crispatus, and perform in-depth within-sample cultivation to obtain co-resident L. crispatus strains.

Application note

Streamline your liquid handling with scalable, integrated automation - Webinar Recording

Bringing together individual processes into an orchestrated workflow allows you to take a step further. It not only maximizes walk-away time but also fortifies your laboratory with flexible and scalable integrated workflows, ensuring seamless, end-to-end automation that aligns with the diverse needs of both budding biotech startups and established enterprise-level pharmaceutical organizations. In this webinar, experts from SPT Labtech and Biosero will share their specialist knowledge, first exploring the business benefits of combining these powerful technologies. We’ll then take a deeper dive into the practical considerations of implementing integration, sharing insights to give you the highest chance of success.

Webinar

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