In this post, we explore the final two stages of lab autonomy, when experiments are no longer directed by human decision making, but rather by AI predicting the next best experiment. In this setting, the wet lab functions as a reinforcement learning environment to run experiments and updates models with new data. Autonomous science in cell biology is built on top of automated cell culture, cell-centric data management, and industrialized cell development protocols.
Cell culture is one of the most intricate, human-intensive processes in biology. It also provides the perfect lens for understanding how automation and intelligence evolve hand-in-hand and how they can industrialize R&D work for reliable data generation at scale.
Scientific experimentation parallels self-driving cars: from manual work to autonomous decision making. A shared framework of different levels of autonomy will help us standardize terminology to communicate capabilities, build interfaces, and get us closer to scientific super intelligence.
We can’t continue pouring more into drug development while seeing diminishing returns. To change course, we must expand the pool of therapeutic possibilities and identify failures sooner. The path forward lies in closed-loop automation, building smarter labs today and paving the way toward scientific superintelligence tomorrow.
The Monomer team is gearing up for SLAS 2024 - the premier laboratory automation conference and trade show. This year we’re grateful to again be exhibiting alongside our partner Tek-Matic at Booth 1053. The team will be providing demos of our existing solutions as well as debuting new product prototypes. We’re looking forward to showing off what we’ve been working on and getting feedback from industry experts.
At Monomer, we’re building the operating system for biotechnology research. Our goal is to transform lab research from a manual, time-intensive exercise into a methodical operation powered by hardware, automation, and data science. Our purpose is simple: automate the mundane to empower discovery.
