

World's First Cloud Lab, HTE, & Lab Automation Virtual Conference 2023
Dates: December 5-6, 2023
Start Time: 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT
We are bringing together the relevant individuals and organizations for the 3rd Annual Cloud Lab, High Throughput Experimentation, and Lab Automation Conference.
We are pivoting the typical conference approach by reducing the tracks and bringing the most interesting talks with a better attendee experience.
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Daily round table summaries
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Keynotes
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Industry and academic speakers
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Sponsorship levels to meet your budget
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Optional virtual Vendor Showcase booth
Event Sponsors
















Event Speakers

Chris Stumpf, PhD
Senior Principal Marketing Professional
Revvity Signals
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Accelerating Scientific Data Capture, Improving Data Management and Analysis with a Comprehensive Digital Research Platform
Abstract:
How does a potential hit compound evolve into a lead and then a potential drug candidate? In the pursuit of successful drug candidates, many are made and must be tested throughout the discovery, clinical and regulatory approval stages. The development of a novel drug candidate requires engagement of various scientific expertise domains including chemistry, biology, bioinformatics, pharmacology and ADME/PK. Often these domain experts work in disparate locations or even disparate companies. This presentation will illustrate how using a comprehensive digital research platform, Signals Research Suite, enables researchers across scientific domains and geographies to collaborate better and manage the entire Make-Test-Decide R&D life cycle. Our presentation will cover how Signals Research Suite can help facilitate lead optimization to drug candidate triage, with Signals Notebook (Make); content data capture and collaboration with Signals Vitro Vivo (Test); and results – data-driven scientific decisions with Signals Inventa (Decide), all within a single platform.

Nikki Dare, PhD
Katalyst D2D Product Manager
ACD/Labs
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Case Studies: Improving Experiment Design and Automation of Analytical Data Processing and Management in HTE
Abstract:
Automation and high throughput synthesis (more generally referred to as High Throughput Experimentation—HTE) with the help of robotics has allowed scientists to significantly increase experiment output and, subsequently, the amount of analytical data collected, in shorter periods of time. Many solutions for managing HT experiments require the use of multiple software systems, as well as transfer of data between these systems. We will present how purpose-built HTE software is being used to facilitate experiment design and automated targeted analytical data processing for different HTE workflows.

John Walzer, PhD
Scientific Advisor
Singh Instruments
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

Mark Spears, PhD
Senior Scientist
Virscidian Inc.
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

Florian Tauchert
VP of Engineering
Xavo
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

Harry Horn, PhD
Co-Founder, CEO, & COO
StableBody Tech
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
The Impact of BioDesign on BioManufacturing
Abstract:
StableBody Technologies LLC, is revolutionizing the bio-processing industry with their proprietary “Universal Rational Protein BioDesign Using Proprietary Thermodynamic Stabilization of Proteins”. This innovative technology utilizes unique and powerful algorithms to generate amino acid sequences for structurally and functionally improved antibody protein products (Cold Chain Free™). With the introduction of AffiBio-UIA™, scientists have access to this cutting-edge technology, providing greater control over the design process while significantly reducing development and processing time and cost.

Zev Wisotsky, PhD
Senior Principal Marketing Manager
Revvity Signals
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Accelerating Scientific Data Capture, Improving Data Management and Analysis with a Comprehensive Digital Research Platform
Abstract:
How does a potential hit compound evolve into a lead and then a potential drug candidate? In the pursuit of successful drug candidates, many are made and must be tested throughout the discovery, clinical and regulatory approval stages. The development of a novel drug candidate requires engagement of various scientific expertise domains including chemistry, biology, bioinformatics, pharmacology and ADME/PK. Often these domain experts work in disparate locations or even disparate companies. This presentation will illustrate how using a comprehensive digital research platform, Signals Research Suite, enables researchers across scientific domains and geographies to collaborate better and manage the entire Make-Test-Decide R&D life cycle. Our presentation will cover how Signals Research Suite can help facilitate lead optimization to drug candidate triage, with Signals Notebook (Make); content data capture and collaboration with Signals Vitro Vivo (Test); and results – data-driven scientific decisions with Signals Inventa (Decide), all within a single platform.

Marc Siladi
Vice President of Science & Tech.
Strateos
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Integrating AI and Automated Cloud Labs for Discovery in Closed Loop Systems
Abstract:
In this presentation, we introduce the Strateos LodeStar lab operating system, a new tool designed to accelerate hit identification, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization for small and large molecules. We'll showcase published results that highlight our fusion of artificial intelligence with both virtual and physical elements in the drug discovery process. This integration enables rapid identification of promising molecular structures, followed by their precise design, synthesis, and purification using automated systems. These structures are then readily available for subsequent biological testing, leading to efficient hypothesis testing and validation, ultimately streamlining drug discovery.

Sam Alberg
Account Executive
Monomer Bio
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

Adrian Galilea, PhD
Senior Lab Automation Scientist
Takeda
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

Brian London, PhD
Chief Software Engineer
StableBody Tech
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
The Impact of BioDesign on BioManufacturing
Abstract:
StableBody Technologies LLC, is revolutionizing the bio-processing industry with their proprietary “Universal Rational Protein BioDesign Using Proprietary Thermodynamic Stabilization of Proteins”. This innovative technology utilizes unique and powerful algorithms to generate amino acid sequences for structurally and functionally improved antibody protein products (Cold Chain Free™). With the introduction of AffiBio-UIA™, scientists have access to this cutting-edge technology, providing greater control over the design process while significantly reducing development and processing time and cost.

Amanda Savidge
Senior Account Executive
LabVoice
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
The Human Element of Data Entry: Laboratory Orchestration with a Scientist-Centric Approach
Abstract:
You walk into a cell culture laboratory, what do you see? Benches, incubators, PCR cyclers, flasks, bioreactors, pipettes, media…and people. Critically, scientists and technicians will continue to be key to laboratory task execution and their data recording process hasn’t changed in decades. In many cases, observations and data are still recorded on paper notebooks and later transcribed into another digital system (ELN, spreadsheets, etc). LabVoice has created tools to take these scientist-centric lab activities and change where, when, and how data can be recorded. Using a mobile-app based platform, LabVoice uses a number of connected inputs, including voice, to create a novel data entry platform. This presentation will walk you through the capabilities and benefits of a digital laboratory assistant. Hear about how LabVoice can enrich research data to support laboratory insights for process optimization and enable automation that takes direct inputs from the scientists at the bench.

Nikhita Singh, PhD
Co-Founder, CPO & Board Member
Artificial, Inc.
WORLDWIDE
Talk Title:
Coming Soon
Abstract:

CONFERENCE AGENDA
KEYNOTE

Marc Siladi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Strateos
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 10 AM EST
Beyond Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to Scale Impact
Abstract:
In this presentation Strateos will equip the audience with a deeper understanding of the path to automation, while establishing the value of a transformed unit. We will review the new enablers within LodeStar and how they are leveraged to absorb both routine and non-routine lab work. In the end the audience will understand not only the transformation available, but also the scaled impact realized.

Adam Wheeler
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Strateos
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 10 AM EST
Beyond Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to Scale Impact
Abstract:
In this presentation Strateos will equip the audience with a deeper understanding of the path to automation, while establishing the value of a transformed unit. We will review the new enablers within LodeStar and how they are leveraged to absorb both routine and non-routine lab work. In the end the audience will understand not only the transformation available, but also the scaled impact realized.

CEO
Stanislav Bashkyrtsev
Elsci Life Sciences
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 11 AM EST
Modernizing Software Processes in Life Sciences
Abstract:
Life Sciences IT is quite isolated from the rest of the IT world. On the one hand it's pierced by advanced technology like Robotics/AI/ML/HPC; on the other hand lots of scientists still use spreadsheets on a daily basis, and most software looks and feels archaic.
I'd like to speculate on why this is the case and what we can do to improve the situation. We'll talk about:
• Modern software processes, and how they differ from what Big Pharma is doing
• UX, and how high-quality software should look and behave
• How scientists can help IT; and what's required on the IT side

John Walzer
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Singh Instruments
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 10 AM EST
Successful Implementation of Automated Workflows in Chemistry versus Life Sciences: It's the Little Things
Abstract:
This presentation will investigate the challenges in implementing automated workflows in the Chemistry/Materials space, emphasizing those areas which differ from Life Sciences. We will discuss how the Singh Instruments (SI) approach of developing bespoke automation solutions based on proven industrial automation platforms can enable robust automated workflows with long lifetimes and ongoing support, despite the challenges of harsher reagents and extreme process operating windows. We will also discuss how SI has overcome the natural friction between use of (difficult to program) industrial robotics and the need to have software which is flexible and approachable so that researchers can be actively involved in designing and modifying automated experiments.

Nessa Carson, P
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST
AstraZeneca
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 1 PM EST
Automate Your Own HTE Workflow

Nikki Dare
SOLUTION AREA MANAGER, KATALYST D2D
ACD/Labs
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 10 AM EST
Experiment Design and Automation of Analytical Data Processing and Management in HTE
Abstract:
Automation and high throughput synthesis (more generally referred to as High Throughput Experimentation—HTE), with the help of robotics, has allowed scientists to significantly increase experiment output. This also includes the amount of analytical data that can be collected in shorter periods of time. Current solutions for analytical data processing in HTE require tedious and error prone transfer of data, including experimental designs, between multiple software systems, and manual association of analytical results with experiments. We will present purpose-built HTE software that not only integrates with existing hardware and software to bring all design, planning, and execution into a single interface; it also automates targeted analytical data processing and association of analytical data to experimental design.

Teodoro Laino
RESEARCH MANAGER
IBM
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 11:30 AM EST
Accelerating Chemistry with Cloud-based AI Driven Autonomous Labs
Teodoro Laino, Matteo Manica, Alain Claude Vaucher, Aleksandros Sobczyk, Amol Thakkar, Carlo Baldassari, Artem Leonov, Alessandra Toniato, Heiko Wolf, Federico Zipoli IBM Research Europe, CH-8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland teo@zurich.ibm.com
Abstract:
One of the greatest contributions of chemistry is the ability to create and design new molecules. The synthesis of many novel molecular structures has relied heavily on the application of domain knowledge acquired over many years of laboratory work. But most synthetic success stories are preceded by long hours of unproductive repetitive experiments. The development of automation systems within the last two decades to help chemists with mundane laboratory tasks has contributed to the mitigation of this issue. There are some areas, like high-throughput chemistry, where these technologies have proven to be particularly useful, but automating general-purpose jobs is still a very difficult problem to solve. Operators in the chemical industry must create specialized software for each operation, with the goal of codifying a particular chemical process. Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has established itself as a valuable complement to human knowledge and creativity in organic chemistry, performing tasks such as predicting chemical reactions [1-2], retrosynthetic routes [3], digitizing chemical literature [4], and predicting experimental procedures for previously unseen chemistry [5]. In this talk, I'll talk about the lessons learned and the opportunities of a fully autonomous laboratory run by artificial intelligence and accessible through the cloud [6].
•[1] IBM Research Europe, Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 6091-6098
•[2] IBM Research Europe, ACS Cent. Sci. 2019, 5, 9, 1572-1583
•[3] IBM Research Europe, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 3316-3325
•[4] IBM Research Europe, Nat. Comm., 11, 2601 (2020)
•[5] IBM Research Europe, Nat. Comm., 12, 2573 (2021) [6] https://rxn.res.ibm.com

Ralf Sonnefeld
EVP
Xavo Software, AG
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 11:30 AM EST
How to deliver samples ‘at the speed of science’ with cloud-native Sample Management Software
Abstract:
Biopharma R&D is changing rapidly: trends like High-Throughput Experimentation, Multi-Omics, Microbiome, Dynamic Assay Cascades, and growing Biorepositories dramatically change the way samples of R&D materials need to be provided in the context of projects and studies. The only way to keep up with these trends and resulting challenges is to make use of the power of a truly cloud-native Sample Management Software system. We will present how such a system, Xavo R3, is used today to increase agility and throughput in the lab while also providing higher flexibility in the integration with Lab Equipment and 3rd party IT systems.

Mark Kalinich, MD, PhD
CO-FOUNDER, CSO
Watershed Informatics
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 1 PM EST
Next-Generation Multi-Omics Compute & Analysis Platform at a Fraction of Today’s Typical Operational Cost!

Eugénie Romero
MANAGER - HTE CENTER
French Atomic Energy Commission
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 1:30 PM EST
High-Throughput Experimentation: Between Innovation and Accessibility
Abstract:
For years, High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) has been applied to organic chemistry for reaction optimization and reaction discovery as a powerful tool for time and cost reduction. Suppose this technology has been first developed by and for industry and used as a routine method today. In that case, some academic researchers, including those in Europe, still face the accessibility of HTE as a general and daily used technology. The main reason is probably the expensive cost of such facilities set-up, which generally involves automation with robots, dedicated research teams, and costly analytical instrumentation. It is now the challenge of the HTE practitioners to help scientists implement this valuable methodology in their research programs and highlight the accessibility of HTE with a minimum of instrumentation and cost to enable the highest number of organic chemists to accelerate their research.
Beyond Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to Scale Impact
Abstract:
In this presentation Strateos will equip the audience with a deeper understanding of the path to automation, while establishing the value of a transformed unit. We will review the new enablers within LodeStar and how they are leveraged to absorb both routine and non-routine lab work. In the end the audience will understand not only the transformation available, but also the scaled impact realized.
Successful Implementation of Automated Workflows in Chemistry versus Life Sciences: It's the Little Things

Juan Manuel Dominguez, PhD
HEAD OF DRUG DISCOVERY
Topazium
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 11:30 AM EST
Harnessing the Power Of HTE, Cloud Labs, and Lab Automation-Generated Data to Transform Drug Discovery Using Artificial Intelligence
Abstract:
Drug discovery is a lengthy and costly process affected by a high attrition rate. The revolution in experimental sciences brought about by HTE, cloud labs and lab automation should represent an excellent opportunity to completely transform drug discovery and overcome the serious problems that hinder the process. But this transformation will not be possible without the right tools to harness the valuable information hidden in the profusion of data generated by these new disciplines. Artificial intelligence (AI), and its multiple applications, are the key to achieve such a challenging goal and many companies are now using AI to improve the performance of every step of the drug discovery process. Topazium is a startup company fully committed to creating a new collective intelligence that enables wiser medicine and, in this context, has developed new tools to improve drug discovery performance based on a novel, circular paradigm for the process. Such a paradigm leverages the value of the information generated at each stage to feed the others, regardless of their relative position in the cycle. This presentation will summarize the concepts underlying this cyclical process and present some of the AI tools developed at Topazium that will contribute to the necessary disruption in drug discovery.

Phil Eschallier
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
RCH Solutions
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 1:30 PM EST
Abstract:
In an industry driven by the pursuit of progress, the ability for biopharma teams to fully harness innovation and technology to support discovery has long been a differentiator. Today, as new and emerging technologies transform expectations for how the business of science is accomplished, more teams are turning to the Cloud as part of their modernization strategy and push to create a scalable, extensible next generation compute environment.
What Attendees Will Learn:
In this case study focused presentation, RCH’s CTO, Phil Eschallier, will share real-life examples of how R&D teams and their Bio-IT counterparts are building future-forward Cloud-first compute environments that will help them accelerate time to discovery and lead to more successful outcomes today—and tomorrow.

Joe Pulawski
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Hudson Robotics
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 1:30 PM EST
Accelerating Life Science Through Automation

TJ Murphy
SALES EXECUTIVE
LabVoice
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 10:30 AM EST
Laboratory Digital Assistants: A Look at Some Common Use Cases

Martin-Immanuel Bittner
Co-Founder & CEO
Arctoris
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 11:00 AM EST
Combining robotics and machine learning in drug discovery
Abstract
The talk will cover how recent advances in wet lab automation and artificial intelligence/ machine learning enable a paradigm shift in drug discovery. Martin-Immanuel Bittner MD DPhil FRSA FRSB FIBMS, Co-Founder & CEO of Arctoris, will address the changing landscape of drug discovery, discussing how combining robotics and machine learning transforms the drug discovery process. The critical role of data quality and data capture will be explored, looking both at general industry trends as well as concrete case studies. Using Arctoris as an example, the talk will describe how a fully automated research platform can enable researchers to focus on experiment planning and data analysis, with experiment execution delegated to advanced robotics - improving data and decision-making in research processes, and allowing for programs to move from idea to IND faster and more efficiently.

Adam Paton
Principal Client Partner
Zifo RnD Solutions
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 10:30 AM EST

Michael Norman
GM & VP of Sales - North America
Flow Robotics
Thursday, Nov. 10th at 11:00 AM EST
Automate, Don’t Irritate
Abstract:
With the landscape of today’s lab, connecting scientists running manual methods to automation engineers building out full scale automated labs has traditionally not been a clear path in the automated liquid handling space. Complexities in understanding the science as well as programming languages hasn’t been geared towards adoption amongst sciences until now.

Ash Jogalekar
Head of Product
OpenEye Scientific
Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 10:30 AM EST
Drug Design in the Cloud: It Keeps Getting Better
Abstract:
As the need for accurately exploring vast areas of chemical space grows, there is a concurrent need for scalable technological platforms that can accomplish this task. These platforms need to balance speed, accuracy and accessibility. In this talk we will discuss Orion, a cloud-native high-performance computing platform that allows the implementation of a broad suite of scientific tools and workflows impacting many critical stages of the drug discovery cycle. Unlike other platforms which are cloud-enabled, Orion is engineered from the ground up to take advantage of the massive resources in the cloud through the deployment of a responsive scheduler that can quickly scale cloud resources up and down when necessary. Along with being able to utilize several of OpenEye’s industry-leading scientific workflows for tasks like virtual screening, quantum chemistry calculations and drug product formulations, Orion also presents the ability to integrate third-party applications that can benefit from high compute capabilities. Orion is also integrated with leading chemical vendor libraries like Enamine in all its applications; this allows users to search purchasable chemical space exceedingly fast. As such, Orion is a comprehensive platform that can bring massive cloud-based computation to key problems faced by scientists in the life sciences industry and can accelerate the design-make-test-analyze cycle.

Florian de Nanteuil
Scientific Collaborator
Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 1:00 PM EST
SwissCAT+, an Autonomous and Automatized Platform for the Discovery and Optimization of Catalysis
Abstract:
Automation has been recognized as the most efficient way to capture holistically experimental conditions of an experiment and to report them in a standardized way. In synthetic chemistry, automation has seen some major development in recent years with the improved availability of robotic systems and the development of high throughput techniques such as miniaturization and parallelization. The focus of these platforms was to aim at shortening the discovery lifecycle and to collect reliable sets of experimental data. Nowadays, many automated chemical platforms are being built in academia and industry, but there are still many steps that are poorly or not even automated. The full automation of the process becomes even more relevant when quality control and statistical analysis are required and to be able to use or compare experimental data generated by different sources. SwissCAT+ is a Swiss funded infrastructure that aims at building a fully automated and autonomous platform for the discovery and optimization of catalysis.