Ginkgo Bioworks has announced collaborations supporting four new autonomous laboratory initiatives at the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Maryland and Northwestern University.
The projects are designed to expand the availability of cloud-accessible laboratories that allow researchers and students to remotely design, execute and analyze scientific experiments.
The initiatives are supported by the National Science Foundation and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and are expected to use Ginkgo’s robotic laboratory infrastructure.
Ginkgo plans to deploy its Reconfigurable Automation Carts, or RACs, alongside its Catalyst Software. The combined hardware and software system is intended to provide secure cloud access and end-to-end laboratory automation.
The technology can convert physical laboratory equipment and workspaces into remotely programmable resources, enabling experiments to operate with limited manual intervention.
The Caltech, University of Maryland and Northwestern projects were selected through the National Science Foundation’s Programmable Cloud Laboratories Test Bed program.
MIT Media Lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative received funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to establish a cloud laboratory focused on biotechnology education.
At Caltech, the Electron Diffraction Cloud Laboratory for Research and Autonomy, known as ELECTRA, will be directed by Hosea Nelson.
The initiative will focus on automating electron diffraction and spectroscopy workflows used to determine the structures of biological, chemical and materials-related samples.
Ginkgo expects its infrastructure to connect sample preparation, data collection and analytical processing through a single autonomous and cloud-accessible platform.
At MIT, David Kong and the Community Biotechnology Initiative will lead what Ginkgo described as the first Cloud Laboratory for Learning.
The facility will use RACs to give students and researchers remote access to biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics experiments. The project is intended to make hands-on laboratory education available to participants who may not otherwise have access to advanced equipment.
The University of Maryland’s Collaborative for the Realization of Autonomous Biomanufacturing Lab will focus on smart manufacturing for biological products.
The CRAB Lab is led by William Bentley at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, a partnership between the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Researchers plan to combine molecular and electronic measurements to monitor bioprocess conditions and use AI to optimize production in real time.
Ginkgo expects to deploy approximately 11 RACs and Catalyst Software at the Maryland facility. The system will also include a digital twin environment that allows researchers to design and test workflows virtually before implementing them in the physical laboratory.
Northwestern University’s AI-Driven, Rapid, Experimental Automation Machine Cloud Lab will be led by Julius Lucks.
The DREAM Cloud Lab will focus on scaling cell-free protein synthesis, a method of producing proteins without relying on living cells.
Potential applications include biosensors, therapeutics and more sustainable biomanufacturing processes.
Ginkgo anticipates deploying five RACs and Catalyst Software at Northwestern to establish repeatable, cloud-automated cell-free protein synthesis protocols.
The four collaborations expand Ginkgo’s strategy of offering autonomous laboratory infrastructure to universities, researchers and students.
Ginkgo also operates its own autonomous laboratory capabilities, which are available through the company’s Datapoints and Solutions research services.
KEY QUOTE:
“These projects advance the deployment of cloud-accessible, automated laboratories across the country, enabling researchers and students to programmatically design, execute and analyze scientific experiments remotely.”
Ginkgo Bioworks statement
