Bay Area Chapter
LRIG Bay Area Fall Event - October 3rd, 2024 - Embassy Suites, South San Francisco
Our next event will examine the latest developments making life science laboratories more efficient from bench top automation through data management and informatics. The impact of AI/ML will be highlighted. Presentations are typically 30-40 minutes including a Q&A period.
As usual, the event is free to attend, but please register so we can gauge attendance for the technical program and buffet lunch.
Agenda
11:00 Exhibits open
12:00 Lunch service
12:30 Welcome to LRIG, Louis Murray, President LRIG Bay Area
12:35 Introduction, Maureen Beresini and Dave Wexler, Program Chairs
12:45 Charbel Eid - Vice President, Platform at BigHat Biosciences. Better biologics faster through AI-guided design.
1:10 Arne Vandenbroucke - Director, Automation Industrialization at insitro. Pooled Screening at insitro: High diversity in low density plates
1:35 Joseph Dennis - Senior Scientist at Iambic Therapeutics. Empowering Discovery with an AI-Driven Automated Platform
2:00 Break
2:30 Nadia Kreciglowa - Head of Robotics Software at Multiply Labs & Varun Bhatia - Senior Robotics Software Engineer at Multiply Labs. Accelerating Cell Therapy Access: Robotic Solutions for Scalable Manufacturing
2:55 Michael Kappler - Director, Head of Research Informatics at IDEAYA Biosciences & Michael Boag – Machine Learning Engineer at Utiliware Corporation & Sandra Simon – Research Scientist at IDEAYA Biosciences. Automating and Integrating Drug Discovery Informatics: A Simple Approach to Broadly Leverage Research Data for Machine Learning
3:20 Jimmy Sastra - CEO and Co-founder at Monomer Bio - Towards self-driving labs with closed loop automation for cell biology
3:50 End of technical program and event.
Speaker Abstracts
We are thrilled to announce the speakers and abstracts for our event:
Charbel Eid - Vice President, Platform at BigHat Biosciences
Better biologics faster through AI-guided design
BigHat Biosciences develops next-generation antibody therapeutics faster through AI-guided design. Central to this approach is the Milliner™ antibody discovery and engineering platform, featuring an advanced, high-speed wet lab that seamlessly integrates with AI/ML-driven antibody design. This automated lab synthesizes, expresses, purifies, and characterizes antibodies in just days, facilitating rapid data generation and iterative optimization of key biophysical and functional antibody properties. The platform’s sophisticated automation capabilities enable efficient scaling, high operational efficiency, and simultaneous optimization of multiple properties. In conjunction with wet-lab innovation, BigHat’s proprietary LIMS, Reccy, acts as the operating system of the company, enabling streamlined communication across all facets of Milliner. This talk will explore how BigHat's automated platform is driving the creation of next-generation therapeutics with unprecedented speed and precision.
Arne Vandenbroucke - Director, Automation Industrialization at insitro
Pooled Screening at insitro: High diversity in low density plates
At insitro, we aim to bring better drugs faster to the patients who can benefit most. We leverage the power of machine learning (ML) and large-scale data to decode the intricate mechanisms of biology and unlock transformative new medicines.
We create cell-based disease models and employ high-throughput, automated laboratory experiments to generate high-quality, multimodal data at scale. This data is used to build phenotypic disease state embeddings, enabling us to explore the effects of genetic variations on phenotypes and identify novel drivers and modifiers of disease.
insitro's "Pooled Optical Screening in Humans" (POSH) platform employs CRISPR-Cas9 to introduce thousands of genetic modifications in a high-throughput manner. This is followed by "In Situ Sequencing" to pinpoint the genetic modifications in individual cells. In a 6-well plate format, we typically achieve 0.5-1 million perturbations per well, or 3-6 million perturbed cells per plate. This high density provides unprecedented statistical power to study the druggable genome or even the entire genome.
We will present the POSH platform, covering its foundational principles, closed-loop automation, and image processing pipeline. Additionally, we will share case studies demonstrating POSH's application in target discovery for liver disease and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).
Joseph Dennis - Senior Scientist at Iambic Therapeutics
Empowering Discovery with an AI-Driven Automated Platform
Drug discovery requires agile movement through chemical space to identify molecules with
finely balanced properties. Recent advances in generative AI and computational modeling have
revolutionized the pace of this virtual exploration. Similarly, the miniaturization of chemical
syntheses via automated liquid handling has increased the rate of molecule synthesis and
profiling. By integrating these tools, we offer a powerful platform for drug hunters, streamlining
the often siloed and laborious computational and synthetic workflows.
At Iambic, we have built a platform that integrates lab-aware AI with automated chemistry to
shorten the design-make-test cycle. Our platform gives non-automation-experts the ability to use
robotics at all stages of a discovery campaign. Importantly, the automated protocols prioritize
workflows based on robotic strengths, not user design, to facilitate liquid handling at the 1536-
well scale. Collectively, this integrated platform removes the silos of drug discovery and
empowers scientists to leverage automation in a way that bridges data-driven and physical
Exploration.
Michael Kappler - Director, Head of Research Informatics at IDEAYA Biosciences
Michael Boag – Machine Learning Engineer at Utiliware Corporation
Sandra Simon – Research Scientist at IDEAYA Biosciences
Automating and Integrating Drug Discovery Informatics: A Simple Approach to Broadly Leverage Research Data for Machine Learning
The rapid growth of biochemical data in drug discovery presents significant challenges for data management, integration, and analysis. To address these challenges, a unified data model (BioChemUDM) was developed to capture, report, and share chemical and biological data seamlessly. BioChemUDM enables the registration of compounds based solely on stereo-enhanced sketches and eliminates the need for complex user-defined flags. This model introduces a convention for string-based labels and simplifies data handing for common assay protocols. Thus, facilitating inter-organizational data exchange and enabling same-day data sharing among collaborators. In this presentation, we will discuss the development and implementation of BioChemUDM, its impact on automating drug discovery processes, and how it supports real-time data-driven decisions. We will discuss the integration of BioChemUDM with IDEAYA’s HARMONY™ machine learning engine on cloud-based infrastructure with data analysis applications. The practical advantages of BioChemUDM in reducing data silos, improving data accessibility, and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration in molecular property prediction will be demonstrated through case studies and real-world examples.
Nadia Kreciglowa - Head of Robotics Software at Multiply Labs
Varun Bhatia - Senior Robotics Software Engineer at Multiply Labs
Accelerating Cell Therapy Access: Robotic Solutions for Scalable Manufacturing
There’s an elephant in the room when it comes to cell therapy. Hundreds of thousands
of patients are in need of these life-saving therapies - but the vast majority can’t access
the treatment. This is because cell therapy manufacturing is reliant on a highly-skilled
and limited labor pool, which results in prohibitively high prices and lack of availability
and affordability for most patients.
Given approximately half of cell therapy manufacturing costs are driven by these labor
challenges, bringing cell therapy scalability within reach requires cutting-edge
automation. To meet this need, Multiply Labs launched a robotic system for cell therapy
manufacturing that is proven to match the performance and reduce the costs of a
manual process. This session from Nadia Kreciglowa, Head of Robotics Software, and
Varun Bhatia, Senior Robotics Software Engineer, will cover:
● The power of automation to increase throughput and accelerate production
timelines - for example, think of 18 products per incubator hosted in parallel, vs.
one or two in a manual process.
● The benefits of robotics when it comes to minimizing contamination risk and
reducing human error.
● How we are developing methods to mimic lab technician manual motions via AI.
● How the robotic system overcomes potential regulatory and process barriers by
operating market-leading GMP instruments that are already deployed to
manufacture all currently approved cell therapies. This ensures manufacturers do
not need to significantly change their existing processes.
● How manufacturers can ensure they have the flexibility to automate any part of
the process, while using less space to get the job done and ensuring the
approach is future-proof.
● How robotics radically improves the unit economics of cell therapy
manufacturing.
○ Estimates based on scientifically peer-reviewed industry data show that
this technology can reduce the cost of typical GMP-level cell therapy
manufacturing processes by 70%, on a per-product basis.
It is critical that we expand patient access to these life-changing treatments. This
session will explore the cutting-edge developments made this year in finally bringing
robotics automation to cell therapy manufacturing.
Jimmy Sastra - CEO and Co-founder at Monomer Bio
Towards self-driving labs with closed loop automation for cell biology
Advances in biology, automation, and machine learning are transforming the way biological research is conducted, enabling laboratories to achieve higher efficiency and precision. In this talk, we will explore the concept of self-driving labs—automated experimental systems capable of continuously iterating on hypotheses, running experiments, and analyzing data with minimal human intervention.
A key benefit of this approach is its potential to significantly increase the number of experiments that can be performed, allowing biotech companies to screen more candidates faster and eliminate less promising options earlier in the discovery process. This ability to fail fast and refine selections in real-time can drastically reduce costs and accelerate timelines in drug discovery and cell biology research.
We will touch on some examples, including the development of disease models using automated systems while keeping the human-in-the-loop as well as a fully closed-loop experiment for optimizing parameters for staining. These case studies will illustrate how automation and machine learning can not only accelerate experimental workflows but also enhance precision and reproducibility.
By integrating automation with AI-driven insights, these systems reduce human error, save time, and empower biotech companies to innovate faster. This presentation will explore the opportunities and challenges in creating self-driving labs that push the boundaries of cell biology research.
Vendor Exhibition - SOLD OUT! Please email us if you'd like to be added to a wait list.
Over 33 vendors from the life science community will be exhibiting at the event. Their sponsorship makes our program possible, so please be sure to visit. Please email us if you'd like to be added to the vendor list for next year's meeting.
Confirmed vendors
Omni International - Sponsor
Genedata
Formulatrix
Omega Bio-tek
BMG Labtech
Computype
Tekmatic
Tecan
Hamilton Company
ThermoFisher
Titian Software
Biosero
Collaborative Drug
Analytik Jena
Matrix Fluidix
BioNex Solutions Inc.
Corning Life Sciences
Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
Altemis Lab
Greiner BioOne
Dynamic Devices
Biotage
Integrated Micro-Chromatography Systems (IMCS)
Andrews Cooper
Let's Go Robotics Inc.
Sirius Automation
Araceli Biosciences
ClickBio, Inc.
Celltrio
Waters
Kuhner
Hudson Robotics
Automata
Biomed Recruitment
SPT Labtech
Brandtech
Chapter Officers
Louis Murray, President
louis.murray@lrig.org
Louis Murray has spent over 20 years in the Bay Area focused on Lab Automation across various roles, including; current North Americas Sales Manager with the Lab Automation group at Thermo Fisher Scientific responsible for all commercial activities. Automation Engineer at Exelixis, beta tested the GeneMachines RevPrep, Field Application Manager at Velocity11 building and supporting robotic platforms around the globe and Product Manager at Agilent Technologies for the automation portfolio and launched the Encore MultiSpan Liquid Handler. Louis joined the LRIG Bay Area chapter in 2021 and accepted the role of Executive Chair in 2023. Louis holds a Master of Science from the University of Aberdeen.
Michael Biros, Treasurer
Mike has over 30 years marketing and sales experience working for companies developing emerging technologies that accelerate life science research. He was the first marketing hire at LJL BioSystems, which was acquired by Molecular Devices in 2000. At Molecular Devices, he led the Drug Discovery instrumentation-marketing group as Director of Marketing, introducing several major fluorescent imaging- and point-reading systems. He was a principal and co-founder of Kallidus Group, a marketing agency serving life science, diagnostic and technology companies. He served as Vice President, Product Marketing at IntelliCyt and founded Cellerynt Group, a marketing agency focused on improving marketing automation for life science companies. He served as Executive Chair of LRIG, Bay Area Chapter from 2002 to 2023 before assuming the role of Treasurer. Mike holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology from U.C. San Diego, and an MBA from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.
Maureen Beresini, Program Co-Chair and Scientific Advisor
Maureen Beresini has over 20 years of experience in small molecule drug discovery at Genentech. She leads a group that develops and provides biochemical and cellular assays to promote the discovery of small molecule therapeutics. In recent years, Maureen has focused on high-throughput screening. In addition to the assays, she has contributed to the establishment of high-throughput automated systems and processes for conducting assays, analyzing data, and managing compounds. Maureen began her industry career with Syva Company, developing assays for therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs. She received her doctorate in Biological Chemistry from the University of California Davis and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Cancer Research Institute at University of California San Francisco.
Dave Wexler, Program Co-Chair
Dave Wexler is currently Senior Director, Process Development & Automation at Exact Sciences based in the San Francisco Bay Area where he is responsible for leading the Assay Development, Process Development, Systems Engineering and Process Validation teams to design, develop, implement, test and validate processes and instrumentation critical to enable complex molecular diagnostic testing in a clinical Reference Laboratory. He provides technology vision and strategy to enable histopathology and molecular laboratory operations to scale and increase efficiency Prior to Exact Sciences, over the course of 13 years, Dave served in leadership positions with increasing responsibility at CareDx. The most recent being Vice President, Automation Engineering where Dave led a multidisciplinary group of Automation Engineers, Software Engineers, RA/QA and laboratory operations personnel to implement laboratory technology to increase throughput 10x for a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) based diagnostic test.
Key accomplishment at CareDx: Dave directed the successful implementation and validation of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) equipment, LIMS and data analysis software required to launch AlloSure®, a novel diagnostic test using cell-free DNA as a biomarker in a CLIA Reference laboratory. Additionally, Dave held a previous role as Senior Director, Clinical Informatics and Automation Engineering for CareDx. In this position, and earlier positions at CareDx and AGY Therapeutics, Dave was instrumental in the design and validation of new laboratory space for clinical and high-throughput drug discovery operations. Key to the ongoing success of CareDx, Dave worked closely with the head of Laboratory Operations to research, develop and validate new processes for increasing throughput and efficiency for processing of patient samples.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from University of Denver, his Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles and performed post-doctoral research at University of California, Berkeley.
Amer El-Hage, Secretary
Amer is an independent consultant in product development and project management for the transfer from development of life-science and laboratory instruments to quality manufacturing.
From 1991 to 2000 he was the Director of Engineering Programs at LJL BioSystems, and following its acquisition at Molecular Devices until 2004. Prior to LJL, Amer held engineering, manufacturing and project management positions at Beckman Instruments and Varian Associates.
Amer technical expertise is in instrument design and automation, micro-fluidics, plastic molding, Opto-mechanical, consumables and BioMEMS applications. He is versed in product design, verification and validation processes, ISO quality Design Control systems, and FDA regulatory compliance and CE/CSA/UL agency certifications. He currently chairs the Society of Bimolecular Sciences (SBS) Microplate Standards Development.
Mr. El-Hage’s name as an inventor is on fourteen US and two international patents. Amer co-authored journal articles and made presentations at international Laboratory Automation conferences and at academic institutions. Amer received his M.Sc. in Engineering with distinction from UC Berkeley in 1980.
Lisa Simmons, Board Member
Lisa Simmons is the Western Regional Sales Manager for Hamilton Storage Technologies where she is the sales product specialist for automated storage and retrieval systems. Lisa has over 20 years of life sciences industry experience in the area of benchtop automation and storage systems. for sample management. For 15 years Lisa was the key sales and marketing director for BioMicroLab (since acquired by STP Labtech) with robotic automation equipment for drug discovery laboratories. Lisa has held many roles from sales and marketing, account management, distributor channel management and production liaison. Lisa joined the LRIG, Bay Area Chapter in January of 2023. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from Concordia University Irvine.