Lecture
Scaling academic research through automation: autoOrgan.3R for animal free drug development
- at -
- B2.137
- Type: Lecture
Lecture description
Academic life science research is traditionally optimized to demonstrate novelty through single, manually executed proof-of-concept experiments. This paradigm works well for generating new insights, but it rarely addresses requirements such as scalability, standardization, and regulatory robustness, which are crucial for translation and commercialization. As a result, promising models and assays often reach publication stage but fail to evolve into industrially relevant testing strategies. In this presentation I will show how laboratory automation – illustrated with the autoOrgan.3R platform – can close this gap between academic proof of concept and scalable application in animal-free drug development. autoOrgan.3R enables automated production and analysis of complex 3D cell culture models and organoids, turning highly variable manual laboratory protocols into standardized, reproducible, and high-throughput workflows. In doing so, it not only replaces, reduces, and refines animal experiments in line with the 3R principle, but also delivers the process stability and data quality required for industrial and regulatory environments. A key focus of the talk is on the implications for academic education and teaching laboratories. To meet the expectations of pharmaceutical and biotech industries and regulatory bodies, curricula must go beyond traditional pipetting practicals and teach skills in lab automation, data management, high-throughput experimental design, and quality control. In parallel, teaching labs need affordable automation hardware and suitable digital infrastructure to mirror realistic, scalable laboratory settings, enabling students and early-career researchers to think in terms of scalable, animal-free, and industry-ready workflows from the outset.
