Strateos Launches Rapid Idea-to-Data Solution for Small Molecule Discovery on its Cloud Lab Automation-as-a-Service Platform

MENLO PARK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Strateos, Inc., a pioneer in the development of remote access laboratories and lab automation software for life science research, today announced the availability of an integrated solution for small molecule discovery programs seeking a faster, automated way to perform Design, Make, Test and Analyze (DMTA) cycles. Data from a project leveraging this platform are highlighted in a whitepaper the company has published today entitled, “Closing the Loop from Idea to Data and Accelerating Cycle Times for Faster Drug Discovery.”

“Strateos continues to introduce flexible solutions for drug discovery teams seeking state-of-the-art ways to advance small molecule programs,” said John Harman, Sr. Director of Product Management at Strateos. “Conventional DMTA cycles are plagued by manual workflows, inadequate scientist-to-scientist communication across labs, less-than-ideal data tracking, slow cycle times, and the capital expense of discovery programs. Our unique cloud-accessible closed-loop system is demonstrating complete DMTA cycles in a handful of days, greatly outpacing the two to three weeks or longer timelines required by either conventional outsourcing methods or internal turn-around times.”

The on-demand, scalable Strateos Cloud Lab Automation-as-a-Service Platform features connected robotic automation utilizing 23 workcells and hundreds of instruments. The platform supports early lead generation through lead optimization choreographed by a software architecture which enables users to design compounds of interest via the cloud, and have the compounds automatically assembled and tested via a variety of methods including cell-based, biochemical and structured-activity relationship (SAR) assessments.

In an internal pilot study, 14 structural analogs along with the core compound, tofacitinib, were synthesized, purified, and tested for functionality and benchmarked against externally acquired tofacitinib in Strateos’ closed-loop system during 40 active hours of machine time over a period of four days. While this project was conducted as an analog-based study, the Strateos Platform can be used in a variety of modes to build and test potential drug candidates, including structure and ligand-based machine learning methods of drug design.

“The Strateos Platform enables the orchestration of scientific workflows and the interactive command and control of our unique fleet of lab automation modules from anywhere in the world, giving researchers the ability to accelerate the DMTA cycle and generate accurate, human and machine-actionable data,” said Daniel Sipes, SVP Strategy and Operations at Strateos. “We continue to successfully demonstrate these capabilities and show how automating the DMTA cycle enables scientists to work on multiple programs at the same time in parallel, greatly improving process efficiencies and shortening cycle times significantly. The results mirror the benefits we are seeing related to the work we conduct using a DMTA-based approach in synthetic biology and protein engineering applications.”

Key takeaways from the pilot study include:

  • DMTA cycle time is significantly reduced, leading to faster discovery and faster go-to-market outcomes
  • Process control, supervision, monitoring, and data capture was accomplished with the Strateos Lab Automation Software
  • Centralized and automated data capture provides accuracy, end-to-end traceability, and reproducibility and precision
  • Scalable and automated workflows offered by Strateos’s unique fleet of lab automation modules can be a vital asset for small and large drug discovery campaigns

To download a free copy of the pilot study whitepaper, please visit: www.strateos.com/automated-dmta.

About Strateos

Strateos is a pioneer in the development of remote access laboratories and lab automation software for life science discovery. Our mission is to create new knowledge driven by data, computation, automation, and high-throughput robotics with the goal of fundamentally advancing the life sciences. The Strateos Cloud Lab Automation-as-a-Service Platform helps scientists more efficiently and reproducibly design, run, and analyze experiments to achieve new and faster scientific discoveries. For more information, please visit: www.strateos.com.