The recent Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) conference, held from February 7-11, 2026, in Boston, MA, offered many opportunities to learn about the latest and greatest innovations in lab automation hardware and software. One of the best ways to learn about the leading edge of these developments is through Innovation AveNEW, which highlights new companies bringing new and improved products and services to the community. We spent time during the conference talking to representatives from each of these companies to learn about their innovations and how they benefit lab managers from different types of labs.

Automated assays

100XBIO

Flow cytometry is a staple of many biotech and life science labs. However, it has some challenges, including manual sample preparation. 100XBIO has developed an automated approach to do bioassays based on fluorescent microscopy that operates with less sample and can provide additional temporal information as cells react to additional treatments. Because the analysis is based on microscopy, it can provide information on cell-to-cell interactions and even analyze dead cells. A key benefit, according to co-founder Timofei Bondarev, is that it “removes manual sample preparation to free the hands of the scientists.”

Everest Biolabs

Interest has grown in studying extracellular vesicles (EV) because they can act as key mediators of cell-to-cell communication and their role in transporting proteins, lipids, and genetic materials throughout the body. Everest Biolabs has developed a scalable solution for studying EVs with an automated, high-throughput instrument capable of analyzing up to 48 samples in parallel. David Freedman, president, says this development is “the best way to isolate   [EVs] with the highest purity and highest yield.” 

Evizia

Biotech research and development requires faster and more reliable workflows to deliver on the promise of the field. According to Brian Patterson, chief commercial officer of Evizia, “The need and gap is NGO sequencing workflow.” To address this challenge, Evizia has developed a high-speed atomic force microscope (AFM) that rapidly measures 100bp to 500kbp and DNA sizing. It provides better speed, accuracy, and precision with lower input requirements without the need for dyes or comparative ladders than traditional approaches like electrophoresis.

Lab Quality Management Certificate

The Lab Quality Management certificate is more than training—it’s a professional advantage.

Gain critical skills and IACET-approved CEUs that make a measurable difference.

Flexomics LLC

In many cellular biology labs, microscopy and sequencing are done separately. Flexomics has developed an integrated platform that is capable of performing both high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and single-cell sequencing. As Eugene Chow, senior director of strategic business development, explained, the technology allows scientists to “look at the same cell and then extract material to link the phenotypes to the transcriptome information.” The platform uses optical cell barcoding to capture and query live cells. 

GelTech Labs

Understanding the swelling and degradation profiles of hydrogels can lead to important discoveries in materials, polymers, and biodegradable systems. GelTech Labs has developed a fast and reliable instrument to obtain automated swelling and degradation testing for hydrogels. These data are more reproducible than manual tests. Alexander Kraus, head of engineering, told us, “Researchers waste time and money doing manual degradation tests. This new instrument can run up to six samples at a time and creates significant walk-away time for researchers.”

Interested in lab design?

Sign up for the free Lab Design Newsletter from our sister site, Lab Design News.

Is the form not loading? If you use an ad blocker or browser privacy features, try turning them off and refresh the page.

By completing this form, you agree to receive news updates and relevant promotional content from Lab Design News. You may unsubscribe at any time. View our Privacy Policy

AI technology

Atinary Technologies, Inc.

All labs face their own bottlenecks, many of them driven by repetitive manual tasks taking up the scientists’ time. Atinary Technologies has developed an AI-driven R&D platform to identify high-performing configurations within the lab’s potential candidates. Co-founder and CEO Hermann Tribukait envisions self-driving labs that are “faster, cheaper, better, eliminate bottlenecks, and enable the scientists at the bench.” These labs will use AI to drive closed loops for design-make-test-analyze-learn cycles. 

Synfini Inc.

Many organizations innovate by creating novel molecular structures. Synfini has developed tools and software to connect physical and virtual chemistry by combining the powers of AI-driven software and robotic automation. They can help new product researchers and drug developers design and synthesize novel molecules. According to Peter Madrid, co-founder and head of scientific development, “People are hungry for data. Synfini is a data creator for AI-quality data.” Their goal is to significantly reduce the time and cost of developing new target molecules. 

Tercen Data Analytics Ltd.

Labs today are on a steep learning curve to determine the best ways to implement AI to aid their work. Tercen has developed a low-code data analysis platform to enable labs to explore and implement AI. Tercen’s CEO, Faris Naji, explains, “Tercen is a semantic layer that makes the AI better and more easily validated.” The platform enables scientists to ask the AI tool questions, and Tercen can also provide an app to share. 

Sample preparation

Aventix AB

Modern microplate analyses require a precise understanding of the volume of liquid in each cell. Aventix has developed a precise optical approach to rapidly and accurately measure the volumes in every cell. The system only requires a liquid surface in the cell and can deliver nm resolution to provide accurate measurements of less than one microliter. This can be liberating for many labs. According to Hector Martinez, CTO, their system can measure “any plate, any liquid, any time.”

Tangible Scientific

As Tangible Scientific’s co-founder Adham Chebbani states, “Everything is a logistics problem at some point.” Labs face mounting issues with research logistics that are fragmented, manual, and error-prone. Tangible Scientific has developed an AI-driven, intelligent research operations platform that combines material management and logistics. They offer both software and service options. Their platform can deliver storage, reformatting, and plating to enhance lab workflows.

Biomolecular delivery

BIOCAPIVA Ltd.

Liquid biopsies are a tremendous boon to cancer patients and the medical professionals who treat them. However, current techniques can be limited by sample volumes, poor quality samples, and a lack of sample diversity. BIOCAPTIVA has developed novel polymers and magnetic bead technology to capture DNA or RNA directly in biological fluids to deliver high yields with high stability. Yanin Naiyachit, the senior business development manager, says that BIOCAPTIVA “solves fundamental challenges upstream of liquid biopsy. It is a gentle process that can be automated, is cleaner, and generates reproducible extract samples from blood, urine, and pleural fluid.”

MxT Biotech

Innovations in cell and gene therapy require the rapid delivery of biomolecules to cells while maintaining cell viability and functionality. MxT Biotech has developed microfluidic technology to enable anyone to deliver molecules of interest into any cell. This enables cost-efficient and scalable gene delivery to drive research. 

XDemics Corp.

Developing modern treatments requires a substantial density of specific cells. Creating these structures has traditionally been limited by optimal oxygenation. XDemics has delivered a process that ensures optimal oxygenation and can deliver cell densities 10-100 times higher than other methods. Nick Scianmarello, vice president of manufacturing, says, “We can grow cells in 3D to achieve tissue-like entities.” This process is scalable because the cells are grown in stackable trays that can deliver a billion cells each.

Congratulations to XDemics on winning the prestigious SLAS Ignite Award. This award recognizes the most promising startup innovation at the conference. It is scored on marketing presence, message, market opportunities, level of innovation, impact, funding, and balanced leadership.

Ligand-target interactions

CellarisBio

Quantifying ligand-target interactions in cell environments can be challenging. CellarisBio has developed a novel fluorescent tag that activates only on intracellular engagement. Elmar Nurmemmedov, CEO, says that their technology can provide “real-time measurement of the interaction of a drug target molecule in the cell.” This technology provides real-time and temperature-series data, even for challenging drug targets, like membrane proteins and transcription factors.

DropXcell Corp.

Developing a new drug is a high-risk enterprise. Researchers often count on binding with a specific antibody to guide their research. DropXcell has developed high-throughput screens with double emulsion technology for function, not just binding. These screens are applicable to multispecifics, T-cell engagers, and antibody-drug conjugates. The outcomes are more antibodies screened, more drug candidates tested, and months saved in drug development programs.

Precision Oxidation

Drug developers understand a great deal about binding events, but gaps remain about how binding redistributes internal energy. Precision Oxidation has developed labels to identify residue-level response signatures from binding. According to Paul Hensley, the founder, “This platform is scalable, readily automated, and can generate residue-level energetic response signatures consistent with binding-induced redistribution of a protein’s internal energy in a little as one day.”

Vitroscope

Drug discovery based on fixed experiments brings many risks. Vitroscope has developed microchannel technology combined with microsensors and microscopy to provide live feedback of the interactions of cell structures with drug targets. This enables researchers to modify experimental approaches with live data and be much more agile as they approach drug development. The result is longitudinal studies on fully viable tissue cultures for days.