SPT Labtech Japan Official site

On July 9, 2025, SPT Labtech announced a strategic partnership with the startup Semarion, originating from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. This partnership will integrate SPT Labtech's firefly automated pipetting system with Semarion's SemaCyte microcarrier technology, enabling a flexible and scalable automated workflow for cell assays. This innovative collaboration will make it possible to miniaturize and automate adhesion cell assays, which have traditionally been challenging, and is expected to improve efficiency and reproducibility. It will also be adaptable to image analysis-based high-content assays such as cell painting. Semarion's CEO, Jeroen Verheyen, stated, "This partnership will create a flexible and miniaturized workflow that will significantly accelerate the drug discovery process." The two companies plan to work on developing joint protocols, generating validation data, and optimizing workflow strategies to provide researchers with more adaptable cell-based drug discovery support tools.

In every laboratory, the integrity of samples is extremely important. Our comPOUND automated sample management system has transformed the organization, storage, and retrieval methods of laboratory samples for about 25 years. By automating essential daily tasks, it provides researchers with an environment where they can focus on their core research with peace of mind. The longevity of this system is supported by our unique pneumatic (air-driven) technology. This technology minimizes the occurrence of issues in low-temperature environments caused by robots, ensuring stable operation in a consistent low-temperature setting. It reliably delivers samples to the necessary locations at the right times. This innovative system was first unveiled at the SBS conference held in Edinburgh in 1999 and has continuously evolved to meet the needs of research environments, maintaining its status as an industry standard.

SPT Labtech has officially been certified for the Illumina DNA Prep automation workflow using the firefly liquid handling platform and has been selected as an Illumina certified partner. The firefly features a compact design that combines high-precision pipetting with flexibility, achieving improved reproducibility and throughput. Its intuitive software and walkaway operation contribute to the efficiency of complex NGS workflows. This certification makes the implementation of Illumina DNA Prep automation using firefly more secure and easier. We will continue to support new applications through collaboration with Illumina.

3D cell culture has gained increasing attention in recent years as a method for studying cells in an environment that more accurately mimics the tissue structure in vivo. However, constructing 3D models requires scaffolds and matrices that support cell growth, and the dispensing of these materials poses challenges, leading to issues with reproducibility and efficiency. To address these challenges, PeptiMatrix Ltd. collaborated with SPT Labtech to evaluate the dispensing performance of PeptiMatrix hydrogel matrices using the dragonfly discovery liquid dispensing system. This study presents an integrated approach to achieving high-throughput, cost-effective, and reproducible 3D cell culture assays, and discusses how this can accelerate advancements in drug discovery and research.

Professor Matthew Gound of the University of Cambridge is advancing the development of chemical reactions that were previously impossible using traditional methods by utilizing high-throughput experimentation (HTE). HTE allows for the parallel execution of a large number of reactions, enabling the simultaneous examination of many variables such as catalysts, substrates, and additives. Using automated liquid dispensers like mosquito(R), precise reagent handling at the nanoliter scale is performed, accommodating reaction setups and analyses in 384 or 1536 well plates. The research subjects range widely, including photoredox catalysts, C–H activation, and nucleic acid (RNA, DNA) chemistry, allowing for efficient exploration even with small sample sizes. Additionally, analytical techniques such as UPLC-MS and high-throughput NMR enable the acquisition of quantitative and high-quality data. The flexible operation is also characterized by conducting reactions at the necessary scale using partially filled 1536 well plates. In the future, such high-quality data will be essential for predicting chemical reactions using AI and machine learning, highlighting the increasing importance of data science.