Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) has signed a framework collaboration agreement with Biosero, to enable and facilitate robotic arm integration with BD flow cytometry instruments to accelerate drug discovery and development.

Together, the companies intend to develop new software capabilities within BD flow cytometer instrument software to be compatible with Biosero's Green Button Go® software, as well as jointly support biopharmaceutical and contract research organizations with their custom research needs, to enable easy integration with robotic arms.

Traditionally, several steps in a lab's flow cytometry workflow for drug discovery and development require manual processes. With robotic integration, these steps can become automated. For example, samples are typically loaded and analyzed on a flow cytometer one multiwell plate at a time, requiring a time-consuming manual step each time the multiwell plate is changed. With robotic arm integration, tens or even potentially hundreds of multiwell plates can be automatically changed without human intervention.

"Automation is increasingly paramount for biopharma companies and contract research organizations whose high-throughput drug screening and cell therapy manufacturing efforts rely on the scalability, reproducibility, quality and speed that robotic integration can provide," said Steve Conly, worldwide President of BD Biosciences.

"This collaboration unlocks a new chapter of automation for our current and future biopharma partners. By combining forces with Biosero, a trusted leader in lab automation, we will empower customers to bring their potentially life-changing therapies to market even faster," added Conly.

Flow cytometry is a powerful tool used across many stages of drug discovery and development. In drug screening, it allows researchers to analyze effects of potential drug candidates on single cells within vast populations. In cell therapy manufacturing, flow cytometry is used to analyze and characterize cells at different stages of the production process to ensure safety and efficacy of the final cell therapy product.

"Biosero's portfolio of laboratory automation software works with flow cytometers, robotic arms, as well as mobile robots and other equipment, within one communicative ecosystem, to automate scientific protocols and boost lab productivity while reducing human error," said Ryan Bernhardt, CEO of Biosero.

"This collaboration advances our vision of making laboratory automation easy to use, scalable and adaptable for the vital work of drug discovery and development," added Bernhardt.

The new versions of BD flow cytometer instrument software compatible with Biosero automation software for the BD FACSymphony A1 Cell Analyzer, BD FACSymphony™ A5 SE Cell Analyzer, and BD FACSLyric Flow Cytometry System will be available for research use in 2025 through local sales representatives. The BD FACSDiscover family of instruments is also on the roadmap for future integration.