Staffan Piledahl - Co-founder, Briefly Bio 

Live Demo of Protocol-Driven Automation with an AI Co-Pilot 

Staffan will give a live demonstration of an AI-assisted lab automation interface that makes creating and running protocols as straightforward as writing them down. Using the Analytik-Jena Felix liquid handling robot, he will build an automation workflow in a protocol-style editor, with the AI suggesting steps and translating plain-language instructions into executable commands. The session will highlight how a better interface can make automation development faster, easier to modify, and more accessible to non-specialists.       

Raman Kaur - Associate Director of Process Development and Automation, Exact Sciences

PCR Workflow Without Walls: Challenges and Risk Mitigations

PCR workflows are typically designed with spatial separation to minimize contamination risks. However, with laboratory space being a high-cost resource, optimizing footprint and maximizing throughput are critical to keeping clinical lab cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) low. This presentation highlights the risk assessment and engineering innovations implemented at Exact Sciences to support PCR workflows within a single space. Key solutions include automated plate seal inspection, directional airflow Microcarts, and active contamination monitoring. These measures ensure data integrity and regulatory compliance, even in the absence of physical separation.

Gil Sharon - LGR-UC Head of Technology

Development of a Lentivirus-Based, Arrayed CRISPR Screening Platform for Functional Genomics

Arrayed functional genomics screening, where a single gene is perturbed (activated, inhibited, or knocked-out) in each well of a multi-well plate, can identify complex and subtle effects of gene perturbation in cells by high-content imaging, sequencing, and/or plate-reader-based assays. One way of running such screens is to deliver guides with lentivirus to cells that express the appropriate CRISPR machinery. To that end, we have designed and implemented a platform to generate the proper reagents, namely glycerol stocks, plasmids, and lentivirus, to deliver arrayed guides to iPSC-derived disease models. First, guide libraries are produced as glycerol stocks in E. coli. Subpanels are then picked from the library and inoculated for plasmid preparation, quantification, and normalization. Normalized plasmids are subsequently arrayed and used for lentivirus preparation. The functional titer of the produced lentivirus is measured using an image-based assay in transduced A549s. Finally, we perform the screen by transducing cells of interest with normalized lentivirus and perform CellPaint. The platform deployed at the Laboratory for Genomics Research aims to deliver guide RNAs to transformed cell lines and iPSCs by lentivirus for arrayed genome-wide CRISPR screens to enable target discovery in complex, iPSC-derived disease models.

Saundra Clausen - Senior System Specialist, Genentech

Advancing Research with Automated Cell Culture Systems: Essential components, Software Features, and Applications

The increasing demand for large-scale cell production to support high-throughput screening and maintain consistent long-term cultures for weekly cellular assays have driven significant advancements in automated cell culture technology. While early systems were designed to process suspension cell lines, the introduction of TAP Biosystems’ SelecT in the early 2000s marked a pivotal shift toward automated platforms capable of maintaining adherent cell lines. This fully automated platform successfully shifted the work of manually processing cell cultures to a fully automated task, ensuring consistent handling of both adherent and suspension cultures. Building on this legacy, Celltrio’s Robocell represents the next generation of automated systems, offering modular designs that include essential components for cell culture maintenance. Additionally, the Robocell platform introduces the flexibility to incorporate advanced processing modules, enabling individual research laboratories to tailor systems to their specific needs. This presentation explores the key system components and software features that enable these automated cell culture systems to meet the diverse and evolving needs of cell-based research.

Rick Wierenga - Creator of PyLabRobot, Automation @ Retro

Many wet-lab biology protocols can be executed by lab automation robots, which increase the reproducibility and throughput of experiments. However, these robots are often programmed with unwieldy proprietary interfaces that do not connect to each other and are daunting even for automation specialists. We will present PyLabRobot, an open-source, cross-platform framework that lets researchers program their liquid-handling robots and accessory equipment through an interactive and universal Python interface while also drastically expanding machine capabilities compared to proprietary OEM software. PyLabRobot enables protocols to be easily shared with the community and is freely available under an MIT license.

We will explain the internal workings of the system, as well as showcase its power and capabilities with real world examples. Drawing on the strong tradition of open-source software, we hope that PyLabRobot will accelerate biological discoveries by making laboratory automation accessible to researchers who are not robot specialists or expert programmers.

Advanced Instruments

Agilent

Analytic Jena

Askion

Automata

Azenta

Beckman

Biomed Recruitment 

Bionex

Biosero

Biotage

BMG

Celltrio

Cenevo 

Clickbio

Collaborative Drug

Computype

Corning

Curiox

DCM

Dexgen

Dynamic Devices

Formulatrix

GBO

Genedata

Gingko

Hamilton (Robotics and Lab Solutions)

Hamilton (Storage)

HighRes

IMCS

IRCO

Kuhner Shaker

Lab-Machines

LVL Technologies

Macherey-Nagel

Matrix Fluidcs

Meniscense Hudson

Millipore Sigma

Molecular Devices

Monomer

Revvity

Scientific Products

SPT Labtech

Tecan

Tekmatic

Thermo

Thomas Scientific

Louis Murray, President

louis.murray@lrig.org

Louis Murray has spent over 20 years in the Bay Area focused on Lab Automation across various roles, including; current North Americas Sales Manager with the Lab Automation group at Thermo Fisher Scientific responsible for all commercial activities.  Automation Engineer at Exelixis, beta tested the GeneMachines RevPrep, Field Application Manager at Velocity11 building and supporting robotic platforms around the globe and Product Manager at Agilent Technologies for the automation portfolio and launched the Encore MultiSpan Liquid Handler.  Louis joined the LRIG Bay Area chapter in 2021 and accepted the role of Executive Chair in 2023.  Louis holds a Master of Science from the University of Aberdeen.

Michael Biros, Treasurer

mike.biros@lrig.org

Mike has over 30 years marketing and sales experience working for companies developing emerging technologies that accelerate life science research. He was the first marketing hire at LJL BioSystems, which was acquired by Molecular Devices in 2000. At Molecular Devices, he led the Drug Discovery instrumentation-marketing group as Director of Marketing, introducing several major fluorescent imaging- and point-reading systems. He was a principal and co-founder of Kallidus Group, a marketing agency serving life science, diagnostic and technology companies.  He served as Vice President, Product Marketing at IntelliCyt and founded Cellerynt Group, a marketing agency focused on improving marketing automation for life science companies. He served as Executive Chair of LRIG, Bay Area Chapter from 2002 to 2023 before assuming the role of Treasurer. Mike holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology from U.C. San Diego, and an MBA from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. 

Maureen Beresini, Program Co-Chair and Scientific Advisor  

maureen.beresini@lrig.org 

Maureen Beresini has over 20 years of experience in small molecule drug discovery at Genentech.  She leads a group that develops and provides biochemical and cellular assays to promote the discovery of small molecule therapeutics.  In recent years, Maureen has focused on high-throughput screening.  In addition to the assays, she has contributed to the establishment of high-throughput automated systems and processes for conducting assays, analyzing data, and managing compounds.  Maureen began her industry career with Syva Company, developing assays for therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs.  She received her doctorate in Biological Chemistry from the University of California Davis and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Cancer Research Institute at University of California San Francisco.

Dave Wexler, Program Co-Chair 

dave.wexler@lrig.org

Dave Wexler is currently Senior Director, Process Development & Automation at Exact Sciences based in the San Francisco Bay Area where he is responsible for leading the Assay Development, Process Development, Systems Engineering and Process Validation teams to design, develop, implement, test and validate processes and instrumentation critical to enable complex molecular diagnostic testing in a clinical Reference Laboratory. He provides technology vision and strategy to enable histopathology and molecular laboratory operations to scale and increase efficiency Prior to Exact Sciences, over the course of 13 years, Dave served in leadership positions with increasing responsibility at CareDx. The most recent being Vice President, Automation Engineering where Dave led a multidisciplinary group of Automation Engineers, Software Engineers, RA/QA and laboratory operations personnel to implement laboratory technology to increase throughput 10x for a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) based diagnostic test.

Key accomplishment at CareDx: Dave directed the successful implementation and validation of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) equipment, LIMS and data analysis software required to launch AlloSure®, a novel diagnostic test using cell-free DNA as a biomarker in a CLIA Reference laboratory. Additionally, Dave held a previous role as Senior Director, Clinical Informatics and Automation Engineering for CareDx. In this position, and earlier positions at CareDx and AGY Therapeutics, Dave was instrumental in the design and validation of new laboratory space for clinical and high-throughput drug discovery operations. Key to the ongoing success of CareDx, Dave worked closely with the head of Laboratory Operations to research, develop and validate new processes for increasing throughput and efficiency for processing of patient samples.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from University of Denver, his Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles and performed post-doctoral research at University of California, Berkeley.

Amer El-Hage, Secretary

amer.hage@lrig.org

Amer is an independent consultant in product development and project management for the transfer from development of life-science and laboratory instruments to quality manufacturing.

From 1991 to 2000 he was the Director of Engineering Programs at LJL BioSystems, and following its acquisition at Molecular Devices until 2004. Prior to LJL, Amer held engineering, manufacturing and project management positions at Beckman Instruments and Varian Associates.

Amer technical expertise is in instrument design and automation, micro-fluidics, plastic molding, Opto-mechanical, consumables and BioMEMS applications. He is versed in product design, verification and validation processes, ISO quality Design Control systems, and FDA regulatory compliance and CE/CSA/UL agency certifications. He currently chairs the Society of Bimolecular Sciences (SBS) Microplate Standards Development.

Mr. El-Hage’s name as an inventor is on fourteen US and two international patents. Amer co-authored journal articles and made presentations at international Laboratory Automation conferences and at academic institutions. Amer received his M.Sc. in Engineering with distinction from UC Berkeley in 1980.

Maggie Nakamura, Board Member

Maggie.nakamura@lrig.org