SPT Labtech and ICE Bioscience Launch Joint Automated Laboratory in China for Intelligent Drug Screening

Cambridge, UK, and Beijing, China, 29 October 2024 – SPT Labtech, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of automated instrumentation and consumables for life science applications, and ICE Bioscience, a Beijing-based leading drug discovery CRO, have announced the launch of a joint laboratory to drive innovation in intelligent drug screening and life sciences automation. This strategic partnership combines the strengths of both companies to drive progress in drug discovery and development, open new opportunities for growth in the field, and support global researchers.

At the core of this collaboration is SPT Labtech’s firefly^®, a versatile liquid handling platform that integrates non-contact positive displacement dispensing with flexible 96- and 384-well pipetting, all within a compact 0.4m² footprint. firefly's broad volume range (200 nL to 4 mL) and small benchtop design make it an ideal solution to enhance ICE Bioscience’s research and development offerings to the global drug discovery community, particularly in high-throughput screening (HTS) and assay development solutions.

The partnership was formally celebrated on October 15 at the ICE Bioscience headquarters in Beijing, where senior leaders from both organizations gathered for a signing ceremony and academic seminar. In their speeches, they emphasized the importance of this collaboration and their mutual commitment to driving innovation in biological sciences.

“This partnership lays the foundation for continued collaboration between our organizations,” said Morten Frost Norgreen, Chief Commercial Officer at SPT Labtech. “The joint laboratory represents a shared vision of growth and scientific excellence. Together, we aim to break new ground, allowing researchers to address unmet needs in human health through cutting-edge technological advancements.”

Li Yingji, General Manager of ICE Bioscience, echoed these sentiments: “In this close collaboration, firefly will allow us to develop new assay solutions, further enhancing our existing safety pharmacology platform and assay development capabilities. I am confident that this joint laboratory will achieve remarkable progress in drug screening automation and contribute significantly to the innovation and development of the pharmaceutical industry.”

This joint laboratory marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation between SPT Labtech and ICE Bioscience, combining their expertise to accelerate breakthroughs in drug discovery and deliver meaningful advancements for the pharmaceutical industry.

The joint automated laboratory between ICE Bioscience and SPT Labtech was unveiled at a ceremony in Beijing on October 15. (From left to right: Tiejun Bing, Senior Vice President of ICE Bioscience, Yingji Li, CEO of ICE Bioscience, Morten Frost Norgreen, Chief Commercial Officer at SPT Labtech, and Xiao Feng, General Manager of SPT Labtech China)

From left to right: Xiao Feng, Morten Frost Norgreen, Yingji Li, and Qiang Xia, Vice President of ICE Bioscience.