SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY & PHARMA
AUTOMATING GENE THERAPY & PHARMA DISCOVERY AT AUTOMATA
Sonia Jassi , Drug Discovery & Synthetic Biology Lead at Automata , explains how automation increases efficiency in gene therapy laboratories
WRITTEN BY : HELEN ADAMS
Too often , breakthroughs in healthcare are stamped as ‘ science fiction ’ – a step too far for humans – yet the results of such breakthroughs have recently pushed the planet to its eight billionth person . Healthcare technology has moved medical mountains that seemed insurmountable a decade ago : 3D-printed body parts , robotic surgery and , of course , the COVID-19 vaccine .
Looking ahead , then , where next ? At Automata , a London-based automation machinery manufacturing company , it ’ s lifesaving cell engineering .
Automata was founded with the aim of unlocking human potential with automation .
Through its collaboration with leading pathology labs , it has developed the most comprehensive lab automation platform in existence , helping labs to create new opportunities for life scientists .
“ With rare , genetic diseases like cancer , part of a patient ' s DNA is not giving the right instructions to produce the right protein . Scientists engineer that bit of DNA that ' s not working properly ,” explains Sonia Jassi , Drug Discovery and Synthetic Biology Lead at Automata . “ Once we have the right part of the DNA transferred into a cell , we grow the cells in gene therapy vectors and deliver them to the patient to express in the target cell .”
100 January 2023