Transcriptic, Where Robots Run the Lab

Transcriptic, a Google Ventures funded robotics startup company is making research easier by pulling them out of wet labs. Researchers send raw materials and samples, where and the robots at Transcriptic take over and do all the tests.

Most jobs that researchers carryout are monotonous repetitive tasks like transferring liquids, conducting same tests on multiple samples, this deprives them of valuable time which they could otherwise use to review scientific literature, design and run new experiments or write research papers. Transcriptic, with its fully automated laboratory is aiming to do what robots did for manufacturing industry. The company receives samples from its customers to provide commonly carried out procedures such as genotyping, cell cloning, biobanking etc. The robotic arm and other automation at Transcriptic makes the process faster and more efficient. With extensive automation, each sample has a turnaround time no more than the time required for the cells to divide and grow which makes it possible for them to cater to larger number of customers.

Transcriptic, currently around a year old, already counts customers such as Stanford, Caltech, UC San Diego and University of Chicago. The company opens a whole new concept of industrializing research with automated workflow resembling assembly lines in factories. While startups such as ScienceExchange are seeking to outsource lab work, Trascriptic is going the other way and getting machines to do the same work.