SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transcriptic, a cloud-based research services provider, today announced the launch of Transcriptic Platform, a programmable system for defining and executing experimental protocols that have proven to create a 10-fold productivity advantage for researchers working on molecular and cell biology.
Transcriptic Platform reimagines life science lab work by combining precise, machine-readable protocol contracts and a remote on-demand infrastructure accessible via a newly released API (application programming interface). This approach allows users to maintain full experimental control while remotely executing the protocols using Transcriptic’s automated lab infrastructure, effectively eliminating the time-intensive manual labor component of laboratory research.
“By its very nature, life science research is a slow, expensive and labor-intensive endeavor. Transcriptic’s mission is to provide the infrastructure necessary to lower costs, improve reproducibility, and allow researchers to do the projects that right now they can only wish they could run,” said Max Hodak, Transcriptic’s CEO. “Scientists no longer have to purchase expensive equipment or be chained to the bench to run their experiments. Transcriptic frees up researchers to focus on the creative aspects of scientific discovery that drive important medical advances and make critical discoveries possible.”
Unlike traditional lab services offered by contract research organizations (CROs), Transcriptic Platform allows for direct control of the experimental protocol by the customer, enabling far more sophisticated and dynamic applications. Transcriptic’s Common Lab Environment (TCLE) uniquely combines proven hardware, innovative new software, and the human element.
Not only do users have access to a wide array of state-of-the-art lab equipment and the most advanced APIs for customizing experimentation protocols, but Transcriptic also offers unparalleled collaboration with a team of highly qualified Ph.D. scientists and engineers who provide valuable support at every step of the process. The platform is also scalable to meet the needs of numerous clients at one time. Researchers can run many projects in parallel and can remotely monitor progress and view quality control data via Transcriptic’s online interface.
In addition to the platform, Transcriptic also announced its Research Partnership Program, which allows customers with projects that produce a high volume of output to have the option of performing a low-cost test run to ensure reliable results, and then receive a deep discount on scaling up their validated protocol.
Research in labs at several higher education institutions – including Stanford, Harvard, Cal Tech, and UC Davis, among others – have used Transcriptic to streamline their research. The UC Davis Genome Center has used Transcriptic to outsource the creation and processing of samples for projects ranging from bio fuels to cancer therapies to specialty chemicals, ultimately eliminating a time-consuming procedural step.
“The building phase is a critical component to research, but can be extremely mundane, repetitive, and mindless,” said Justin Siegel, assistant professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Medicine at the UC Davis Genome Center. “Using Transcriptic has fundamentally changed the way we approach research, because we can rely on them to do that leg work, freeing up our students to spend more time on the creative aspects of research like design and building. These new APIs have simplified the process even more, which will ultimately help us produce even more efficient and reliable output.”
Transcriptic’s approach to lab work has resonated with investors, and the company has received $6 million in total funding from IA Ventures, Google Ventures, Data Collective, AME Cloud Ventures, Founders Fund, Naval Ravikant, Mark Cuban, among others.
“Some of the smartest people I know spend a majority of their time on mundane tasks like manually moving around small volumes of liquid, labeling samples, culturing cells, etc. This inefficient approach is a real speed bump to innovation,” said Blake Byers, general partner at Google Ventures. “Over the last decade, we’ve seen firsthand the unprecedented advances in computer engineering enabled by abstracted programming tools, which empower innovators to focus on their core product, rather than recreating all the commoditized guts. Transcriptic is ushering in a parallel revolution in biological research by building out an experimental toolset that mirrors the abstracted nature web development and computer engineering. We are excited to partner with Transcriptic and accelerate the pace of biological science development.”
About Transcriptic
Transcriptic is a revolutionary platform that enables life science research at lower cost, greater precision, and with more seamless collaboration than ever before. Transcriptic designs, builds and operates a state-of-the-art, on-demand research infrastructure as a service for researchers all over the world. Like the earlier "fabless semiconductor" revolution, Transcriptic enables a whole new class of "labless biotech" companies built around faster, more reliable, more repeatable processes with vastly lower capital costs than previously possible, freeing researchers to focus on the creative aspects of their science. Transcriptic’s team of highly qualified Ph.D. scientists and engineers provides valuable design input and debugs protocols. Investors in Transcriptic include IA Ventures, Google Ventures, Data Collective, AME Cloud Ventures, Founders Fund, Naval Ravikant, and Mark Cuban, among others.
