Arctoris acquires Eli Lilly ‘Life Science Studio’ laboratory

Lab automation platform has been relocated from San Diego to Arctoris’ HQ in Oxford

Acquisition doubles the size of Arctoris’ existing lab, creating one of the world’s largest robotic drug discovery platforms

Oxford, UK and Boston, USA. 12 September 2024 Arctoris (‘Arctoris’ or ‘the Company’), a leading contract research organisation (CRO) advancing drug discovery experimentation through its unique automated laboratory and data science platform, Ulysses™, today announced it has acquired the majority of Eli Lilly’s San Diego-based Lilly Life Sciences Studio’ laboratory (“Science Studio”).

The acquisition significantly expands Arctoris’ research facilities, enhancing productivity and increasing the capacity to conduct multiple experiments simultaneously. The enlarged lab is expected to further reduce R&D project timelines for Arctoris’ biotech clients while addressing reproducibility and data ambiguity issues often associated with traditional, human-led laboratory approaches.

About the acquisition 

Arctoris has acquired the Science Studio biology platform adding five new automated biochemistry modules, a new high-throughput screening module, and an additional automated BSL2 cell biology module to its existing setup. Furthermore, the Company has increased its compound storage capacity to 4 million compounds by automating compound storage, combining Hamilton Verso and Beckman Access station technologies and plate formatting capabilities using three Echo dispensers. The Science Studio chemistry platform has been acquired by SpiroChem.

About the Lilly Life Science Studio

The 11,500-square-foot Science Studio, which was operated by lab automation technology provider Strateos, was conceptualised and designed by Lilly as part of a $90 million investment in 2017 to expand Lilly’s research footprint in San Diego. The studio lab physically and virtually integrated different drug discovery processes into a fully automated platform, including design, synthesis, purification, analysis, sample management, and hypothesis testing.

Tom Fleming, CEO of Arctoris, commented: “This acquisition substantially increases our data generation capacity, unlocking bolder and more ambitious possibilities, while delivering even greater project speed and throughput. We strive to make our clients’ drug discovery ambitions a reality, and this expansion of our platform keeps Arctoris at the forefront of rapidly evolving drug discovery data demands.”