ICE and fire alliance for Cambridge UK-China techbio
SPT Labtech and Beijing-based drug discovery CRO – ICE Bioscience – have joined forces to develop a joint laboratory to drive innovation in intelligent drug screening and life sciences automation.
The UK company, based at Melbourn Science Park, is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of automated instrumentation and consumables for life science applications.
The 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 at the ICE Bioscience HQ in Beijing, where senior leaders from both organisations gathered for a signing ceremony and academic seminar.
In their speeches, they emphasised 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 organisations,” 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 the 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.”
Both partners said the joint laboratory venture marked the start 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.”
• Pictured at the unveiling ceremony for The joint automated laboratory between ICE Bioscience and SPT Labtech (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; Xiao Feng, General Manager of SPT Labtech China)