SandboxAQ Releases New AI Model, Illumina Launches New Business, Thermo Fisher’s New Analyzer

By Bio-IT World Staff 

October 29, 2025 | SandboxAQ releases AQCat25-EV2, a new quantitative AI model trained on the AQCat25 dataset; Illumina launches BioInsight, a new business within Illumina developed to meet industry demand for deeper biologic insights; Thermo Fisher Scientific introduces the Applied Biosystems SwiftArrayStudio Microarray Analyzer; and more.

SandboxAQ released AQCat25-EV2, a new quantitative AI model trained on the AQCat25 dataset, representing an advancement in computational catalyst discovery. AQCat25-EV2 enables researchers to accelerate the discovery of catalysts for applications in energy, chemical production, agriculture, automotive, and consumer goods with speed and accuracy. AQCat25-EV2 accurately expands that range to all industrially relevant elements, enabling full coverage of the entire periodic table of elements. Press release. 

Illumina announced the launch of BioInsight, a new business within Illumina developed to meet industry demand for deeper biologic insights driven by the need of researchers and pharma companies to access and interpret ever larger-scale multiomic data. BioInsight will empower customers and partners with solutions to identify drug targets, understand biological pathways, discover novel disease mechanisms, and build the next wave of biological insights. Press release. 

Genomics launched Mystra, an AI-enabled human genetics platform designed to supercharge drug target discovery and validation. Mystra uses algorithms to provide users with critical insights into disease mechanisms supported by evidence from studies of genetic variation. The platform turns human genetics from a slow, fragmented process into a high-speed, integrated capability that informs drug discovery and development. Press release.

Flatiron Health released first-of-their-kind advances in LLM-extracted progression data, data quality frameworks, and harmonized multinational datasets transform cancer research capabilities. One of them is the Validation of Accuracy for LLM/ML-Extracted Information and Data Framework, which examines performance metrics, data usability, and the ability to replicate expected findings, with a key component being benchmarking performance against expert human abstraction. Another is the Trusted Research Environment, which enabled secure access to patient-level data at scale and harmonized data across the U.K., Germany, Japan, and other markets. Press release.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the Applied Biosystems SwiftArrayStudio Microarray Analyzer. In conjunction with two new arrays — the Applied Biosystems Axiom PharmacoPro Array and the Applied Biosystems Axiom PangenomePro Array — the analyzer combines four key genotyping processes into a single, integrated device, enabling researchers to cover the widest range of populations for Genome-Wide Association Studies and accelerate discoveries in pharmacogenomics. Press release.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has also entered a collaboration with OpenAI. This collaboration will help to improve the speed and success of drug development, enabling customers to get medicines to patients faster and more cost effectively. As part of this collaboration, Thermo Fisher is embedding OpenAI Application Programming Interfaces into critical areas of its business, ranging from product development, service delivery, customer engagement and operational efficiency. Press release.

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and Profluent Bio entered a strategic collaboration to design and optimize next-generation enzymes. The partnership brings together Profluent’s generative AI platform with IDT’s expertise in enzymology and genomics to explore new paths for developing novel enzyme variants. The collaboration also cements IDT’s recently established innovation nexus in the Bay Area. Press release. 

Benchling and Anthropic, the creator of Claude, are partnering to advance AI in biotech through the Claude for Life Sciences Ecosystem. The collaboration pairs Benchling's trusted data foundation and AI agents with Claude's advanced reasoning capabilities. Scientists can now ask Claude questions about their Benchling data to get clear, source-linked answers, summaries, and decision-ready reports in minutes. Press release. 

BioMed X announced the launch of XFem Labs, a new Women’s Health R&D Accelerator in Heidelberg, Germany. The purpose of this initiative, which is supported by the Gates Foundation, is to establish a world-class women’s health innovation hub that advances early-stage research into scalable solutions for women in need around the world, including low- and middle-income countries. Press release. 

Bio-Techne Corporation announced a significant enhancement to its agreement with Oxford Nanopore. The expanded agreement broadens Bio-Techne's ability to develop a portfolio of genetic products on Oxford Nanopore platforms and extends the collaboration through 2032. Building upon the successful launch of the AmplideX Nanopore Carrier Plus Kit in March 2025, the collaboration streamlines coordination on the development and commercialization of a broader portfolio of targeted enrichment sequencing kits for the screening and diagnosis of heritable genetic disorders. Press release. 

GeneDX announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Device Designation for its whole genome and exome tests associated with causes of life-threatening diseases or genetic disorders to aid in diagnosis of symptomatic patients. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation is reserved for technologies that have demonstrated the potential to provide more effective diagnosis or treatment for life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases. The designation provides GeneDx with an expedited pathway for FDA review, including prioritized feedback and closer collaboration with the agency, designed to accelerate the availability of safe and effective innovative diagnostic devices for patients in all 50 states. Press release. 

GeneDx also announced the Autism Partnership Program to expand access to its industry leading exome and genome testing, the only autism testing program committed to delivering answers to families in weeks. Jaguar Gene Therapy joins the program as the founding partner, initiating a genetic testing program for individuals clinically suspected of having SHANK3-related autism spectrum disorder and Phelan-McDermid syndrome. The Autism Partnership Program aims to unite healthcare providers, advocacy groups, biopharmaceutical companies and payers, as well as eliminate barriers to testing and deliver clinically actionable insights earlier in the diagnostic process. Press release. 

Lifespan Vision Ventures congratulates its portfolio company, Algen Biotechnologies, on the announcement of its multi-target research collaboration with AstraZeneca to advance AI-powered drug discovery in immunology. The partnership will combine Algen's functional genomics and machine learning platform with AstraZeneca's deep scientific expertise and global R&D capabilities. Together, the companies aim to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, accelerating the discovery of next-generation medicines. Press release. 

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and Opentrons announced a multi-year collaboration to integrate robotic liquid-handling capabilities into BD single-cell multiomics instruments, automating critical experimental steps to accelerate and scale disease research and drug development. The companies intend to integrate the BD Rhapsody System with the Opentrons Flex platform, as well as develop verified protocols, allowing scientists to perform hands-free workflows with their single-cell multiomics experiments. Press release. 

RheumaGen and SiVEC Biotechnologies announced a licensing and joint development agreement for a breakthrough class of gene-editing therapies designed to cure autoimmune diseases. The partnership will use SiVEC's BactPac drug delivery platform to streamline manufacturing and increase scalability of RheumaGen's new class of human leukocyte antigen gene-editing therapies for common autoimmune diseases. The partnership also establishes an in vivo program that will be co-developed by the companies. Press release. 

The START Center for Cancer Research (START), its preclinical division XenoSTART, and Minerva Imaging announced an expansion of their decade-long partnership to establish the industry's most comprehensive integrated platform for radiopharmaceutical drug development. This collaboration unites XenoSTART's repository of clinically annotated patient-derived xenograft models with Minerva Imaging's advanced molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy expertise, creating a single-source solution spanning discovery, translational research, and manufacturing. Press release. 

Genialis announced a collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to develop AI-powered tools that help doctors identify the most effective treatment options for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common and deadliest form of pancreatic cancer. The collaboration leverages the Genialis Supermodel, a foundation model built from one of the world’s largest and most diverse RNA-sequencing datasets to create predictive biomarker algorithms. These tools aim to help clinicians identify the most effective therapies for individual PDAC patients, optimize treatment selection, and accelerate access to novel drug strategies. Press release.