Anthropic Launches Claude Science, Illumina's Spatial Insights Tool, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Google DeepMind AI Consortium
By Bio-IT World Staff
June 30, 2026 | Hartwig Medical Foundation and Ultima Genomics expand their strategic collaboration; Thermo Fisher launches its Invitrogen E-Gel Power Snap Lite Electrophoresis System; the Pistoia Alliance announces the next phase of its Identification of Medicinal Products Ontology; and more.
Anthropic launched Claude for Life Sciences last fall and today announces a significant expansion of these efforts: Claude Science, an AI workbench for scientists. Claude Science is an app that integrates the tools and packages that researchers most commonly use, produces auditable artifacts, and provides flexible access to computing resources. Users can ask Claude Science a question in plain language, and specialist agents query and synthesize across sources so you don’t have to navigate them individually. Claude Science uses the skills in NVIDIA’s BioNeMo Agent Toolkit (see below) to connect natively to the life sciences models and libraries in BioNeMo, including Evo 2, Boltz-2, and OpenFold3. Claude Science is available today in beta for Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise users, and will continue to refine the platform as we collect feedback from users. Press release
The Ellison Medical Institute (EMI) has entered an exclusive license with UniQuest, the commercialization company of The University of Queensland, to advance QED-203, a novel small molecule therapeutic designed to address significant unmet needs in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, toward first-in-human studies in early 2027. Under the agreement, EMI will lead the continued development of QED-203, applying its integrated capabilities across AI-enabled discovery, translational research, human-relevant preclinical models, and in-house clinical expertise to prepare the program for clinical evaluation. Press release.
NVIDIA announced NVIDIA BioNeMo Agent Toolkit, which provides domain-specific tools and skills for the agentic life sciences era. Press release. Two companies are leveraging NVIDIA BioNeMo Agent Toolkit to aid with their innovative developments. Tecan announced the integration of Agentic AI capabilities into its lab analytics platform Introspect. Early access to the enhanced Introspect platform is available, with applications focused on pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and clinical laboratory environments. Press release. SandboxAQ announced a new virtual screening solution that helps drug developers identify promising candidates faster and at lower cost for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The company’s GPCR Virtual Screening Solution is accelerated by NVIDIA BioNeMo Agent Toolkit and predicts whether a molecule binds a receptor and whether it is likely to activate the receptor or block its activation. Press release.
Charles River Laboratories International announced a collaboration with Lilly TuneLab, a collaborative AI/ML drug discovery platform created by Eli Lilly and Company. TuneLab was created to accelerate biotech innovation by enabling participating companies to access AI/ML drug discovery models trained on decades of Lilly's proprietary research data in exchange for data contributions that improve model performance through federated learning. Participating companies may use the TuneLab prediction models to more rapidly down-select candidate molecules. Through this collaboration, Charles River will provide nonclinical testing services to TuneLab companies. Press release.
Gandeeva Therapeutics and Zymeworks have partnered to visualize structures of antibody-antigen interfaces at high resolution. While cryo-EM is now used routinely to determine structures of antibody complexes formed with compact and well-folded antigens, mapping antibody epitope footprints on small and flexible antigens remains highly challenging. Gandeeva scientists have determined the structure of a small and flexible antigen (< 20 kDa) bound to the Fab fragment of an antibody developed at Zymeworks. The team was able to visualize the nine amino acids that form the antibody-binding epitope at 2.6 Å resolution. The rest of the antigen is highly flexible and was not resolved in the reconstruction. Press release.
Clean Cells acquired Stem Genomics, including its iCS-digital PSC technology platform. This purchase complements Clean Cells’ offerings as a GMP specialist for advanced cell therapies, enabling the company to provide clients with proprietary genomic stability testing designed specifically for the testing of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Press release.
EndoDNA launched Biomedical Reasoning and Adaptive Inference Network (BIOS), a patented, intelligent clinical decision-support platform for licensed healthcare practitioners. BIOS replaces the company's legacy interpretation engine, myDNALive, giving functional, integrative, regenerative, hormone-optimization, and longevity practitioners a continuous, longitudinal view of each patient's biology. Press release.
Medable announced its Digital Data Flow (DDF) Agent, which automatically transforms static clinical trial protocols into structured, machine-readable data that can be continuously used across the clinical development lifecycle. Traditionally, clinical trial protocols are static documents that require extensive manual interpretation and re-creation across many downstream systems. Medable’s DDF Agent converts protocol information into a CDISC USDM 4.0, standardized, structured JSON data format, which is foundational for automated and dynamic readiness and adaptivity throughout a clinical trial. Press release.
Nabsys announced a collaboration with Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) to utilize Nabsys' OhmX Platform. Under this collaboration, Nabsys is developing a specific EGM-based assay to be run using the OhmX Platform for the genomic analysis of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. LUMC and Nabsys will work to accelerate the evaluation and validation of the assay, leveraging well-characterized reference samples and LUMC's world-leading domain expertise. The aim of the assay is to provide D4Z4 repeat counting and resolution, haplotype discrimination, and related recombination events that include complex rearrangements, proximal deletions, and other edge cases, with the goal of addressing the limitations of current diagnostic methods. Press release.
QIAGEN announced new additions to its QIAcuity digital PCR (dPCR) ecosystem, with a focus on expanding gene expression capabilities, broadening assay content and enhancing workflow standardization to support the growing adoption of dPCR across life sciences and biopharma applications. The latest additions to the QIAcuity portfolio include new gene expression solutions for dPCR; expanded cell and gene therapy quality control portfolio; enhanced automated analysis and reporting with QIAcuity Software 3.5; and expanded laboratory automation through Hamilton integration. Press release.
LabGenius announced a multi-year research collaboration, option and licensing agreement with LG Chem. The collaboration aims to identify next-generation multispecific antibodies designed to overcome the key limitations of existing immunotherapies, including on-target, off-tumor toxicities. The companies aim to develop a novel, tumor-selective therapeutic targeting a solid tumor antigen expressed across multiple difficult-to-treat cancer types. Press release.
Hartwig Medical Foundation and Ultima Genomics expanded their strategic collaboration, marked by Hartwig's adoption of the new Ultima UG200, Ultima's second-generation sequencing system. The agreement builds on the organization's existing work with Ultima's technology and is designed to accelerate Hartwig's mission to make whole-genome sequencing more accessible, scalable, and clinically actionable for oncology patients. Press release.
Volta Labs announced the launch of the app for Twist Bioscience’s Fast Hybridization Kit on the Callisto Sample Prep System. Developed in collaboration with Twist Bioscience, the Fast Hyb App automates one of the most complex and hands-on steps in NGS sample preparation — hybridization-based target enrichment — a fully walk-away workflow on Callisto. By bringing Twist's Fast Hyb protocol onto Callisto's digital fluidics platform, labs can move from a traditional overnight hybridization to a same-day, sample-to-sequencer workflow without adding operational burden. Press release.
The Pistoia Alliance announced the next phase of its Identification of Medicinal Products Ontology. The data resource enables organizations to keep pace with tightening medicines data regulation, including the impending June 2026 deadline for manufacturers to submit standardized medicinal product data to the EMA’s Product Management System (PMS), whether via the PMS user interface or API integration. The new phase formalizes long-term stewardship of the IDMP Ontology (IDMP-O) to support consistent implementation of ISO IDMP standards that govern how medicinal product data is recorded and exchanged globally. Press release.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center joined a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer worldwide. The collaboration agreement with the Elimination Partnership in Cervical Cancer (EPICC) expands UT MD Anderson’s global oncology efforts, further strengthening its commitment to advancing cancer prevention and control in medically underserved regions. The EPICC program, led by the University of Sydney in collaboration with a consortium of local and global partners, is funded by the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation. The initiative works to improve sustainable health outcomes and equity and to support national cervical cancer elimination strategies around the world. The program provides a mix of technical, policy, and implementation support for vaccination, screening, and treatment in more than nine countries. Press release.
Illumina launched the StrataMap Spatial Solution, offering a breadth of coverage and resolution to redefine what researchers can detect with spatial transcriptomics. StrataMap Spatial, previously called the Illumina Spatial Solution, is an end-to-end sequencing-based research solution to uncover spatial insights. Spatial transcriptomics is already a critical tool in developmental biology, neuroscience, and oncology research. StrataMap Spatial expands researchers' ability to map tissue structure, reveal tissue function, track tumor progression, and identify novel drug targets for precision medicine. Press release.
The Wellcome Sanger Institute and Google DeepMind, with support from Google.org, have announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) consortium for genomics. Over five years, the consortium will focus on addressing data gaps through strategic data generation and building high-quality AI-ready genomic datasets. These datasets will power the next generation of AI models for biological discovery. The partnership aims to make biology more predictive by developing a framework that will support the generation of AI-ready biological datasets specifically designed to train advanced machine learning models. The collaboration also seeks to accelerate scientific discovery and unlock deeper biological and biomedical insights. Press release.
Owkin announced a multi-year collaboration with Sanofi to co-develop next-generation biopharma agents, to be backed by a five-year license for K Pro, Owkin's AI Scientist. During the five-year collaboration, Owkin will lead the end-to-end development of novel AI-driven biopharma agents purpose-built for Sanofi. These AI agents will work asintelligent assistants, autonomously performing complex tasks in drug research and development. They will be deployed through K Pro, with the aim of complementing and reinforcing Sanofi's existing agentic AI capabilities. Press release.
SOPHiA GENETICS announced that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) relating to the formation of a joint venture between the two institutions. The joint venture aims to build upon the strength of MSK innovation in clinical diagnostics and SOPHiA GENETICS's AI platform to potentially discover, develop, and deploy a new generation of precision oncology to patients around the world. Through previous license agreements involving MSK assays, such as MSK-IMPACT and MSK-ACCESS, SOPHiA GENETICS has brought MSK diagnostics innovation to hospitals, labs, and patients in 35 countries across the globe using its platform SOPHiA DDM. Press release.
CAS announced CAS Connections, a new integration framework that embeds the CAS Content Collection and CAS Newton, a recently launched agentic AI, directly into the R&D tools researchers already use. CAS Connections enhances digital platforms by infusing more than 150 years of CAS-curated scientific knowledge and the conversational intelligence of CAS Newton directly into the tools researchers already trust. Initial collaborations with Albert Invent, Sapio Sciences, Inductive Bio, Scilligence, and Wolfram Research bring CAS content and capabilities into their platforms to drive science forward. Press release.
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the launch of the Invitrogen E-Gel Power Snap Lite Electrophoresis System, a compact, all-in-one solution designed for routine nucleic acid verification workflows. The ready-to-use system brings gel electrophoresis and imaging together in a single platform, allowing researchers to verify nucleic acid samples without gel casting, buffer preparation, or separate imaging equipment. With a simple load, run, and analyze workflow, the Power Snap Lite system helps laboratories reduce hands-on time and improve consistency. Press release.
EverythingALS and Vision 2030 partnered with the Allen Institute to accelerate research into ALS disease progression and to identify new targets that could form the basis for novel medicines to treat the disease. This ALS-focused research will be supported by EverythingALS and Vision 2030’s $1 million initial investment in the newly launched Allen Institute’s Brain Health Accelerator. The Allen Institute has committed $200 million to the Brain Health Accelerator, a research initiative to study neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, EverythingALS and Vision 2030 are leading a fundraising campaign to provide further support for the Allen Institute’s ALS research targeting contributions from individuals, corporations, and other organizations. Press release.
Avivo Biomedical and Kemp Proteins are working together to pioneer Avivo’s universal blood technology platform. As part of the collaboration, Kemp Proteins will focus on optimizing critical upstream and downstream process workflows to help improve scalability, manufacturability, and development timelines for Avivo's enzyme technologies. The company will contribute expertise in recombinant protein expression, purification strategy, process development, and scalable bioprocessing. Press release.
AAX Biotech announced a new collaboration with the research group of Dr. Thuy Tran at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet. AAX Biotech will leverage its Seqitope platform and automation infrastructure to characterize novel anti- Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2) antibodies developed by the Tran group and elucidate the molecular features that differentiate them from established TROP2 binders. Press release.