R&D in the Age of AI: Turning Complex Biology into Actionable Data
AI is set to transform biotech R&D, but only if we solve one critical challenge: creating large, structured, high-quality datasets. In our recent webinar R&D in the Age of AI, we explored what it takes to get there, why it’s so difficult in biology, and how companies can prepare now to capture AI-driven value.
Why Biology Needs a Data Transformation
Unlike structural biology, most biology is messy, unstructured, and full of tacit knowledge. Experiments often rely on human assessment, making data subjective and hard to reproduce. Benchling estimates 40% of lab data sources are “dark”, i.e. disconnected and missing vital metadata, which means much of today’s R&D output is unusable for AI models.
A Software-First, Automation Focused Future
To fix this, labs must move toward:
- Software-first tools that can evolve over time and integrate across workflows.
- Automation that removes humans from the loop in data capture, improving accuracy and repeatability.
- Expandable data models that retain rich context and make data usable for AI analysis.
Ease of use is also critical. Tools that scientists find difficult to operate simply won’t reach the utilization rate needed to have an effect.
Case Study: Microbial Preservation at Scale
Preservative R&D in FMCG companies faces a bottleneck in challenge testing, where manual workflows around inoculation, plating, and counting limit throughput and data quality.
One solution: downscaling from petri dishes to droplet CFU assays, paired with AI image analysis. This approach can deliver 64x more data points from the same surface area, reduce time to results, and feed richer datasets back into predictive models — enabling faster, more cost-effective formulation development.
The Bottom Line
AI will reward organizations that can structure and scale their data. By combining smart optimization, targeted automation, and continuous feedback into predictive models, R&D teams can not only keep pace with the AI shift they can lead it.
📺 Watch the full webinar to see practical examples and strategies.
