Precision at scale: How Universal Robots rewrites the rules of cell therapy

Multiply Labs' solution is a modular robotic cluster featuring multiple Universal Robot arms working in parallel, stacked floor-to-ceiling with collision avoidance, designed to faithfully replicate existing manual processes.

The efficacy of this robotic approach has been rigorously validated in peer-reviewed studies with leading institutions like UCSF and Stanford (links to these studies can be found at the end of the page). "Where we compared a traditional manual manufacturing process for these cell therapies to a robotic process doing the exact same process, we found a cost reduction of approximately 74%," says Jonathan Esensten, M.D, PhD. and Director of the Advanced Biotherapy Center at Sheba Medical Center (formerly physician-scientist at UCSF). He called the findings a “quantum leap” leap in terms of being able to manufacture these medicines at a lower cost, and in a smaller space.

By eliminating the need for human involvement and allowing instruments to be stacked, robots also overcome spatial constraints that limit manual operations. “In our estimates we are doing up to 100x more patient doses per square foot of cleanroom,” says Parietti.

A cornerstone of Multiply Labs' innovation is its ‘imitation learning’ technology. This approach ensures the robots don't dictate a new process but instead learn from expert human demonstrations. Multiply Labs asks the pharmaceutical companies they work with to videotape their scientists performing the tasks. This data is fed to the cobots, and the cobots learn to effectively replicate what scientists were doing in the lab. “Just more efficiently, more repeatably, 24/7, and in parallel,” says Parietti. “This method allows our cobots to self-learn 100 new tasks. It’s the key to scaling.”

Multiply Labs explicitly sought collaborative robots for their human-like performance. After evaluating various options, Universal Robots emerged as "the clear winner", says Nadia Kreciglowa, Head of Robotics Software at Multiply Labs. The intricate manipulations required for cell therapy demanded more than simple 3-axis SCARA robots, leading her team to UR's fully articulated 6-axis robotic arms. Multiply Labs further integrated these into an 8-degree-of-freedom system with rails for broader movement.

Multiply Labs' robotic clusters are already deployed in commercial partners' facilities. “The clusters deliver astonishing levels of efficiency, throughput, and repeatability,” says Parietti, describing the robots as having "superhuman performance". According to Dr. Esensten, Multiply Labs’ cluster "will really change the way we think about the manufacturing of these bespoke, custom cell and gene therapies for patients, ultimately improving patient access globally.”