Healthcare and Life Sciences
Designing the Lab of the Future for Transcripta Bio
Transcripta Bio
Objective
Transcripta Bio developed a digital twin solution with SoftServe and Automata using NVIDIA Omniverse™ to plan lab expansion. By simulating instrument placement and workflows before making changes, the team avoided costly errors, made better use of space, and tested different automation setups. Their work illustrates how digital twins can support smarter lab design, training, and future growth.
Customer
Transcripta Bio
Partner
Automata
SoftServe
Use Case
Simulation / Modelling / Design
Products
NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise
Key Takeaways
Mitigate Risk While Scaling Lab Infrastructure With Digital Twins
- By leveraging a digital twin solution developed by SoftServe and Automata with NVIDIA Omniverse, Transcripta Bio was able to virtually design and validate lab layouts before implementing physical changes. Previously, instrument placement had to be estimated, leaving room for costly mistakes when equipment didn't fit as expected or workflows weren't efficient. The cost of an integrated lab automation unit can range from ~$70k–$300k. With the digital twin, biotech companies can now simulate different layout scenarios, test how instruments interact in shared spaces, and potentially save over $100k in costly errors.
Train the Next Generation of Scientists in Simulated Labs
- Through outreach with the University of Miami, the digital twin made available via Omniverse over the cloud is being used to train graduate students and postdocs in state-of-the-art automation and lab equipment. By simulating labs and providing access to data outputs, academic institutions can give trainees hands-on experience in lab operations without physical risk or cost.
Accelerating Drug Discovery Using Transcriptomics
Transcripta Bio is on a mission to change drug discovery and patient lives with the use of AI, advanced laboratory automation techniques, and transcriptomics. The transcriptomics technology is like taking a snapshot of which genes are turned on or off at a given moment by measuring the RNA they produce. This insight helps scientists understand what a cell is doing, how it responds to changes, and its behavior in different conditions—especially in cells under healthy versus diseased conditions.
The company’s vision is to create effective drug candidates at scale, reducing the time required to develop lifesaving therapies, from years to months, accelerating the path to new treatments. This rapid acceleration isn't just about speed; it’s about making a tangible difference for patients facing both common and rare diseases, including those in underserved communities.
By aiming to map disease pathway signatures for all known diseases, Transcripta Bio is pioneering a scalable, equitable, and sustainable approach to drug discovery, empowering patients and families who previously had no access to disease-modifying therapies.
Challenges in Building a Futuristic Lab
To achieve their ambitious goals, Transcripta Bio faces the challenge of designing the “lab of the future”—a research environment that is flexible, scalable, and highly collaborative. They also needed to invest in large, complex automation equipment to create reliable, standardized, high quality, and high-throughput data to build and test their AI models.
Traditional laboratory design and workflow optimization are often slow, costly, and difficult to adapt as scientific needs evolve. Key hurdles include:
- Placing and validating complex automation and scientific equipment efficiently
- Optimizing lab layouts for safety, throughput, and resource utilization
- Simulating and visualizing process flows to identify bottlenecks
- Enabling real-time collaboration among multidisciplinary teams
These challenges are compounded by the need for rapid iteration and validation, ensuring that every design decision supports both scientific rigor and operational efficiency.
How Automata and SoftServe Built a Virtual Lab Solution
Transcripta Bio, in a collaborative effort with SoftServe and Automata, is addressing these challenges and transforming their research and lab operations by developing digital twins with OpenUSD, Automata LINQ, and NVIDIA Omniverse—a platform of APIs and SDKs for building applications for industrial digitalization and physical AI.
As part of Transcripta Bio’s broader lab automation strategy, the team engaged Automata to support the design of integrated laboratory automation workstations tailored to key stages of their lab workflow.
- 3D Digital Twin Creation: The integration of OpenUSD, Automata LINQ, and Omniverse technologies into the virtual lab solution enables the creation of physically accurate 3D models of Transcripta Bio’s laboratories, including equipment placement, HVAC and ventilation channels, and utility sockets. This digital twin approach allows for rapid prototyping and validation of lab layouts, ensuring optimal use of space and resources.
- Drag-And-Drop Equipment Placement: Researchers can easily experiment with different equipment configurations, measure distances, and assess weight and safety considerations, all within a virtual environment.
- Process Simulation: By integrating process simulation tools, such as Autodesk Flexsim and Automata LINQ, Transcripta Bio can model throughput, optimize material flows, and plan capacity. This allows them to identify bottlenecks, test “what-if” scenarios, and define the optimal layout and personnel involvement before making costly real-world changes. It also supports future-proofing by enabling simulation of process and layout updates when new equipment, automation, or personnel are introduced—accelerating planning cycles and reducing downtime.
- Collaborative Design: By bringing collaborative features into the digital twin solution, Transcripta facilitates real-time teamwork across disciplines, from scientists and engineers to business analysts and external vendors. This accelerates the feedback loop and ensures all stakeholders are aligned throughout the design process.
“The digital twin allowed us to plan our lab expansion with confidence. In the past, we would have had to imagine how instruments might fit into the space, leaving little margin for error. Now, we can simulate and test different configurations before making changes, which helps us avoid costly mistakes.”
Christopher Moxham
Founder and CEO of Transcripta Bio
Collaboration With NVIDIA’s Inception Program
Transcripta Bio and Automata’s collaboration with NVIDIA is a cornerstone of their lab modernization strategy. As proud participants in the NVIDIA Inception Program, Transcripta Bio and Automata are powered by access to cutting-edge technologies, expert guidance, and an expansive global network of builders.
By building digital twin solutions that integrate NVIDIA Omniverse technologies into their workflows, Transcripta Bio is setting a new standard for scientific research environments—one that is faster, smarter, and more collaborative. The result: accelerated discovery of novel therapeutics and improved patient outcomes.
Learn more about NVIDIA solutions for Biopharma.