AutoDNA lab combines AI and robots to run molecular biology experiments

Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have demonstrated an AI-guided laboratory that operates more than 20 types of instrument and completes thousands of operations in a single project, Nature reported. Called AutoDNA, the facility uses robotic arms to move samples and performs tasks including DNA synthesis and sequencing with minimal human input. The researchers built the laboratory around AI rather than adding it to an existing system. Tests included detecting a cancer-linked mutation in a DNA sample and encoding a message in DNA. The demonstrations concern laboratory workflows; the mutation experiment involved a DNA sample.