Danaher accelerates life science research with the launch of new AI autonomous laboratory drives
By combining AI, automation, and innovations from industry-leading technologies within the Danaher ecosystem, researchers can see an increase in the speed from discovery to breakthrough of up to 8 times.
Washington, October 7, 2026 / PRNewswire / -- Danaher Corporation (New York Stock Exchange ticker: DHR) announced today its plan to launch its first autonomous laboratory driven by AI, aimed at helping researchers develop custom antibodies and other molecular tools faster and more efficiently. The laboratory is expected to begin operating at scale in early 2027 and will integrate artificial intelligence, robotics, and technologies from several companies within Danaher's portfolio into a connected workflow. This is also the first step in Danaher's broader initiative to create intelligent instruments, integrated workflows, and autonomous laboratories to accelerate scientific research.
DanaH's first AI Driver Autonomous Laboratory aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Speed: The discovery speed of affinity reagents can be increased by up to 8 times, helping researchers to move from ideas to breakthroughs more quickly.
- Scale: As the laboratory expands, the annual reagent production capacity can be increased by up to 10 times, from dozens of types per year to hundreds of types.
- Quality: Every design in the laboratory is verified, tested, and the feedback is incorporated into the next round of improvements, without compromising scientific rigor.
- Sustainability: In the long run, this method is expected to complement traditional immunological methods used for detecting antibodies and other research tools.
Danahe's President and CEO, Julie Sawyer Montgomery, stated: "Autonomous labs reflect the unique progress that Danahe can offer. By leveraging our science, technology, and culture of continuous improvement, we can help to transform promising ideas into validated systems more quickly. This is an important step towards a future where AI, automation, and intelligent systems will greatly accelerate the entire process from discovery to impact."
The laboratory is located under Danaher's Abcam and utilizes AI to help create new affinity reagents, including antibodies. Each reagent is then constructed and tested, and the results of each test are fed back into the model to improve the design for the next iteration. The laboratory integrates industry-leading technologies and expertise from multiple operating companies within Danaher, including Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, Cytiva, Genedata, Integrated DNA Technologies, and Molecular Devices, into a connected workflow. Equipment orchestration and robotic automation are achieved through collaboration with Automata. This continuous "design-manufacture-test-learn" cycle can be executed in a much shorter time than currently required without compromising scientific rigor. This approach applies Danaher's long-standing discipline of test-and-verify continuous improvement, which has been used across various businesses, to the laboratory environment empowered by AI. This laboratory will serve as an early validation case to demonstrate how Danaher's intelligent instruments, AI ready data, and expert-level proxy systems can accelerate scientific discovery and medical progress.
DanaH Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer JC Gutierrez - Ramos stated: "This laboratory represents a new model of scientific discovery, where AI, automation, and human expertise work together in a continuous learning cycle. Speed will accelerate this cycle. Each result optimizes the design for the next time, so the faster each cycle, the faster the cumulative pace of discovery. The laboratory is designed to increase the progress from idea to validated reagent by up to 8 times and to increase the reagent production by up to 10 times, while scientists still remain responsible for making critical decisions. This allows them to focus their efforts on the most complex scientific challenges that require human insight."
This laboratory is also part of Danaher's broader project, which aims to create a series of intelligent instruments that are easier to integrate and control programmatically. These instruments generate data suitable for use with AI, and include expert-level proxy systems to simplify operations, improve data quality, and provide more in-depth insights. These intelligent devices can then be connected together to form integrated workflows that execute the "design-manufacture-test-learn" cycle and autonomous laboratories. This approach also supports a shift in research processes towards being more predictive and standardized; models can help to prioritize the most promising options before design and manufacturing, while robots support more consistent experimental operations.
This platform represents an important milestone in the company's ongoing investment in connected science on a global scale: these technologies are designed to help researchers move from scientific questions to verified answers at a faster pace, with greater consistency, and with more confidence.
Forward-looking Statements and Other Information
The statements in this press release that are not strictly historical facts include information regarding the company’s AI autonomous laboratories, the expected timeline for the platform, performance and capabilities, revenue, intelligent instruments, integrated workflows, and the development and deployment of autonomous laboratories, as well as the anticipated impact of these technologies on biomedical research and scientific discoveries. Additionally, any other events or developments that we believe may occur in the future are considered “forward-looking” statements in the context of U.S. federal securities laws. 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About Danaher
Danaher is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostic innovation, committed to harnessing the power of science and technology to improve human health. Through an interconnected ecosystem composed of industry-leading businesses, we collaborate with our customers to address some of the most complex scientific and clinical challenges, accelerating the transformation of scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for people. Leveraging Danaher's business systems, our advanced scientific technologies, and proven innovation capabilities, we help to achieve faster and more accurate diagnoses, as well as reduce the time, cost, and risk associated with discovering, developing, and delivering life-changing therapies. With continuous improvement and best-in-class operations, our approximately 60,000 employees worldwide are focused on creating lasting impacts, improving the quality of life globally, and building a healthier and more sustainable future. This is "innovating at the speed of life." For more information, please visit www.danaher.com.
* Automata received an investment from DHR in January 2026
