Rob Harkness | Chief Technology Officer
Biosero

Rob Harkness, PhD, is the Chief Technology Officer at Biosero, a BICO company, where he previously served as Managing Director for the UK/EU business. Since joining Biosero in 2020, Rob has been actively involved in shaping the company’s technology roadmap and focused on advancing the capabilities of laboratory automation to facilitate scientific discoveries.

Prior to Biosero, Rob held key roles at leading automation companies like CyBio, Astech Projects, and Peak Analysis & Automation. Rob also serves as a director for the Standards in Laboratory Automation (SiLA) consortium, promoting open standards to enhance lab automation across the life sciences.

Rob earned his BSc in Computer-Aided Chemistry and his PhD in Biochemical Assay Automation Software from the University of Surrey, grounding his work in a deep understanding of both the computational and biochemical aspects of lab automation.

Appearances:

Day 1: 27th May @ 13:15

Automated assessment of toxicology in a regulated environment

Safety assessment of consumer products is crucial to product life cycle and development, governed by OECD guidelines and performed under stringent GLP conditions. Traditionally, validated methods and protocols are performed manually, which is challenging during high demand. Automation offers more flexible product assessment while ensuring compliance and data quality.

We introduce the first automation platform for cytotoxicity assays, fully validated and interfaced with internal data management systems. The prototype's modular design allows for easy expansion, including additional assessments and upstream sample processing. This marks a crucial step towards fully automating and digitalizing product assessment in a highly regulated environment.

Cornelia Steinhauer, Lead, Lab Automation & Processes, PMI Life Sciences