Experience SLAS Europe 2026 with SelectScience

Charlie Carter, Life Sciences Editor at SelectScience, takes you behind the scenes at SLAS Europe 2026 in Vienna, Austria, which showcased the power of lab automation in the modern life sciences lab.

"Echoing a point made by current SLAS President Melissa Crisp in her opening remarks, scientific progress is never the achievement of a single individual. The idea of the lone genius is largely a myth," shares Dr. Johanna Huchting, Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP). "Collaboration and connection are fundamental to advancing science. That is why I particularly value the opportunities SLAS creates to engage with the diverse talent across the scientific community, both at conferences like this and through its activities throughout the year."

State of the life sciences industry panel for 2026

The "State of the Industry" panel highlighted that while advances in AI, automation, and data generation are transforming drug discovery, their impact is constrained by challenges in data quality, integration, and accessibility. All speakers emphasized the need for high-quality, well-annotated, and interoperable datasets to enable predictive models and faster decision-making. “You have to have not just access to the data, but access to the metadata, the information that went into generating that data," stated Philip Gribbon, Head of Discovery Research at Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP). "Only then are you able to really fully understand what's going on.” He then highlighted the undeniable role of AI and automation in this analysis: "It is not just about achieving scale or reducing cost; it's about allowing for complexity in your analysis."

Collaboration across academia, industry, and technology partners was identified as essential, but hindered by governance, regulatory, and cultural barriers. “We still don’t know which datasets would actually be predictive of patient response," shared Tea Pemovska, CSO and Co-founder of Exalt FlexCo. "We need interdisciplinary teams to fully put the picture together.” The discussion also underscored gaps in data standards, reproducibility, and infrastructure sustainability, alongside the need for better orchestration of iterative workflows.

A key tension remains between accelerating discovery timelines and addressing increasingly complex, hard-to-target biology, with Samantha Peel, Senior Director at AstraZeneca, stating: “We have all been challenged to go faster, for medicines to reach patients faster but, at the same time, the biology is complex; it’s hard to unlock.” She went on to say that this is not just a challenge but an exciting opportunity: "We live in such an exciting time for science. The huge advances in technology, in automation, in innovative chemistries and modalities hold promise to potentially unlock some of these difficult targets." Overall, unlocking the full potential of emerging technologies will require coordinated efforts to improve data ecosystems, standardization, and cross-sector collaboration.

Insights from the SLAS insiders

Professor Willem Mulder on how nanomedicine immunotherapy can power targeted immune reprogramming:

At SLAS Europe 2026, Prof. Mulder delivered an inspiring keynote on nanomedicine-based immunotherapy, highlighting how bioengineered nanoparticles inspired by endogenous lipoproteins can reprogram immune responses and enable durable treatment of cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. He showcased how recombinant technologies and microfluidics support scalable, targeted delivery systems with strong safety profiles, while outlining automation and entrepreneurial strategies accelerating clinical translation. Prof. Mulder, Eindhoven University of Technology and Radboud University Medical Center, is a biomedical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur who has published more than 200 papers in leading journals and led major NIH and ERC-funded research, and he actively drives innovation through biotech ventures including Trained Therapeutix Discovery, Nanoworx, and BioTrip.

Women in science celebrated at SLAS

At this year's event, SLAS invited all who celebrate women’s contributions to science to network with like-minded attendees and members of the SLAS community.

"Events like SLAS Europe and the Women in Science Mixer are important because they create opportunities for meaningful connection," shares Dr. Madeline Farley, SLAS Scientific Director. "They provide a collaborative environment where women build professional networks, identify mentors and collaborators, and share experiences across the scientific community. Importantly, they also increase the visibility of women serving as scientific leaders, innovators, speakers, and decision-makers. Seeing these examples of success is incredibly powerful, particularly for scientists early in their careers."

Continuing its commitment to empowering women in science, SLAS has expanded its New Matter Podcast with a new Thrive in Science: Women’s Leadership Edition series. This monthly podcast celebrates and amplifies the voices of women in science, highlighting their leadership journeys and the impact they are making across the industry.

Congratulations to our Scientists' Choice Awards Winners

During SLAS Europe 2026, SelectScience announced the Life Sciences and General Lab Scientists’ Choice Award winners to recognize the most impactful technologies and content across both life sciences and general lab workflow, as voted for by scientists worldwide.

Simon Plate, Global Marketing Manager, Manual Liquid Handling, shares what receiving a Scientists’ Choice Award means to the Eppendorf team:

“Receiving a Scientists’ Choice Award is especially meaningful to us because it comes directly from the global lab community. It confirms that our focus on usability, ergonomics, and performance with the Research 3 neo truly resonates with scientists, and validates our commitment to systematically integrating user feedback into development. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted for us and uses our products to advance their research.”

See all 2026 Scientists’ Choice Award winners for Life Sciences & General Lab

Explore the full SLAS coverage on our comprehensive show page.