Multiply Labs Inc., a startup that develops automation equipment for drugmakers, has raised $75 million in funding.
Prominent medical researcher Patrick Soon-Shiong led the deal. Multiply Labs stated in today’s funding announcement that the Series B raise also drew more than a half-dozen other backers. The group included AstraZeneca plc and Teradyne Inc., a robotics manufacturer.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing often involves a significant amount of manual work. Scientists load a set of materials into a machine, wait until it processes them and then load the output into a second machine. That process is then repeated multiple times over several weeks or months.
Multiply Labs develops so-called robotics clusters that can automate the workflow. A robotics cluster includes specialized enclosures that each contain a different piece of manufacturing equipment. Additionally, they can host hardware that monitors the production line for issues. The task of moving materials between the enclosures is handled by a set of robotic arms.
Multiply Labs sources its robotic arms from a fellow startup called Universal Robotics Inc. The systems are much lighter than the automation equipment typically used in warehouses, which makes them easier to replace in the event of a malfunction. Furthermore, the robots include tactile sensors that measure the pressure they apply to vials. That enables Multiply Labs to closely align its automation workflows with manufacturing requirements.
The company installs its robotic arms on a kind of rail system that moves them between material processing machines. Furthermore, there’s a built-in elevator that exends the robots’ vertical reach. Each machine has multiple joints that enable it to maneuver around the other systems moving about.
Multiply Labs’ robots can not only transfer materials between production systems but also perform some manufacturing tasks on their own. In particular, they can stir vials that contain medical ingredients and mix the contents of different containers. The process is managed by an artificial intelligence model that Multiply Labs trains on data from its pharmaceutical customers.
Drugmakers can only change a manufacturing step if they receive regulatory approval to do so. As a result, it was historically difficult to replace a manual production step with a robotic workflow. Multiply Labs says that its robotic clusters address the challenge by closely imitating the manner in which a drugmaker’s employees carry out a manufacturing task. That means there’s no need to secure a new regulatory approval because the workflow effectively remains the same.
Multiply Labs currently focuses on automating the production of cell and gene therapies, which are drugs that are personalized to each patient. The company says that its technology can boost manufacturing throughput by a factor of 100 while lowering the cost per dose by 74%. Multiply Labs will use its new funding to add support for more types of therapies and expand its production capacity.