Digitisation and data analytics critical to attain peak productivity

As most of the labs are now working at pre-COVID levels, what have been the learnings for Agilent and where do you see these learnings being applied in the analytical industry?

Agilent understands that the analytical labs and the entire industry is entering a new era of digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI); the labs of tomorrow will be different from the labs of today. With an evolving regulatory landscape and increasing amounts of data being generated, the role of digitisation and data analytics is critical to attain peak productivity. Agilent is positioned as a digital-first company with a technological approach that delivers seamless and efficient solutions, bringing about positive developments and empowering the laboratory space.

Recently, Agilent organised its first Future Lab Summit. Can you please tell us how the idea for the Summit was conceived?

The labs of the future is a unique concept on which we build the foundation of digital transformation. We wanted to create a platform for co-creating a future where technology, sustainability and innovation can help our customers gain a competitive advantage in this dynamic and ever-evolving space – and thus we launched the Future Lab Summit.

Can you please share more details with us about this summit—the theme, topics, the segment of customers who attended it?

The overarching themes of the event were digital transformation, innovation, sustainability, and all of this while staying compliant with the latest and upcoming regulatory trends. The event also had a dedicated segment for pharma/biopharma and the food sector whereby industry leaders and experts deliberated on holistic applications and solutions that can support end-to-end workflows in a regulated and compliant environment. These regulatory workshops also showcased solutions that can enable compliance with regulatory requirements.

The summit had participants from top pharma companies’ quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and Research and Development (R&D) divisions across Gujarat’s regional pharma hubs and included key technical sessions pertaining to the food and chemicals market. It attracted audiences from the top food and dairy companies, chemical industries and material manufacturers across Gujarat and Western India.

What key insights have you gathered from this edition of the “Lab of the Future” summit?

We were pleased to have customers with not only deep scientific knowledge, but also insights about regulatory updates. This resulted in the right exchange of knowledge and discussions. The pharma segment saw rounds of discussion on how Agilent is helping shape analytical method lifecycle management to ensure that methods developed in labs are ready for the future. The scientific audience showed a keen interest in Agilent’s data integrity and informatics solutions using the Agilent compliance engine, which helps in fulfilling audit procedures, thereby, helping achieve the laboratory’s productivity and regulatory goals.

There was a round of detailed discussion on the glaring issue of genotoxic impurities (GTI) and azido impurities contamination in drugs used in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes. Current trends and future predictions on this topic were reviewed. The audience was educated on Agilent’s leading solutions to help researchers address this problem today and in the future.

During the technical sessions at the Applied Markets Summit, we had discussions around polar pesticides analysis using Agilent Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) solutions. There was also considerable feedback from the audience on the chemical analysis workflows related to REACH/RoHS material testing. Elemental analysis using the latest Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) technology for food and chemical testing was also covered in depth. The session concluded with an engaging and interactive discussion on the importance of analytical sample preparation to address critical challenges with respect to food analysis.

How will the “Lab of the Future Summit” help the scientific community in pharma and applied markets organisations to improve innovation and productivity?

There are various initiatives and innovative products that Agilent has been introducing in key areas such as lab informatics, and chemistries and supplies, and will continue to develop, that will help our partners in achieving their business objectives. However, one thing that I would like to highlight is the launch of two new products during this summit that were from our Gas/Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/LC/MS) product lines. These instruments exhibit an amalgamation of the latest technologies including AI and Machine Learning (ML) with higher accuracy and sensitivity. The innovative design will help our customers streamline lab analytics and enhance lab productivity with minimal downtime.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation that advance the quality of life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers’ most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.32 billion in fiscal 2021 and employs 17,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, please subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.