Danaher Plans AI Lab for Antibody Discovery in 2027

Danaher plans to establish its first AI-powered autonomous research lab at Abcam, aiming for full-scale operations in early 2027. The facility will combine AI, robotics and technology from several Danaher businesses to design, build and test custom antibodies and other molecular tools in a repeating “design-make-test-learn” process. Danaher says the approach could make affinity-reagent discovery up to eight times faster and eventually increase annual output nearly tenfold, while scientists retain key decision-making roles. The lab is part of a broader effort to embed AI and automation in laboratory instruments and workflows, and marks a move beyond supplying research tools toward conducting automated discovery itself.