Modern life science labs operate across a patchwork of hardware and software systems that rarely speak the same language. In a recent joint webinar, Crystal McKinnon (HighRes) and Nari Kang (Benchling) walked attendees through their collaborative solution to this persistent challenge and demonstrated what seamless lab automation actually looks like in practice (Video 1).
Video 1. Joint webinar between Benchling and HighRes featuring a live demo of the integration that is bridging the automation gap in life science labs, enhancing efficiency and data integrity through seamless integration.
The Problem: Fragmented Lab Ecosystems
Most labs today manage a mix of instruments, data systems, and software platforms that require significant manual effort to coordinate. Data gets transcribed between systems, workflows are interrupted by handoffs, and the result is fragmented, error-prone processes that slow science down. Crystal framed the core challenge clearly: physical lab hardware and digital software ecosystems don't communicate efficiently, and that gap costs time and data integrity.
The Solution: Cellario OS™ Meets Benchling
HighRes' Cellario OS acts as an orchestration layer between hardware and data, handling direct device control, scheduling, workflow creation, and serving as an API hub for integration partners. Benchling brings a unified data model, open API, and automation layer that lets scientists design experiments, capture instrument data, and run end-to-end analysis within a single platform.
Together, the two systems form a continuous data pipeline: from experiment design through execution to analysis, with every step traceable and AI-ready.
Live Demo: End-to-End Integration in Action
The centerpiece of the webinar was a live demonstration of the full integration workflow, using an ELISA assay as the example (Video 1).
Nari showed how scientists design experiments directly in Benchling, capturing plate layouts, sample information, and assay parameters in a structured, reusable format. From there, experiment details are sent to HighRes via pre-configured protocols, triggering workflow initiation and execution on lab devices without any manual re-entry.
Crystal then walked through the Cellario OS side: real-time monitoring of order status, protocol execution, and device integration, with file attachments and run logs updating automatically as the protocol progresses. Once complete, measurement data is retrieved back into Benchling automatically, where pre-configured analysis functions or customizable processing steps handle the results.
A key point the team emphasized: workflows and analysis templates can be saved and reused, so scientists can automate routine assays and adapt data flows to their specific needs without starting from scratch each time.
What's Coming Next
Crystal and Nari outlined several enhancements already in development:
- More complex protocols: Support for multi-threaded workflows and advanced liquid transfers, with robust tracking throughout.
- Event-driven data handling: Real-time push and pull of files as steps complete, rather than waiting for full protocol runs to finish.
- Bi-directional agent communication: Allowing Benchling and HighRes systems to query and exchange information interactively, adapting to how different labs prefer to operate.
The Bigger Picture
The demand for this kind of integration is broad. Labs across discovery and production environments are looking to reduce manual steps, close data gaps, and move toward more autonomous, event-driven workflows, particularly at larger organizations where scale amplifies every inefficiency. The Benchling–HighRes partnership is directly addressing that need.
Interested in getting started? The pre-built Benchling and HighRes connector is available in beta now. Reach out to learn more or schedule a demo.
