BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and Opentrons Labworks, Inc. have entered into a multi-year collaboration to accelerate advances in single-cell multiomics research by integrating robotic automation into critical laboratory workflows.

The partners aim to combine BD’s single-cell multiomics instrumentation with Opentrons’ flexible robotic liquid-handling platforms to automate essential experimental steps, thereby improving throughput, reproducibility, and scalability in disease research and drug development. BD’s Rhapsody™ System, for example, will be adapted to work with Opentrons’ Flex® robot, and the teams plan to develop verified protocols enabling hands-free workflows for cell capture and next-generation sequencing library preparation.

According to BD, this integrated solution will support million-cell studies and help scientists derive deeper biological insights more efficiently across fields such as oncology and immunology.

James Atwood, CEO of Opentrons, stated that the collaboration leverages BD’s domain experience and their own open-ecosystem automation to enable labs around the world to adopt cutting-edge single-cell sequencing at lower cost and with easier access.

Early access opportunities for interested laboratories are expected to be announced soon.