Countdown to SLAS Europe: Instromeda Ltd

Instromeda Ltd. develops laboratory instrumentation for high-quality biophysical measurements with full automation, remote operation, and platform scalability. Designed for seamless integration into both human-operated and machine-driven lab environments, it redefines usability in surface plasmon resonance. Headquartered in Oxford, the company also operates out of Hamburg and San Francisco.

The team comprises engineers, product specialists, and makers committed to the development of self-driving laboratory systems. These instruments are designed to deliver high-quality data at the point of need – addressing the increasing demands of computational biology. Instromeda’s mission is to make complex biophysical analysis available to a broad spectrum of users, including scientists, robotics platforms, AI agents, software systems, and cloud-based services.

Technological Vision and Product Offering

Instromeda is focused on overcoming what it identifies as a key bottleneck in the current discovery workflow: the analytical instrument. While laboratory robotics and informatics systems have advanced considerably, many analytical devices remain constrained by outdated interfaces and manual processes. Instromeda aims to address this limitation by re-engineering the instrument itself, with innovation focused directly on the device layer.

To demonstrate its approach, the company selected classical surface plasmon resonance (SPR) – a technique that has proven difficult to automate – as the basis for its flagship system, the SPR neo. This new device will be officially launched at SLAS 2025.

The SPR neo is a single-needle, seven-channel instrument delivering gold-standard data quality. It is powered by a proprietary operating system, deviceOS, and has been built around three core principles: connectivity, accessibility, and scalability. The system is fully cloud-native and can be accessed through any standard web browser. It supports remote experimental design, monitoring, and data analysis, and is operable by both human users and robotic systems.

IIntegration capabilities are extensive, including RESTful APIs, Python control, and compatibility with communication platforms such as Slack. This programmability enables multiple devices to work in parallel or swarm larger projects, aligning with the increasingly distributed nature of modern laboratory operations.

Operationally, the device is designed to reduce manual and cognitive burden. It interprets assay goals, makes decisions during runtime, and requires up to 95% less human intervention compared to traditional SPR platforms. As a result, SPR assays can now be executed end-to-end by robotic systems, removing the need for dedicated SPR expertise.

In terms of cost, the SPR neo is priced at approximately one-third of comparable systems. Instromeda attributes this reduction to redesigns in both hardware architecture and manufacturing processes. The cost-efficiency, combined with autonomous operation and connectivity, is intended to broaden access to high-performance biophysical analysis early-stage biotechnology companies, academic institutions, and AI-driven discovery platforms.

Leadership Team

• Klaus Wiehler, Co-CEO (Operations): An experienced engineer and entrepreneur, Wiehler co-founded Sierra Sensors, a high-throughput SPR company acquired by Bruker Corporation in 2018. He has experience across product development, commercialisation, and full product lifecycle management, and holds a PhD in electronics and computer vision.
• Adam Miles, Co-CEO (Product): With a background in biomaterials and software engineering, Adam has held product leadership roles at companies including Exscientia, Nicoya, and Bruker. He was a founding engineer of Carterra while embedded in the Myszka lab at the University of Utah. He has been deeply involved in the development of several SPR-based instruments.
• Ben Lefroy, Director of Engineering: Designed and built medical devices ranging from inhalers to surgical robots for international companies. Now focuses on complex instrumentation and automation challenges.
• Jakub Pliszka, Senior Software Engineer: Responsible for Instromeda’s software architecture across embedded systems and cloud infrastructure, Pliszka is a full-stack engineer overseeing digital development across all layers

Renders of the SPR neo device will be displayed at SLAS Europe 2025, with an interactive model available at Instromeda’s exhibition stand. Instromeda will be exhibiting as part of the Innovation AveNEW at SLAS Europe 2025 and is actively seeking early adopters, pilot users, and collaborators aligned with its vision for self-driving laboratories.

Companies that use laboratory automation to develop new modalities such as PD(L)1xVEGF bispecific cell engagers, PROTACS, TCR/CAR-Ts, RNA editors and corresponding vectors, capped multitarget ADCs, and cell and gene therapies, as well as the relevant screening and cultivation/design tools, are invited to contribute to the focus topic ‘New modalities’ in the SLAS section of the next European Biotechnology Magazine. As a printing subsidy is required, please contact our marketing team (Oliver and Andreas) at marketing@biocom.de to find out more about the conditions for company portraits, interviews, product information or advertorials.