Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory

The Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory, formerly known as the Liverpool Robotic Infection Research Laboratory, is the UK’s first high-containment robotic laboratory combining AI, robotics and organoid technology for infectious disease research.

Two white robotic arms in a laboratory setting use syringe-like tools to transfer pink liquid between a small vial and a larger bottle on an automated workstation.

The UK’s first high-security robotic AI laboratory of its kind, Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory combines artificial intelligence, robotics and human organoid technology to accelerate the discovery and development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for infectious diseases.

Formerly known as the Liverpool Robotic Infection Research Laboratory, the £20 million facility brings together advanced technology and LSTM’s expertise in infectious disease research to increase the scale, speed and precision of experimental research.

Developed through the LSTM-led Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON), the laboratory provides a secure Containment Level 3 environment where researchers and industry partners can use automated technology to study high-risk pathogens and explore new approaches to treatment.

Accelerating infectious disease research

Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory is designed to automate complex biological research at a scale that would be difficult to achieve using conventional laboratory methods.

By combining robotics, machine learning and AI with human organoid models, researchers can generate and analyse large amounts of data, test potential treatments more efficiently and improve our understanding of how infections and treatments affect human tissue.

This approach can help accelerate the development of new drugs and vaccines while supporting the move towards human-relevant alternatives to animal testing.

Containment Level 3 (CL3) facilities for research involving higher-risk infectious agents
automated liquid-handling systems for precise, high-throughput experimental workflows
integrated robotics, AI and machine learning for automated data capture, monitoring and analysis
human organoid platforms that model how human tissue responds to infection and potential treatments
high-throughput screening capabilities to evaluate large numbers of potential drugs, vaccines and diagnostics

“The Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory is the first High Containment Level 3 robotic lab in the UK. It is a world-leading facility designed to automate complex biological processes and accelerate the discovery of treatments for deadly infections. ”

Professor Giancarlo Biagini Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation

Driving the next generation of discovery

By generating high-quality, reproducible data, the laboratory accelerates the regulatory journey for new therapeutics, ensuring safer, more effective treatments reach the world faster.

Built on proven expertise

This facility builds on our pioneering research to develop infection organoid models. Expertise that was vital during the global response to COVID-19. It equips LSTM to tackle the next generation of global health challenges.

A hub for global innovation

As a central pillar of the Liverpool City Region’s Life Sciences Innovation Zone, the laboratory connects industry, academia, and the NHS, strengthening collaboration and the development and translation of life-saving innovations.