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The SLAS 2026 Sample Management Symposium will feature five sessions dedicated to current trends and new developments shaping sample management. Each session will feature presentations from experts at the forefront of sample management.

Symposium Pre-Reads | Curated by the SLAS Journals

To give you a sense of what the SLAS 2026 Sample Management Symposium has in store, editors from the SLAS Journals (SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology) curated a special collection of articles selected to complement the symposium’s scientific program. These pre-reads provide additional perspectives on the technologies, strategies and emerging practices shaping the field.

Whether you’re joining us to explore intelligent laboratory technologies, build stronger sample management ecosystems, modernize infrastructure and informatics, learn from approaches outside traditional sample management or strengthen operational resilience, we hope these articles provide useful context for the conversations ahead.

Read the Pre-Reads Collection

Just Announced! SLAS 2026 Sample Management Symposium Keynote Speaker

Session Topics

The Intelligent Lab: AI and Automation Driving Next-Generation Sample Management

Session Chair: Andrew Napper, PhD, Executive Director, Head of Automation and Analytical Technologies (BMS)

• AI/ML models and applications—smart ordering, dynamic inventory control, predictive compound QC
• AI applications within sample management
• Integration of automation and AI to shorten the research and regulatory cycle

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Building a Sample Management Ecosystem for Multiple Modalities

Session Chair: Brenda Li-Johnson, Director US Sample Management (GSK)

• Integration across modalities (SM, biotherapeutics, proteins, cell lines, oligos)
• Data capture, transfer, and harmonization across systems
• Strategies for managing and leveraging data to accelerate discovery

• Strategic Sample management for large molecule development: Lessons from Gilead’s research sample management experience

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Infrastructure and Informatics: The Modern Backbone of Discovery

Session Chair: James Craven, Chief Commercial Officer (Simplicis)

• Informatics architecture for small molecule and biologics programs
• Inventory management, ordering systems, and instrument interfaces
• Database design for scalability and interoperability
• IT when you don't have IT internally—small biotech, not just large pharma

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Lessons from Beyond Traditional Sample Management

Session Chair: Thomas Frech, MS

• Borrowing best practices from other sectors—redundancy, predictive maintenance, digital twins, supply chain optimization
• Translating continuous improvement and lean principles to R&D sample management
• GxP, diagnostics, development, forensics, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.

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Resilience by Design: Future Proofing Sample Management Operations

Session Chair: Gustavo de Oliveira, Biorepository Site Manager (Azenta Life Sciences)

• Building redundancies into critical systems
• Planning for failure and maintaining operational continuity
• Governance and audit strategies for data and process assurance
• Tackling operational challenges, contingency planning and risk mitigation
• Sample management planning during the new facilities design phase

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