A laboratory without people

At KIWI Biolab, one of the world's leading laboratories for the development of bioprocesses, a 48-bioreactor system integrated into a laboratory robot is used, enabling the parallel cultivation and automated monitoring of biological processes under controlled conditions.

It sounds a bit like science fiction: a laboratory that can plan, conduct, and evaluate its experiments largely independently. In which computers and artificial intelligence (AI) control robots work together with state-of-the-art analysis devices. And in which no human has to burn the night hours feeding cells and keeping experiments running. But exactly that has become a reality at the KIWI Biolab at TU Berlin. The developers of the fully automated high-tech laboratory will also make their know-how available in the new research center "The Simulated Human" (Si-M) of TU Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

"I've always been interested in how to bring new biological processes from the lab into practice as quickly as possible," says Prof. Dr. Peter Neubauer, who heads the Department of BioProcess Engineering at TU Berlin. The co-founder and director of the KIWI Biolab is a trained microbiologist. So he initially asked himself questions mainly regarding bacteria, yeasts, and fungi: How can such organisms be best kept in bioreactors? In a way that they not only reproduce and thrive well but also produce valuable substances, such as specific proteins for the pharmaceutical industry?

Finding an answer to this is anything but easy. Because these tiny manufacturers often react very strongly to their environment. In a laboratory experiment at the milliliter scale, they may behave perfectly. But that doesn't necessarily mean they will do the same in a bioreactor with several hundred cubic meters of content. Therefore, before industrial use, it is essential to determine under which conditions which organisms can best perform the desired task.

Automated work in the laboratory

Model calculations can provide clues. How quickly does an organism grow? How much substrate does it consume? Peter Neubauer and his team compile these and many other parameters into mathematical formulas. In the computer, different process variants can then be compared to see which one yields the best results.

"But we can also connect such mathematical models with robots and analysis devices," explains Peter Neubauer. In this way, work in the lab can be organized and automated digitally. One type of robot, for example, sucks a few milliliters of liquid from the bioreactor at specific times. One of its mobile colleagues then transports the sample to a measuring device that analyzes its properties. For this to work, the technical helpers must coordinate their work so that each does the right thing at the right moment. "For this, we need extensive computer programs," says Peter Neubauer.

Extremely interesting for the pharmaceutical industry

But the effort is worth it. The KIWI Biolab is now one of the world's leading laboratories for the development of bioprocesses. Through the use of mathematical models and artificial intelligence, even complex experiments can be carried out fully automatically. The AI decides, for example, when it makes sense to take a sample and then initiates the necessary steps. It ensures that the organisms in the bioreactor lack nothing, automatically maintaining temperature, pH, and other influencing factors in the optimal range. This way, it controls the process so that it delivers the maximum yield or a specific quality of the desired product. It even recognizes when an experiment is not going well, so it can be aborted, repeated, or modified.

"All of this is, for example, extremely interesting for the pharmaceutical industry," says Peter Neubauer. Is it worthwhile to move from the lab to application with a new product? Which of several possible candidates is the most promising? And what will the optimal process for production look like later? Such questions can be answered much faster and more efficiently in the KIWI Biolab than in a conventional laboratory.

Data marketplace for the biotechnology industry

No wonder, then, that Peter Neubauer and his team collaborate with many pharmaceutical manufacturers on various projects. "Developing a new drug costs an average of 2.5 billion US dollars and takes ten to fifteen years," the researcher says. Every superfluous experiment and every saved day benefits patients and companies alike.

From industry, a new challenge was also posed to the TU group. "So far, we've mainly dealt with processes involving microorganisms," explains Peter Neubauer. "But there is also great interest in similar procedures for cell cultures." His working group will focus on this in the future at the Si-M research center, where TU Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin cooperate.

Another focus will be the development of a data marketplace for the biotechnology industry: What information must be recorded during an experiment to ensure it can be reproduced? How should the data be presented and offered to others so that they can understand and utilize it? The team has gained extensive experience in such questions over the years.

"From my point of view, we are not a core group at Si-M," the scientist clarifies. Therefore, only a small part of his team will gradually move to the new research center. "But our expertise is interesting for many groups working there." Because robots and AI are likely to play an increasingly important role in other laboratories in the future. And to ensure that the technical research helpers do what they are supposed to, much work remains for Peter Neubauer and his team.

The Research Center "The Simulated Human" (Si-M)

On April 22, 2026, four years after groundbreaking, the doors of the five-story research building "The Simulated Human" will open. On the campus in Berlin-Wedding, medical professionals, natural scientists, and engineers from many disciplines of TU Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin will work closely together to develop new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for diseases. Bioanalytics, organoid technologies, and methods for cell measurement are intertwined with single-cell genetics, bioinformatics, automation, and medical technology, often combined with other fields and excellence clusters. Artificial mini-organs from human cells, fitting on a chip, are intended to replace animal testing; by stitching together interacting proteins, previously unknown processes in cells will become visible.

Architecturally, the Si-M building already reflects the integrated working atmosphere and the planned dialogue with the public: In the light-filled central atrium with a café and a round lecture hall, an impressive open staircase spirals upward. It leads to spacious laboratories equipped with advanced technology such as mass spectrometry, bioprinting, laser scanning microscopy, and others.

Further information:

The Department of Medical Biotechnology will also be represented at the new Berlin research center "The Simulated Human" with its organoid research. Read here about the research of Prof. Dr. Sina Bartfeld.