A Digital Vision for the Lab: In Conversation with Thermo Fisher Scientific
Featured in our digital edition we spoke to Dave Abramowitz, Senior Director at Thermo Fisher Scientific discusses how the company is supporting laboratories in the digital space and the challenges of digital transformation.
Could you tell us about your role at Thermo Fisher Scientific?
I work as a Senior Director at Thermo Fisher Scientific, leading the company’s product management efforts for digital collaboration and transformation projects. Additionally, I work across our team and in partnership with customers to deliver data interoperability across the enterprise.
Thermo Fisher is well known in the lab industry. How are you supporting labs in their digital transformation?
Thermo Fisher Scientific offers digitally connected solutions across the laboratory, including innovative laboratory instruments, reagents, consumables, clinical research services, bioproduction solutions, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Our Connect Platform, backed by an expansive portfolio of data and digital software capabilities, provides comprehensive solutions that transform the scientific experience and speed the delivery of lifesaving treatments. By offering digitally connected technologies, we enable scientists to reach insights faster and make more informed decisions.
What are the key challenges labs face when integrating digital technologies, particularly concerning cultural and process changes?
Labs may struggle to connect existing equipment due to using tools supplied by different vendors, which can limit data access and slow the research process. Additionally, training scientists to use new solutions can delay discovery and development. Labs should consider technologies that are vendor-agnostic and easy to learn for all skill levels, which can speed the path to lifesaving therapies and enable traceability from sample to data archival.
How does digital transformation benefit research labs?
Digitally transforming the lab allows scientists to focus on innovation, reduce R&D costs, streamline workflows, and alleviate data silos. For the pharmaceutical industry, this can speed up drug development and ensure companies can prioritise patient centricity. By automating processes and reducing administrative tasks, digitalisation accelerates scientific discoveries and makes science more accessible for researchers of all experience levels.
You can read the rest of this interview in Lab Horizons Issue 5 where Dave takes us through how Thermo Fisher navigates complex digital tools, and he gives advice on your own digital transformation.
