Dotmatics

Dotmatics Hosts a Hugely Successful 2020 User Symposium

In October 2020, Dotmatics hosted a highly successful virtual User Symposium with 245 attendees from 24 countries, featuring live and on-demand sessions where Dotmatics scientists and industry experts from organizations like Debiopharm and Charles River Laboratories shared updates on development roadmaps, user experiences with software tools in areas such as Biologics and Small Molecule Discovery, and practical implementations like streamlined sample shipping workflows and global ELN rollouts, all aimed at fostering customer connection, knowledge exchange, and insight into upcoming product enhancements.

In October, Dotmatics hosted a successful User Symposium, providing customers with an opportunity to connect and share their experiences. The event was held virtually, attracting 245 attendees from 24 countries. Live sessions were recorded and made available on-demand until November 12th.

During the Symposium, Dotmatics scientists presented updates on development roadmaps across strategic areas, including Biologics Discovery, Small Molecule Discovery, Chemicals & Materials Innovation, and Lab Data Automation. Experts from organizations such as Debiopharm, Charles River Laboratories, Casma Therapeutics, Apollo Therapeutics, Firmenich S.A., and LabVoice shared their experiences using Dotmatics software to streamline scientific projects.

The annual User Symposium is a highlight of Dotmatics' events calendar, offering a platform for customers to exchange experiences in a supportive environment. Attendees shared positive feedback, noting the value of learning about upcoming products, hearing implementation stories from other users, and staying updated on Dotmatics developments.

The event opened with remarks from Dotmatics CEO Steve Gallagher. In addition to the live stream, educational sessions covered topics such as tips and tricks, new biologics tools, AI implementation, parallel chemistry workflows, and enhancements to Screening Ultra, BioBright, and Virtru. These sessions were also available on-demand.

Speakers from the scientific community highlighted their experiences with Dotmatics:

  • Jean Richardson, IT Scientist – Debiopharm: Discussed the complexities of sample shipping and management with CRO partners. Debiopharm implemented a streamlined shipping request workflow, allowing scientists to focus on scientific work rather than logistics.

  • Riannon Hambleton, Associate Director, Business Technology Partnership – Charles River Laboratories: Shared the experience of implementing an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) across global sites. The rollout emphasized cloud and SaaS capabilities, manageable project scope, early value delivery, and video-based training, receiving positive feedback from scientists.

  • Jarrod Medeiros, Director, Informatics and IT – Casma Therapeutics: Described deploying an ELN for biologists during the pandemic lockdown. Casma prioritized projects based on business needs, including bringing compound management in-house and integrating BioBright with Dotmatics systems for high content screening workflows.

  • Charlotte Lane, Project and Operations Director – Apollo Therapeutics: Shared three years of experience using Dotmatics. Apollo Therapeutics, a collaboration between academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies, manages a portfolio of 22 projects and works with over 15 CROs, emphasizing data security and integrity.

  • Marco Pacchiani, Vice President, Innovation Process & Knowledge Management – Firmenich S.A.: Outlined the Dotmatics implementation for knowledge generation within Firmenich's corporate research, replacing an outdated legacy system. Senior Scientist Céline Amoreira provided project details.

  • Dan DeAlmeida, Director of Product Management – LabVoice: Demonstrated integration between Dotmatics ELN and LabVoice's scientific vocabularies and voice transcription, enabling hands-free R&D data capture and improving workflow efficiency and data integrity.

The event concluded with informal networking in a virtual lobby and a "Technical Tent" hosted by Spatialchat, allowing attendees to join group discussions. While not the same as an in-person conference, the virtual format was well received.

Dotmatics expressed gratitude for the enthusiastic participation of attendees and speakers, which contributed to the event's success. Plans are already underway for next year's symposium, with hopes for a combined in-person and streamed event.