Collaboration validates integrated RNA, protein, and morphology workflows and expands access to next generation optical pooled screening on the AVITI24™
VIENNA, Austria, March 16, 2026 — Myllia Biotechnology today announced the successful generation of high-quality optical pooled screening (OPS) data on the AVITI24™ 5D multiomic system in collaboration with Element Biosciences, marking a significant milestone in expanding multimodal perturbation screening capabilities for drug discovery.
The collaboration demonstrated robust integration of RNA, protein, and high-content morphological data using Element’s AVITI24 platform and Teton™ multiomic workflows. The results validate the ability to capture genotype-to-phenotype relationships at scale.
OPS enables researchers to link CRISPR-based, genetic perturbations directly to rich cellular phenotypes, moving beyond gene expression alone to understand functional consequences in complex biological models.
“Drug discovery is moving toward data-rich, multimodal biology,” said Edwin Hauw, senior vice president of marketing and product at Element Biosciences. “When you can measure RNA, protein, and cellular morphology from the same perturbed cells, you start generating the kind of integrated datasets needed to train the next generation of AI-driven discovery models. Myllia Biotechnology’s validation of the platform is an exciting early example of how AVITI24 and Teton workflows can enable that future.”
Through this collaboration, Myllia Biotechnology successfully deployed OPS workflows to generate high-resolution perturbation datasets, demonstrating reproducibility, scalability, and compatibility with advanced CRISPR screening designs.
“We’re extremely excited about the potential of optical pooled screens,” said Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, CSO of Myllia Biotechnology. “Until now, we have offered CRISPR perturbation screens combined with single-cell transcriptomics. By adding imaging as a readout, we will be able to support entirely new areas of biology. The strong initial performance of the AVITI24 platform gives us confidence that we can now begin delivering optical pooled screening data to our customers.”
A detailed data spotlight highlighting experimental design, performance metrics, and representative biological insights will be released in the coming weeks. A select dataset will also be made available to the research community to showcase the power of integrated RNA–protein–morphology screening.
The successful completion of this project positions Myllia to offer OPS-based multimodal screening services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners seeking:
· High-content functional genomics screening
· Integrated RNA–protein–morphology datasets
· CRISPR and perturbation mapping in disease-relevant models
· AI-ready, multimodal biological datasets
As drug discovery increasingly relies on large-scale functional datasets to train predictive models, multimodal perturbation screening represents a critical advancement beyond single-layer genomic readouts. Importantly, integrating multiple cellular modalities within a single streamlined workflow reduces experimental complexity and accelerates time to insight compared to running separate assays at a lower cost.
Following the success of this project, Myllia Biotechnology plans to expand its applications in collaboration with Element’s AVITI24 system to support a growing portfolio of therapeutic discovery programs across oncology, immunology, and other complex disease areas such as metabolic disease.
About Myllia
Myllia Biotechnology is redefining functional genomics by combining CRISPR-based perturbations with single-cell resolution and advanced computational modeling. Our platform integrates high-content CRISPR screens with single-cell RNA sequencing in primary human cells to deliver physiologically relevant insights. By generating large-scale, custom perturbation datasets, we power AI-driven foundation models of virtual cells that can infer cause-effect relationships, unlock mechanistic understanding and accelerate unbiased target discovery. This end-to-end approach enables genetically validated, high-value targets for early-stage drug development across diverse therapeutic areas and AI-ready data generation on a level previously impossible.
Media Contacts
Myllia Biotechnology GmbH
Dr. Henrik Schmidt
VP Commercial Europe and APAC
Email: h.schmidt@myllia.com
Phone: +43 1 9346880 200
