Cenevo, a lab software company formed from the merger of Titian Software and Labguru, , unveiled two new AI agents designed to streamline lab operations and reduce manual tasks. The announcement took place at SLAS 2026 in Boston. These agents – the AI Protocol Conversion agent and the AI Automation agent – represent a step towards what Cenevo terms “agentic AI,” where software proactively assists scientists rather than simply responding to commands.
The core challenge Cenevo aims to address is the friction inherent in translating institutional knowledge into actionable workflows. According to Cenevo CEO Keith Hale, “Our AI initiatives are designed to eliminate manual work at the two biggest friction points in laboratory operations: getting knowledge into the system and turning that knowledge into action.” The company’s approach focuses on automating processes at these critical junctures, freeing up scientists to concentrate on more complex and impactful work.
Converting Legacy Protocols into Digital Workflows
The AI Protocol Conversion agent tackles the issue of outdated or inaccessible documentation. Many labs still rely on paper-based protocols or static documents, which are time-consuming to update and prone to errors when manually transcribed into digital systems. This agent automatically transforms these legacy protocols into structured, reusable formats directly within Cenevo’s Labguru ELN/LIMS platform. The conversion process maps the content into native Labguru elements, such as defined steps and standardized forms, preserving the original intent of the protocol while eliminating the need for manual reformatting.
This capability is particularly valuable for lab managers focused on standardization and knowledge retention. By automating the conversion process, the agent can significantly reduce onboarding time for new personnel and improve consistency across teams. The agent preserves existing protocol logic, ensuring that the digital version accurately reflects the original procedure.
Automating Workflows Without Coding Expertise
The AI Automation agent addresses the second key pain point: turning structured knowledge into action. Traditionally, automating lab workflows required programming expertise, limiting automation efforts to those with specialized skills. Cenevo’s agent changes this by allowing scientists to describe the desired automation in plain language. The agent then automatically generates the underlying workflow logic and code, reducing implementation time and costs by an estimated 30–50%.
Crucially, the automation process isn’t fully autonomous. Cenevo has incorporated a “human-in-the-loop” approval system, ensuring that generated workflows are reviewed and validated before implementation. This approach maintains control and accountability while still leveraging the speed and efficiency of AI. The resulting workflows are event-driven, triggered by changes in experiment status, QC thresholds, or sample updates, and are fully visible and editable within the Labguru platform.
Compliance and Scalability
Cenevo emphasizes that both AI agents operate within the existing 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP compliance framework of the Labguru platform. This is a critical consideration for the company’s customer base, which includes over 950 organizations, including eight of the top ten pharmaceutical companies, and a total of over 45,000 scientist users. The platform’s built-in compliance features – including audit trails, digital signatures, and role-based access controls – ensure that automated workflows meet regulatory requirements.
Building on Existing AI Initiatives
The launch of these two agents follows the September 2025 introduction of Labguru Assistant, an in-platform AI companion designed to provide real-time support to lab personnel. Cenevo envisions these AI tools working in concert: the Protocol Conversion agent brings knowledge into the system, and the Automation agent transforms that knowledge into executable workflows. The company has indicated plans to develop additional AI agents in the future, further expanding its “agentic AI” capabilities.
A Broader Trend in Lab Digitization
Cenevo’s focus on AI and automation reflects a broader trend towards digitization in the life sciences industry. The company’s own survey of over 150 lab professionals revealed that while automation is currently the top priority for many labs, interest in AI is rapidly growing, with 45% of respondents expecting to implement AI solutions within the next 18 months. However, the survey also highlighted a significant gap in digitization levels, with only 15% of labs fully digitalized and 50% still relying on manual processes. This suggests a substantial opportunity for companies like Cenevo to help labs modernize their operations and accelerate scientific discovery.
Cenevo itself is a relatively new entity, formed in through the rebranding of Titian Software and Labguru, backed by investment from Battery Ventures. The combined company employs over 200 staff across locations in the UK, US, Israel, and Poland.
