At the cutting edge of biomedical innovation, the 'ESPERANCE' project of 2025 brought together pioneers and visionaries to reimagine the future of drug discovery. Among the highlights of this year’s event was the thought-provoking session “Accelerating Drug Discovery: Robotic Screening on 3D Cultures for Rapid Feedback to Structure-Driven Design Before Animal Testing” featuring none other than Dr. Dimitris Kyriakou, a key scientific advisor to the VITALE project.

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Dr. Kyriakou’s live talk not only drew a full house of experts and innovators, but also resonated across sectors, underlining a bold shift in how we approach preclinical testing, automation, and ethical biomedical research. His presentation bridged the gap between conceptual promise and tangible progress proving that early integration of robotic platforms in 3D culture screening is not just a luxury, but a necessity.

From Vision to Validation: The Impact on VITALE

The ESPERANCE project and event attendance served as a timely stage to showcase how the proposed VITALE software project ecosystem is evolving into an essential tool for Life-Science laboratories. Thanks to insights from Dr. Kyriakou’s session, the VITALE development team has doubled down on integrating real-time feedback loops between experiment and design, specifically for organoid and tissue-on-chip platforms. ​By reinforcing the principles of automation, data transparency, and structure-guided experimentation, his intervention catalyzed two concrete outcomes:

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1. Enhanced Model Integration: Inspired by the discussions on robotic 3D screening, VITALE will now support more modular integration of robotic workflows for sample handling, imaging, and data interpretation critical for reducing experiment cycles and avoiding unnecessary in vivo studies.

2. Accelerated AI Alignment: Dr. Kyriakou’s emphasis on feedback-driven design motivated the immediate alignment of VITALE’s AI modules to accept dynamic inputs from robotic assays, thereby refining its predictive capabilities in structure activity relationships (SAR) at the preclinical stage.

A Turning Point for Ethical Innovation

Beyond the technical refinements, ESPERANCE 2025 marked a turning point in VITALE’s narrative as a force for responsible and ethical research. By showcasing alternatives to animal testing powered by automation and AI, the event validated VITALE’s mission to enable smarter, faster, and ethically sound experimentation, while keeping scientists in full control of their data and protocols. Dr. Kyriakou’s participation didn’t just elevate the event, it positioned VITALE as a front-runner in the digitalization of biomedical Research & Development.

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During the ESPERANCE 2025 exhibition, EFEVRE TECH successfully established impactful connections with leading academic scientists in the research ecosystem, laying the groundwork for scientific collaboration and validation of the VITALE platform:

• Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) – Roderick Beijersbergen & Anastassis Perrakis: Two strategic follow-ups were initiated with senior researchers from NKI. A meeting was arranged with Roderick Beijersbergen to explore potential applications of VITALE in high-throughput screening and automation workflows. In parallel, a separate discussion with Prof. Anastassis Perrakis opened the door to future pilot participation in VITALE’s AI tools for unbiased result interpretation. Both contacts expressed strong interest in integrating automated tools into oncology and molecular biology workflows.

• University of Patras – Yiannis Drosos, Medical School: Following a promising conversation during ESPERANCE, detailed email and Zoom meeting exchanges were conducted to define an automation platform for chemical screening. Prof. Drosos was briefed on multiple device integration options (e.g., Yokogawa CV8000, Araceli Endeavor), and a live Google Meet session outlined a tailored architecture that would interface with EFEVRE’s AMGEL device and the VITALE control software. Technical compatibility, data handling, and live-cell imaging integration were explored, aiming to transition this connection into a funded collaboration.

These academic partnerships not only demonstrate strong scientific interest in EFEVRE TECH’s platform but also validate the broader research relevance of VITALE in real-world laboratory environments. The discussions emphasized key features such as full automation control, AI-powered analysis, and protocol flexibility—highlighting VITALE’s alignment with current academic needs in experimental reproducibility and digital transformation of life science research.

Looking Ahead: From ESPERANCE to Execution