ABL Texcell launches OpenChek automation across EMEA

ABL Texcell Diagnostics has launched OpenChek, a new line of configurable lab automation systems built on Opentrons Flex®, and will sell it across EMEA through a new channel partnership. The company is targeting hundreds of microbiology labs over the next two to three years as it tries to make NGS workflows cheaper, easier and more routine.

Why it matters: - OpenChek gives ABL Texcell Diagnostics a direct instrument strategy in molecular microbiology, not just a reagents business. - The platform is aimed at making automation and next-generation sequencing more accessible for clinical, hospital, reference and public-health labs. - ABL Texcell Diagnostics is positioning OpenChek as a bridge from routine molecular testing into NGS adoption. - The launch targets a market where sequencing is growing, but upstream lab work remains manual and labor-intensive.

What happened: - ABL Texcell Diagnostics announced the commercial launch of OpenChek on Oct. 5, 2026. - The launch covers EMEA and follows a Channel Partnership Agreement with Opentrons. - ABL Texcell Diagnostics will commercialize Opentrons Flex® systems across the region. - The initial commercial focus is clinical, hospital, reference and public-health microbiology laboratories. - OpenChek is a configurable laboratory automation range powered by the Opentrons Flex® platform.

The details: - OpenChek combines Opentrons’ open liquid-handling technology with ABL Texcell Diagnostics’ infectious-disease molecular diagnostics expertise. - The platform is designed to automate ABL’s UltraGene molecular detection workflows and DeepChek NGS workflows. - The system remains open to additional laboratory applications beyond ABL workflows. - Depending on configuration, expected commercial pricing ranges from about €50,000 to €90,000 per system. - The platform can automate PCR setup, reagent dispensing, sample preparation, NGS library preparation, purification, normalization, pooling and other repetitive liquid-handling steps. - Opentrons Flex® uses an open architecture that works with different reagents, consumables, labware and protocols. - OpenChek also integrates OpentronsAI, which lets users create, adapt and optimize automation scripts through a conversational interface. - ABL Texcell Diagnostics says the AI-assisted approach reduces the programming resources typically needed to deploy lab automation. - The company plans to pair instruments with applications, reagents, automation protocols, training and technical support.

Between the lines: - ABL Texcell Diagnostics is trying to use automation as a commercial on-ramp to sequencing, not as a standalone product. - Many microbiology labs already run molecular testing at scale, but have not adopted NGS because of workflow complexity, manual library prep, training needs and automation cost. - The open architecture is a contrast to conventional closed automation systems and may appeal to labs that want flexibility in reagents and protocols. - The instrument launch also creates a recurring-revenue opportunity around UltraGene and DeepChek reagents, consumables, software and services. - Industry estimates put the global NGS automation market at about USD 750 million in 2025, with double-digit annual growth expected over the next decade. - The broader European NGS market is estimated at more than USD 4 billion. - Upstream sequencing steps such as amplification, purification, library prep, normalization and pooling remain labor-intensive and well suited to robotics. - In infectious-disease labs, NGS is expanding into HIV drug-resistance genotyping, tuberculosis characterization, hepatitis sequencing, microbial genomics, microbiome analysis and pathogen surveillance.

What’s next: - ABL Texcell Diagnostics plans promotional and migration programs to help labs automate existing FTD/UltraGene workflows. - The company also plans to expand use of DeepChek applications and support gradual implementation of NGS-based infectious-disease testing. - Over the next two to three years, ABL Texcell Diagnostics wants to reach several hundred potential microbiology lab customers across Europe. - Target customers include university hospitals, public-health laboratories, private reference laboratories, molecular diagnostic laboratories and sequencing centers. - The commercial strategy will lean on ABL’s existing customer base, distributor network and labs already considering NGS for pathogen characterization, antimicrobial resistance, viral genotyping and epidemiological surveillance.

The bottom line: - OpenChek gives ABL Texcell Diagnostics a lower-cost, open-architecture route into lab automation and a clearer push into routine NGS adoption in microbiology.