ABL Texcell Diagnostics launches OpenChek automation in EMEA

ABL Texcell Diagnostics has launched OpenChek, a configurable lab automation line built on Opentrons Flex and aimed at microbiology labs across EMEA. The company is targeting hundreds of European customers with systems priced around 50,000 € to 90,000 € as it pushes to make NGS workflows easier to automate and adopt.

Why it matters: - OpenChek gives ABL Texcell Diagnostics a hardware platform to sell alongside its molecular diagnostics assays, software and services. - The launch is aimed at helping microbiology labs automate complex NGS and PCR workflows that still rely heavily on manual steps. - The company is targeting clinical, hospital, public health and reference labs that want to add NGS without building a full automation stack from scratch.

What happened: - ABL Texcell Diagnostics announced the commercial launch of OpenChek on October 5, 2026. - OpenChek is a new configurable automation line for molecular microbiology built on Opentrons Flex®. - The launch follows a commercial channel partnership with Opentrons that gives ABL Texcell Diagnostics the right to sell Opentrons Flex® systems in EMEA. - The initial sales focus is on clinical microbiology, hospital, reference and public health laboratories.

The details: - OpenChek combines Opentrons’ open liquid-handling technology with ABL Texcell Diagnostics’ expertise in infectious disease molecular diagnostics, PCR and NGS genotyping. - The platform is designed to automate UltraGene molecular detection workflows and DeepChek NGS workflows. - The system remains open to other laboratory applications, reagents, consumables, labware and protocols. - ABL says commercial configurations will vary by volume, application and automation needs. - Expected 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, unlike closed automation systems. - The platform includes OpentronsAI, which lets users create, adapt and optimize automation scripts through a conversational interface. - ABL says that approach cuts the programming resources usually needed to deploy automation and helps labs update protocols as needs change.

Between the lines: - The launch is also a commercial strategy shift. ABL is moving beyond a reagent-led model and tying instrument placement to recurring revenue from reagents, consumables, software and services. - The pricing appears designed to sit below the cost barrier that has slowed automation adoption in many microbiology labs. - The open-platform approach may appeal to labs that do not want to be locked into a single vendor’s consumables or workflows. - The company is making an explicit bet that easier automation will speed up NGS adoption in routine infectious disease testing. - Market timing is favorable. Industry estimates put the global NGS automation market at about $750 million in 2025, with double-digit annual growth expected over the next decade. - The broader European NGS market is estimated at more than $4 billion.

What's next: - ABL plans promotional and migration programs for labs that already use FTD/UltraGene workflows and want to add or expand DeepChek applications. - Those programs may bundle instrumentation, applications, reagents, automation protocols, training and technical support. - The company expects to target several hundred European laboratories over the next two to three years. - ABL will focus on university hospitals, public health labs, private reference labs, molecular diagnostics labs and sequencing centers. - The sales effort will lean on ABL’s existing customer base and distributor network. - ABL also expects to reach labs already using infectious disease molecular tests and considering NGS for pathogen characterization, antimicrobial resistance, viral genotyping and epidemiological surveillance.

The bottom line: - OpenChek turns ABL Texcell Diagnostics into an automation vendor as well as a diagnostics company, with EMEA as the first commercial beachhead.