Bedford, MA, August 13, 2026 - Parallel Fluidics, a developer of microfluidic consumables for liquid handling lab automation, today announced a partnership with Formulatrix to enable automated lipid nanoparticle (LNP) screening on the Formulatrix FLO i8 PD. The collaboration gives formulation teams a faster, more scalable path through early LNP development by uniting microfluidic formulation and liquid handling in a single screening process.
Lipid nanoparticles have emerged as a foundational delivery technology for modern genetic medicines, helping carry nucleic acid payloads such as mRNA and gene editing components into cells. Their role in mRNA vaccines brought broad visibility to the category, and their importance has continued to grow as biopharma investment expands across vaccines, cell and gene therapy, and RNA-based therapeutics. As a result, LNP formulation has become a critical part of early development for teams working to translate genetic medicine platforms into real products.
In many labs, however, formulation still happens apart from reagent preparation, assay setup, and downstream analysis. That separation slows iteration, constrains throughput, and makes it harder to evaluate formulation space efficiently. It also points to a larger opportunity in lab automation: extending microfluidic processes into the systems already used to run the rest of screening and development work.
The LNP Screening Array is a microplate-format consumable that makes microfluidic LNP formulation compatible with liquid handling automation. For formulation teams, that creates a practical alternative to dedicated LNP instruments that are often slower, more sequential, and disconnected from the broader screening process. Instead of routing formulation through a separate device, teams can screen more formulations, conserve valuable lipid and RNA inputs, and move through early development work with fewer bottlenecks.
Used with the FLO i8 PD, the LNP Screening Array supports 100+ formulations per hour and enables screening that is 10x faster than dedicated LNP instruments. The FLO i8 PD’s positive displacement pipetting technology also adds another layer of value by giving teams direct control over formulation conditions, including parameters that influence particle properties. The result is a faster, more configurable way for exploring formulation space without giving up the operational advantages of liquid handling automation.
Testing under defined blank LNP conditions demonstrated consistent particle size and PDI performance using the LNP Screening Array on the FLO i8 PD. The results provide direct validation of microfluidic LNP formulation on the platform, pairing high-throughput liquid handling with characterized particle generation in the same automated workflow.
About the Partnership
This partnership expands what liquid handling automation can do for formulation teams. By combining microfluidics with the FLO i8 PD, Parallel Fluidics and Formulatrix are giving labs a more practical way to increase LNP screening throughput, reduce reliance on dedicated formulation hardware, and bring particle generation closer to the rest of the development process.
For technical data, collaboration inquiries, or media contact:
Additional technical data and partnership information are available upon request. Contact info@parallelfluidics.com for technical discussions, collaboration inquiries, or media requests.
About Parallel Fluidics
Parallel Fluidics develops microfluidic consumables for advanced liquid handling workflows. Its microplate-format devices integrate directly with standard lab automation systems, enabling controlled microfluidic processes without dedicated off-deck instrumentation. For LNP formulation teams, this supports faster screening, lower sample consumption, and reproducible particle generation on existing automation.
About Formulatrix
Formulatrix was established in 2002 to provide cutting-edge protein crystallization automation solutions. Over the years, the company has expanded its offerings to include intelligent liquid handlers, miniaturized TFF systems, plate delivery robotics, and cell culture automation. Formulatrix partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies—as well as top academic institutions worldwide—to deliver advanced software and robotic automation technologies that streamline research and accelerate discovery.