Clever Culture Systems Ltd (ASX: CC5) has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Novo Nordisk, securing a purchase order for two additional APAS® Independence instruments. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Clever Culture Systems (CCS) provides intelligent automation solutions to microbiology laboratories, having developed the Automated Plate Assessment System (APAS® Independence) which utilises artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the imaging, analysis, and interpretation of microbiology culture plates. This new order increases Novo Nordisk’s installed base of APAS® Independence instruments to three, following a successful 12-month evaluation of the technology.
The order also includes the development of an advanced integration solution for Novo Nordisk’s global Laboratory Information Management Solution (LIMS) with the APAS® technology. This custom interface is an important step designed to support the future expansion of APAS® technology across additional Novo Nordisk global manufacturing sites, enabling bi-directional communication for more intelligent sorting of environmental monitoring samples. The two new instruments will be installed at a single site in Denmark, where they will undergo formal global validation, a crucial step towards their routine laboratory use in supporting regulatory-required Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Brent Barnes, CCS CEO and Managing Director, highlighted the order as a further demonstration of the APAS® technology’s performance and validation of the company’s “Land and Expand” strategy targeting major global pharmaceutical manufacturers. Mr. Barnes noted that with eight global manufacturers now having APAS® Independence installed, this established customer base is expected to drive a “step-change” increase in sales from the 2027 financial year and beyond. The sales price for each of the two instruments aligns with previously disclosed targeted pricing, reflecting the progression of existing customers from evaluation and initial adoption towards broader deployment.
