ZEISS and EDGE Biotechnologies leverage AI to transform bioimaging in GoCo Health Innovation City, Göteborg, Sweden; reduces reliance on animal testing.

ZEISS and EDGE leverage AI to transform bioimaging in the biopharma industry

Integrated solutions:Seamless integration of EDGE-developed quantitative assays with scalable hardware and AI-driven analytics from ZEISS to redefine bioimaging in biopharma

Strategic focus:Enabling automation and enhancing decision-making through quantitative imaging, establishing an AI-native data foundation accelerating GenAI adoption

Customer impact:Standardized high-throughput screening workflows reducing reliance on animal testing and delivering decision-grade insights through quantitative, AI-accelerated data analysis to drive innovation in the biopharma R&D

Through their collaboration, ZEISS and EDGE Biotechnologies aim to pioneer advanced biopharma solutions and reshape the role of bioimaging from a “niche tool” to a “core quantitative decision-making engine” in the biopharma industry.

By combining the leadership of ZEISS in optical innovation with EDGE’s assays and AI analytics, the collaboration aspires to deliver end-to-end solutions to customers that simplify their workflows, enhance their research capabilities, and enable faster decisions – as well as complementing customers’ existing AI missions with novel data sets.

The collaboration aims to leverage the combined strength of the two companies to deliver an integrated solution that positions bioimaging as a strategic enabler in the industry. At the core of the collaboration is a shared focus on quantitative bioimaging. It offers customers the possibility to move beyond images to standardized, assay-driven insights. Using EDGE-developed assays and AI-driven analytics, high-quality microscopy data is transformed into quantitative descriptions that inform R&D decisions, reducing uncertainty and timelines.

Partnership in practice: Joint team meeting in front of GoCo Health Innovation City in Göteborg, Sweden. From left to right: Dr. Jens Wigenius, Business Development Manager for Pharma and Biotech at ZEISS Microscopy; Prof. Nikos Hatzakis, CSO of EDGE Biotechnologies and Group Leader at the Department of Chemistry of Copenhagen University; Ole Hjorth Krarup, CEO of EDGE Biotechnologies; and Dr. Marc Wawerla, Member of the Executive Board, Carl Zeiss AG and Head of ZEISS Industrial Quality & Research.

Addressing strategic challenges in biopharma

Biopharma is investing heavily in AI and digital infrastructure to accelerate the path from research to patients, enable more personalized medicine, and reduce reliance on animal testing. Yet the value of these ambitions is constrained by the biological data available. Much of today’s R&D still relies on endpoint assays and averaged readouts, which often cannot explain complex mechanisms such as delivery and efficacy. This creates a gap between the industry’s strategic goals and the need for scalable, high-quality single-cell and single-molecule data that capture these mechanisms. At the same time, teams need better decision support now – assays that reduce uncertainty, explain differences between candidates or formulations, and strengthen prioritization and go

no-go decisions within current workflows.

EDGE and ZEISS see a shared opportunity in generating high-content, time-resolved biological data linked directly to real biopharma questions. This includes establishing capabilities at biopharma sites, training personnel, and contributing to interpretation and decision-making. The assays both strengthen mechanistic understanding and provide data ready for GenAI, supporting better prediction and translation as well as increasing the long-term value of AI investments. In this way, better data can help biopharma move closer to its broader ambition: bringing more effective and personalized therapies to patients faster, with less trial-and-error and reduced dependence on animal testing.

A unified vision for biopharma innovation

By aligning their expertise, ZEISS and EDGE Biotechnologies aim to provide a unified value proposition that addresses the evolving operational and strategic needs of the biopharma industry.

This collaboration brings together advanced imaging systems (tailored to high-content, 3D, cellular analysis), seamless software integration embedding EDGE’s AI-driven analytics into ZEISS software environments, immersive user experiences through intuitive tools and interfaces that empower users to achieve deeper insights, end-to-end workflows tailored for biopharma from sample preparation to quantitative reporting, and onsite expertise and support, ensuring rapid deployment and operational continuity.

Furthermore, investments in ZEISS industrial life science workflow solutions are aligned with the 3D High-Content Analysis (HCA) roadmap, paving the way for automation and a transition into High-Throughput Screening (HTS) workflows in future.

A shared commitment to innovation

The prospect of such an alliance reflects a shared commitment to innovation, customer-centric solutions, and advancing the biopharma industry. By working together, ZEISS and EDGE Biotechnologies aspire to set a new standard for industrial-scale bioimaging as a strategic enabler in biopharma.

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ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets (September 30, 2025).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world’s leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare, and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company’s significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS’ technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 15 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With over 46,600 employees, ZEISS is active globally in around 50 countries with more than 60 sales and service locations, around 40 research and development facilities, and 30 production facilities worldwide (September 30, 2025). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

Further information atwww.zeiss.comZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is a leading manufacturer of multidimensional metrology solutions. These include coordinate measuring machines, optical and multisensor systems, microscopy systems for industrial quality assurance as well as metrology software for the automotive, aircraft, mechanical engineering, plastics and medical technology industries. Innovative technologies such as 3D X-ray metrology for quality inspection round off the portfolio. In addition, ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions offers a broad global spectrum of customer services with ZEISS Quality Excellence Centers close to its customers. The company is headquartered in Oberkochen. Production and development sites outside Germany are located in Minneapolis in the USA, Shanghai (China) and Bangalore (India). ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is part of the Industrial Quality & Research segment.

Founded in 2024 by Professor Nikos Hatzakis and Ole Hjorth Krarup, EDGE Biotechnologies is a Copenhagen-based biotech company focused on putting advanced bioimaging and quantitative biology to practical use for biopharma R&D. Following delivery of its first customer assays in 2025, EDGE is now focused on deepening its scientific and application capabilities while building the operational foundation required to scale together with ZEISS.

EDGE Biotechnologies is building on the pioneering work of Professor Nikos Hatzakis in single-molecule biophysics, advanced microscopy, and AI-accelerated quantitative image analysis to advance from seeing is believing to knowing is controlling.

At EDGE, this foundation is translated into AI-accelerated end-to-end quantitative image analysis assays that turn photons into decision-making for R&D. By integrating state-of-the-art microscopy with robust analytical frameworks, EDGE provides “one-click biology” – end-to-end workflows that will allow biopharma to move from imaging as a visualization tool to imaging as a quantitative, decision-enabling platform, accelerating the time from idea to product.

Through its collaboration with ZEISS, EDGE aims to strengthen its ability to go deeper scientifically, expand assay and operational capacity, and accelerate the broader adoption of advanced bioimaging as a workflow-relevant, decision-enabling capability in biopharma.

More information about EDGE BiotechnologiesLearn more

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