Precision PCR with Dropworks
When biotech startup, Dropworks, needed to supercharge their groundbreaking technology, they turned to Cuttlesoft for custom middleware and real-time data management.
The Challenge
Dropworks, a biotech startup, faced significant hurdles in handling data and streamlining its workflows as it developed its cutting-edge digital PCR technology. To overcome these obstacles and scale their operations to meet growing global demand, they partnered with Cuttlesoft.
What we did
Cuttlesoft stepped in to transform Dropworks' software landscape by developing a custom middleware solution with Python. Cuttlesoft's middleware bridged the gap between Dropworks' hardware and user interface while safeguarding system integrity during PCR runs.
Deliverables
- Production-Ready Middleware: a Python-built middleware ensuring seamless interactivity and operational integrity
- Remote Logging System: enabled comprehensive monitoring and data logging for enhanced diagnostics and troubleshooting
- Data Subscriptions via WAMP: facilitating real-time data sharing and system updates
- User and Sample Data Management: secure authentication systems to manage user access and protect sensitive data
- Version Control and Auto-Updates: to keep the software up-to-date with the latest enhancements and security patches
- Bytecode Serialization and Error Recovery: advanced bytecode command serialization and UART packet validation for reliable data transmission and error handling
Services
Custom Software
Technologies
Python
Boosting Accuracy, Empowering Researchers
With FluxPCR™, Dropworks is changing the game in PCR technology. Their system makes the leap from qPCR to digital PCR, giving researchers a more precise and user-friendly way to measure DNA and RNA. This innovation is designed to streamline research workflows and reduce operational costs in the life sciences sector. The sophistication of FluxPCR™ necessitated a system just as advanced, capable of managing intricate data interactions and machine state.
This system required high-performance processing capabilities, efficient storage solutions, seamless human-machine interface (HMI) integration, comprehensive logging for accurate diagnostics, and meticulous version control. These elements are vital for maintaining consistency and reliability in production-level software, ensuring the technology meets and exceeds the rigorous demands of scientific research and development.
From Benchtop to Business: the Fast Track to Market
Dropworks' path from lab to market had many challenges, particularly the need for advanced software capable of managing the complex requirements of their new digital PCR processing technology. Recognizing this, Dropworks searched for a software development partner with the expertise to create a solution that could seamlessly connect their cutting-edge hardware with the demands of a production-level system.
Cuttlesoft proved the perfect fit, showcasing their Python and system integration skills to tackle this crucial task.
“They were able to provide us with an external team that complemented [what] we were developing.”
Through their partnership, Cuttlesoft significantly sped up Dropworks' journey from lab to market, turning a promising prototype into a fully functional product. The middleware, masterfully crafted by Cuttlesoft's Emily Morehouse, enabled FluxPCR™ to operate at its best, smoothly managing real-time data flows, error recovery, and data management.
This seamless integration and deep understanding paved the way for a partnership that fostered innovation and drove significant advancements in life sciences.
The integration of Cuttlesoft and Dropworks illustrates a key factor in their shared success — grasping the nuances of the client's work. Eric Beppler, R&D Manager at Dropworks, praised them, saying, "They [Cuttlesoft] spend the time to understand what we're doing, how we're doing it, why we're doing it, and then take the time to tell us how to do it better." This praise sheds light on more than just Cuttlesoft’s technical skills; it underscores their dedication to understanding their clients' core motivations and challenges.
What makes Cuttlesoft stand out is its knack for really getting under the hood of its clients' businesses. In a tough field like biotech, this deep understanding is crucial. By embedding itself with the Dropworks team, Cuttlesoft not only aligns with but enhances the project’s objectives, ensuring solutions are not only functional but also forward-thinking. This partnership approach fosters a more profound connection beyond typical client-contractor relationships, paving the way for innovation and efficiency.
Cuttlesoft spends the time to understand what we're doing, how we're doing it, why we're doing it, and then tell us how to do it better.
Ultimately, the path to superior, impactful work in specialized fields like life sciences is forged through relationships. Cuttlesoft exemplifies this, demonstrating that the best outcomes are achieved when collaboration is rooted in a deep understanding and mutual respect of each team’s vision and challenges.
In specialized fields like life sciences, exceptional results stem from strong and durable relationships. Cuttlesoft embodies this principle, showing time and again that the best outcomes arise from collaborations built on understanding and mutual respect for each team’s vision and challenges.
Pioneering Digital PCR with Precision Engineering
In their collaboration with Dropworks, Cuttlesoft crafted a custom middleware that was integral to optimizing the functionalities of the FluxPCR™ system. Their engineers harnessed Python to develop a framework capable of sophisticated data interaction and real-time state management.
This middleware enhanced system connectivity by integrating the Web Application Messaging Protocol (WAMP), enabling swift and reliable communication across the network. In essence, WAMP is a set of rules that helps different parts of a web application communicate efficiently and in real-time.
It also featured advanced remote logging for superior diagnostics and effective error recovery mechanisms, which are key to maintaining system integrity under rigorous operational demands.
Cuttlesoft also incorporated advanced functionalities such as bytecode command serialization and UART packet validation. UART enables hardware and microcontrollers to communicate with each other via serial ports, even over short distances like within the same machine or electronic device. This ensured rapid and accurate data exchange between the FluxPCR™ hardware and its software controllers.
The team also designed a comprehensive data management system with robust authentication measures, safeguarding sensitive information while facilitating high-throughput experimental workflows. This deep technical expertise and its successful application underscored Cuttlesoft’s role as a critical partner, transforming Dropworks' prototype into a commercially viable and technologically superior product.
"What I really like about Cuttlesoft is their focus on the customer's needs. Not only were they capable of providing technical services, but they truly understood what we were trying to do as a company."
Chris Perkins
CEO
Outcomes
The Dropworks-Cuttlesoft partnership yielded more than just technical solutions—it paved the way for Dropworks' acquisition by a life sciences industry leader. This milestone underscored not only the innovative potential of FluxPCR™ technology but also the enhanced scalability and operational excellence that Cuttlesoft's software solutions brought to the table.
By choosing a partner capable of elevating their technical capabilities, Dropworks achieved dual success:
- Streamlined operations for improved efficiency
- Increased attractiveness to industry leaders seeking innovation
The Dropworks-Cuttlesoft teamup shows just how much the right tech partner can move the needle for a startup, especially in a high-pressure industry like biotech. Cuttlesoft's involvement went beyond solving immediate challenges, significantly boosting Dropworks' market presence and credibility.
For startups navigating complex industries, the Dropworks story serves as a powerful example. Aligning with technically proficient and strategically minded partners like Cuttlesoft can be the key to unlocking new opportunities, attracting acquisition interest, and ultimately reshaping a company's trajectory in the marketplace. This partnership exemplifies how the right collaboration can catalyze operational improvements and significant strategic advances, serving as a blueprint for similar startups aiming for high-level industry success.