A new automated solution for pharmaceutical microbiology QC
13/10/2025
At a glance
> LabLogic is proud to introduce EMMA, a new compliant solution for microbiology Quality Control developed by Microtechnix. It captures 100% of a Petri dish surface, including the sides and with the lid on to reduce the risk of contamination.
> By digitizing the entire QC workflow from barcode traceability to AI triage of positive vs. negative plates, EMMA streamlines processes and reduces manual workload.
> This new partnership with Microtechnix allows LabLogic to address broader requirements in pharmaceutical and radiopharmaceutical development.
Current challenges in existing microbiology QC
Microbiology Quality Control is an essential part of safety and compliance for pharmaceuticals produced under GMP conditions. From environmental monitoring to bioburden and sterility testing, work has traditionally relied on manual inspection and documentation of Petri dishes, which can be time-consuming, inconsistent, and prone to human error.
LabLogic has partnered with Microtechnix, developers of EMMA, a fully integrated solution designed to digitize and automate pharmaceutical microbiology QC workflows. EMMA uses a patent-pending optical system that captures 100% of a Petri dish surface, including side walls, with the lid on to reduce contamination risks. High-resolution images can then be reviewed by operators or analysed automatically with vision AI to identify positive and negative results and perform CFU counting.
Digial calibration and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance
By combining this optical system with integrated tools such as a barcode reader, reporting software and 21 CFR Part 11 compliant audit trails, EMMA provides data integrity and improved efficiency. The system is also compatible with all standard Petri dish sizes and media types.
EMMA is digitally calibrated prior to every run, ensuring consistency across sites and operators. Calibration parameters can be shared between systems worldwide, supporting reproducibility, repeatability and simplified validation. Together with vision AI analysis, EMMA provides laboratories with consistent and reliable QC results.
Available models
EMMA is redefining microbiological QC by reducing manual handling, strengthening data integrity, and enabling a digital transformation in GMP laboratories. Three variants are available, allowing sites to chose one that suits their type and scale of work. The original EMMA is a compact, standalone system for imaging and digitizing Petri dishes for automated analysis.
EMMA RL is a robotic solution for environmental monitoring workflows, processing up to 120 Petri dishes per hour (around 1,000 per day) with automated dish handling, sorting and analysis.
EMMA HT is a high-throughput platform combining two EMMA units with a robotic plate stacker, capable of analysing up to 240 dishes per hour (around 2,000 per day), built for large-scale QC demands.
Find out more
You can learn more about EMMA and how it is transforming pharmaceutical microbiology QC by clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly.