The Applications of a Mixed Reality Laboratory

Andrea Sboner, MS, PhD, assistant professor of computational genomics in computational biomedicine and of pathology and laboratory medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the applications of a mixed reality laboratory.

The goal of a mixed reality laboratory is to further precision medicine efforts in the field, explains Sboner. It does so by adding virtual objects to the real-world analyses that are performed in the laboratory, which help provide additional insights on the processed samples.

The Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine uses laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to track such samples, workflows, and instruments. Such technology can help reduce the time it takes to get information that is processed in the laboratory to clinicians, explains Sboner. Although the system is still in early stages of development, it could have lasting applications on precision medicine efforts, concludes Sboner.