analytica 2018, held in Munich, Germany from April 10­–13, is Europe’s largest exhibit for analytical and life science instrumentation and lab products. Held every other year, analytica attendance continued to increase this year, up 1.8% to over 35,600. Forty-nine countries were represented. The largest increase in visitors was from China, which also represented the fifth largest group by country. However, the number of exhibitors declined by 6%, following a 9% increase two years ago.

A press event held by conference organizers, Messe München, highlighted several scientific themes that the show addressed. One was the digitalized lab. A special area of the exhibit floor was devoted to talks, discussion and products regarding the topic, with participating companies Eppendorf, Mettler-Toledo, Thermo Fisher Scientific and nexygen. nexygen, formed by lab equipment firm Kötterman, and a membership consisting of Sartorius, Memmert, 2mag and Hirschmann, aims to create an integrated lab infrastructure based on digitalization, connectivity and automation.

In 2017, total German sales for optical, medical and mechatronic technologies grew 11.0% to €8.71 billion ($9.8 billion).

At the analytical press conference, Professor Dr. André Gessner of the University of Regensburg discussed the impact of human microbiome research, in particular the Human Microbiome Project. Because some of the bacteria in the human body cannot be readily cultured in the lab, NGS has been fundamental research advancement in this field. The Project alone has discovered 1,500 new bacteria. The microbiome contains one hundred times more genes than the human genome. The influence of the microbiome on disease is an active area of study; for example, research on the role of the composition of intestinal bacteria on cancer. Professor Gessner emphasized the need for standard QA lab procedures for microbiome research.

Discussing the digital lab, Matthias Freundel of the Fraunhofer Institute spoke to labs’ needs for a process chain for their lab systems and value-added automation, and the drawbacks of today’s insular solutions, with a need beyond connecting equipment to building solutions for data to create more value. He also explained that scientists want to remain involved in the process. Describing the steps to such a solution, and emphasizing that the solution goes beyond software, he listed connectivity, a true “laboratory operating system,” automated documentation, and an improved interface between manual and automated processes.

Mathis Kuchejda, chairman of the Trade Association for Analytical, Bio- and Laboratory Technology within the Germany Industry Association for Optical, Medical and Mechatronic Technologies (SPECTARIS), an organization with over four hundred members, provided an overview of SPECTARIS’ latest survey of its members. According to the survey, in 2017, total German sales for optical, medical and mechatronic technologies grew 11.0% to €8.71 billion ($9.8 billion = €0.89 = $1), with foreign sales accounting for 52% of the total. China represented 11% of exports, which rose 18%, making it Germany’s fifth largest export destination for SPECTARIS members.  The US remains the largest exporter and importer. Although survey results indicated double-digit sales growth for members in 2018, first quarter financial results indicated lower growth.

Approximately 200 companies make up Germany’s life science research industry, according to VDGH.

The final speaker was Dr. Peter Quick, leader of the Life Science Research Department of VDGH, Germany’s diagnostics industry association. Discussing the country’s diagnostic and life science research businesses, he noted that each market totaled €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2017. While life science research product sales grew 4.9%, sales of IVD products fell 2.2%, with microbiology testing showing strong growth. Approximately 200 companies make up Germany’s life science research industry, according to VDGH.

The exhibition, spread across four halls, was crowded and active, as many companies with which IBO spoke expressed enthusiasm for the show. Among the companies with sizable booths were Analytik Jena (which also displayed the lab products of parent company Endress+Hauser), Bruker, Eppendorf, Metrohm, Sartorius, Shimadzu, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The next analytica will be held March 31–April 3, 2020. In 2019, Messe München will debut its first analytica Lab Africa, which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 9 through July 11. This adds to the analytica conferences in China, India and Vietnam.