Lab Insights
| Inside Curiosis Bio Research Team: Defining Scientific Standards for Reliable Research | |
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관리자
2026-04-15
As automated laboratory systems advance, ensuring that experimental data remain consistent and reproducible is increasingly critical. In real research environments, performance is defined not only by specifications, but by how reliably results can be maintained across different users, instruments, and conditions.
At Curiosis, the Bio Team evaluates whether equipment performs consistently in practice, defines measurable evaluation criteria, and verifies that data generated in the lab can be trusted in real experimental workflows. We spoke with Seung‑jung Song, Director of the Research Institute, about how this validation process supports reliable research.
Q1. Could you introduce yourself and your role at Curiosis? Dr. Song: I am Seung-jung Song, Director of the Bio Team at the Curiosis Affiliated Research Institute. I lead the Bio Team and am responsible for defining scientific and experimental standards, validating application data, and verifying equipment performance across our product lines. Our team participates throughout the product lifecycle—from planning and development to production and post-launch—ensuring reproducibility and consistency in real research environments. Q2. What is the role of the Bio Team at Curiosis? Dr. Song: The Bio Team defines scientific and experimental standards and checks whether our products perform reliably in real research environments.  In the planning stage, we begin by setting performance standards and defining evaluation criteria based on scientific requirements. During development, we verify equipment performance and validate application data through repeated testing. In production, we look closely at consistency and reproducibility across instruments and users. Even after launch, we continue to monitor performance within real laboratory workflows to ensure scientific reliability.  Q3. What criteria do you use to evaluate equipment performance? Dr. Song: We focus on data quality and real applicability within actual research workflows. When evaluating equipment, we examine whether repeated measurements produce consistent results and compare performance against existing standard methods.  We also assess variability across different users and instruments, since this directly affects scientific reliability. For the Bio Team, evaluation is not just a technical test, but a process of verifying scientific meaning and real user experience.
Q4. Could you share a case where Curiosis equipment made a meaningful difference in real research settings? Dr. Song: The Celloger® live-cell imaging system is particularly valuable in research that requires quantitative analysis of cellular responses over time. For example, in cytotoxicity studies, researchers typically quantify increases in fluorescence signals from dead cells over time, often by calculating fluorescence intensity across the entire field of view. When cell numbers change over time or when cells occupy only part of the image, this method may not fully reflect actual cellular responses. Because background regions are included in the calculation, differences in cell density and time‑dependent changes in cell number can dilute the final quantitative results.
To address this, Celloger® measures total cell area using bright-field images and then recalculates the proportion of fluorescently labeled dead cells specifically within the cell-occupied region. By quantifying only where cells are actually present, the system ensures that variations in cell density and time-dependent changes in cell number are accurately reflected in the data. As a result, quantitative outputs align more closely with visually observed patterns of cell death, enabling researchers to interpret cytotoxicity data with greater accuracy and confidence.
Q5. In which research fields or applications is Celloger® particularly effective? Dr. Song: As discussed earlier, Celloger® shows particular strength in research where time-dependent changes are central to data interpretation. Rather than relying on end-point measurements, the system enables continuous monitoring of cellular responses inside the incubator.  Researchers can observe when changes begin and how they progress over time, allowing them to follow the dynamic progression of cellular behavior under stable culture conditions. Because these temporal changes can be directly tracked and reviewed, experimental results can be interpreted in a more objective and verifiable way. For this reason, Celloger® is especially valuable in studies involving cell proliferation, cell migration, morphological changes, drug response, and the progression of cell death — research areas where understanding how cellular responses evolve over time is essential. 
🔗 Discover Celloger® Live-Cell Imaging Systems → View Product Lineup 🎥 Watch Celloger® Application Video → View on YouTube Q6. How does the Bio Team approach collaboration with the development team? Dr. Song: In the collaboration process, the Bio Team interprets equipment functions from the researcher’s perspective and connects them to technical implementation and user experience. We share experience-based information with the development team — such as the objectives and conditions under which experiments are conducted, the variables and decision criteria required in the interpretation process, and the stages at which inconvenience may arise.  After development, during the testing phase, we verify whether the workflow and UI design operate in accordance with experimenters’ behavior and interpretation patterns, and we suggest improvements when necessary. Ultimately, collaboration with the development team is not simply about checking functionality, but about providing feedback based on researchers’ behavior and interpretation approaches so that development direction remains user-centered.
 Q7. As Curiosis enters a new phase of growth, how is the Bio Team’s role evolving? Dr. Song: As Curiosis enters a new phase of growth, the Bio Team’s role is expanding from internal performance validation to externally demonstrated scientific credibility. Prior to listing, our primary focus was on developing equipment and quantitatively validating performance against defined internal standards. However, as a listed company, product performance must go beyond internal verification. It must meet the expectations of the market, the academic community, and global users in terms of evidence and reproducibility. For this reason, the Bio Team is placing greater emphasis on generating evidence-based materials — such as research papers, white papers, and application notes — that clearly connect the intended use of the equipment with its scientific value. At the same time, performance indicators that we have continuously managed internally are being further refined into objective evaluation criteria that can be externally recognized. Our goal is to build a system where reproducibility can be demonstrated with clear metrics, regardless of the user or research environment. Ultimately, the Bio Team’s role is expanding toward providing evidence-based communication that explain not only how the technology works, but why it matters in real research contexts.
Q8. Given this expanded role, what competencies or mindset are most important for the Bio Team today? Dr. Song: Two competencies are especially important for the Bio Team today — the ability to translate between experimental and development languages, and the ability to prioritize and align perspectives. First, the Bio Team acts as a bridge between researchers and developers. Researchers focus on the biological meaning of results, while developers consider the technical structures and parameters required to produce them. Our role is to translate experimental observations into clearly defined technical criteria — explaining why a feature is needed, when it should be used, and how it should function.
Second, prioritization and coordination are essential. Since not every request can be implemented immediately, we assess user impact and propose realistic directions based on usability and research relevance. The Bio Team connects research objectives, user experience, and technical implementation, helping ensure that the product becomes a trusted tool in real research environments.
Q9. What values guide you most in the research process? Dr. Song: The values I consider most important in research are deep understanding of phenomena and the ability to communicate that understanding clearly. Research is not only about generating data, but about understanding why results occur and making that reasoning transparent so others can interpret them in the same way. Only then can research lead to conclusions that are reliable and trustworthy.
Q10. Lastly, is there any message you would like to convey to researchers or partners who use Curiosis’ technology? Dr. Song: Curiosis’ technology was designed to help researchers observe cellular phenomena more clearly and in greater depth. In research, small differences can lead to meaningful changes, and unexpected variations can open new directions of inquiry. We have focused on building tools that help capture those moments with greater precision. We hope our systems go beyond simply recording results and instead support researchers in understanding the broader flow of their studies. By enabling clearer interpretation of time-dependent and condition-specific patterns, our technology aims to help uncover meaningful insights within data. We hope this contributes to deeper scientific discovery and, in turn, supports the development of stronger evidence and the advancement of scientific inquiry.
We sincerely thank Seung‑jung Song for sharing valuable time and thoughtful insights. Her perspective offered a deeper understanding of how Curiosis approaches scientific validation and meaningful innovation in lab automation. At Curiosis, we remain committed to building technologies that support reliable, reproducible, and well‑interpreted research, and we will continue developing systems that help researchers better understand and advance their work. 🔗 Explore opportunities to grow with us → Careers at Curiosis |
