Cardiff tech founder launches bespoke platform aimed at transforming laboratory data systems

Daniel Bevan - Editor

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A Cardiff-based entrepreneur has launched a new health-tech company designed to improve the way laboratories manage data and research processes.

Albert Tsanaclis, a former medical graduate turned software developer, has founded Scalantis to provide bespoke digital systems for laboratories, with the aim of replacing error-prone spreadsheets and disconnected software tools.

The company plans to develop tailored Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) that streamline data handling for scientists and researchers.

One paper published in the journal Frontiers of Computer Science suggested that up to 94% of spreadsheets include manual entry or formula errors, raising concerns about the reliability of results used by scientists, clinicians and researchers.

Tsanaclis said: “I have seen firsthand throughout my career how even the most brilliant researchers and scientists are grappling with basic, outdated systems that are prone to error.

“If a process relies on one person’s private spreadsheet, the system is without a doubt, fragile and certainly not future proof. When that person leaves or a team grows, you get training bottlenecks and, eventually, errors.

“We build our bespoke software with the user, ensuring consistency and transparency without forcing the scientist to change how they work.”

Originally trained in medicine at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, Tsanaclis later transitioned into health informatics, spending several years developing Laboratory Information Management Systems for global technology companies and UK laboratories.

Now based in the Welsh capital, he has launched Scalantis to deliver digital systems designed around the specific needs of individual laboratories, helping them automate quality control processes, improve data reliability and reduce the risks associated with manual data entry.

The technology is also designed to help laboratories meet strict accreditation requirements, including those set by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

Tsanaclis moved to Cardiff in 2020 to join extended family members who have lived in the city for decades.

Rather than continuing to work remotely for international companies, he decided to focus on building a business within Wales’ growing life sciences sector.

“Wales – and Cardiff in particular – is the perfect base for a health-tech-startup like Scalantis,” Albert explains.

“We aren’t just building software, we’re building a foundation for reliable research. Our five-year goal is to build the Scalantis team, and make Wales a role model for how complex health-tech systems should be designed.

“We know we can do data better. We know there is a world where data is processed efficiently, safely, and correctly, and that this will positively impact both the laboratories we work with and the people who rely on them.”