What Is a Dry Lab?
Dry labs are increasingly important tools in laboratory sciences, especially for early-stage research. But the term doesn’t mean that only teetotalers can work with them. Dry labs are designed in contrast to wet labs, and there are no benches in sight. In fact, dry lab scientists may never pick up a pipette. Dry labs focus on applied or computational mathematical analyses instead of physical experiments, using computer-generated models and simulations in place of samples and reagents. More importantly, they are a key component of lab 4.0.
A dry lab can be a low-risk option for startups, allowing initial exploratory work to be done without investing in consumables, safety equipment, or laboratory instruments. In a dry lab, experimental failures can be easily addressed by rewriting a few lines of code. Failures involve no loss of materials or harm to research subjects.
