Welcome to the Seventh volume of our 2024 product release notes! We’ve been working hard to bring you performance improvements that add value to your work. Read on to learn about the product enhancements and bug fixes released in July 2024.
Watch our Feature Release Highlights to more deeply explore this month's updates.
Molecular Biology
Benchling’s Molecular Biology is a cutting-edge in silico design tool that supports the latest scientific workflows.
Exact molecular weight of monomers can be accessed via the API [2024.2.MB.01]
Added exact molecular weight to the domain graph representation of a monomer so that users can access exact molecular weight through the API representation of a monomer
Create a new entity option when using “Apply Modification Pattern” tool [2024.2.MB.02]
When using the Apply Modification Pattern tool to edit modified nucleotide sequences, users can select the "Create new entity with modifications" checkbox which will create new entities with the applied modifications instead of overwriting the originating sequence.
In Vivo
Manage in vivo studies with modern software designed for data capture, collaboration, and insights.
Sort Disease induction date column [2024.2.IV.01]
Users can now sort the disease induction date column when visible in the animals table.
Treatment metadata added to dosing form [2024.2.IV.02]
Users can now click on the information icon to the right of treatment name in the workflow dosing form to open up a modal to view treatment metadata.
Maintain metadata sections after study creation in study overview page [2024.2.IV.03]
Metadata custom sections in the study creation form used to create a study are displayed with the relevant fields in the overview section of the study under Metadata. All metadata fields added after the study is created that are not in sections of the form are placed into a generic section.
New device response type [2024.2.IV.04]
Added a new “Trim channel” response type for devices. This will strip the first 4
characters of a device input with the goal of removing the channel from Mitutoyo calipers in command form mode.
To enable this feature, contact a Benchling representative.
Maintain metadata sections in study settings [2024.2.IV.05]
Study metadata are displayed in sections in the settings page of a study according to the
form used to create the study.
Workflows
Workflows are a sequence of processes that are performed to answer a research question or synthesize new material. For example, synthesizing a new set of proteins from supernatants, or improving the transduction process.
Duplicate task schema GA release [2024.2.W.01]
Admins can duplicate direct or entry task schemas.
Added support for is blank and is present in routers [2024.2.W.02]
Users can now route based on whether a field is blank or present. This feature supports all field types including multi-value.
Enable table mapping to task type columns in entry execution tasks [2024.2.W.03]
Users can now configure a table mapping to a "task" column. This allows mapping from the task column in the task table to the corresponding column in the output table.
Insights
Insights enables users to query, visualize, and share high quality, structured data that resides in Benchling.
Insights Analysis - Point and Click Data Transformations and Visualization [2024.2.IN.01]
Insights Analysis enables users to visualize and manipulate data from various Benchling sources like registry schemas, datasets, and instruments, using a variety of chart types. This is done interactively without needing SQL. Analyses created in Insights can be linked to Notebook entries with an @ mention. Unlike Dashboards, these visualizations remain static to provide accurate historical data representations.
We are excited to announce that Insights Analysis is currently in open beta. We invite you to explore its features and provide your feedback to help us improve.
Benchling Connect
Benchling Connect, formerly Lab Automation, enables seamless integration of Benchling to liquid handlers, plate readers, imaging instruments, and more.
Support .txt extensions for ViCell XR adapters [2024.2.BC.01]
ViCell XR adapters now support .txt file extensions.
Access Management
Access management is the way customers control who is able to access which resources, and includes things like project permissions, access policies, and admin roles.
Updated strings on IP allowlist page [2024.2.AM.01]
Updated the strings on the IP allowlist page to add additional context and clarity for users.
Enable exporting IP allowlist audit log [2024.2.AM.02]
The IP allowlist page in the TAC now includes a button to export the IP allowlist audit log.
Application Core
To create a seamless Benchling experience, our platform must be consistent, compliant and predictable. The Application Core provides the central capabilities platform to create a smoother user experience.
Warn about performance limits when exporting more than 200 notebook templates in config migration [2024.2.AC.01]
Users are now informed if they select more than 200 notebook templates for migration.
In config migration, migrate entry schema dropdown values preset in notebook templates. [2024.2.AC.02]
Preset dropdown values in the entry schema are now included in migrations. Incoming values will always overwrite the existing ones.
Download export summary from Config migration, even when warnings exist [2024.2.AC.03]
Export summaries can now be downloaded even if warnings are present. Previously, warnings were treated as errors and prevented the download.
Rotated Warehouse certificates and credentials on the majority of tenants. [2024.2.AC.04]
On August 22nd, AWS is force upgrading all RDS certificates. Additionally, all Warehouse credentials have been updated to a more secure hashing method. As a result, users need to update their logins and certificate bundles to maintain access to the Warehouse.
BLAST Alignment View [2024.2.AC.05]
The alignment view now provides details about the hit sequence. It lists each High Scoring Pair (HSP) separately. This view combines both the graphic summary and the flat query-anchored alignment view from NCBI BLAST
Compliance Controls
With Compliance Controls, gathering required information for compliance is simple, intuitive, and performant. The team’s primary focus is on our auditing platform but we also own exporting and archiving.
Project Level Data Modifications: enables tenant admins to configure data modification rationale at the project level. [2024.2.CC.01]
The new data modifications tab in the TAC console allows tenant admins to manage data modifications based on project needs. Admins can enable modifications for specific projects with higher data integrity requirements (e.g., GxP projects) while disabling them for others (e.g., non-GxP projects). Additionally, tenant admins have the option to disable or enable data modifications across the entire tenant.
Developer Platform
Our developer platform is fundamental to centralizing and standardizing all your R&D data. Benchling’s APIs and Events are built to match the flexibility and speed of modern life science R&D.
We now have a Webhooks reference page [2024.2.DP.01]
All events that are delivered over Webhooks are now documented on this dynamic spec page available to all users: https://benchling.com/webhooks/reference
Events over Webhooks is now GA [2024.2.DP.02]
Events that were previously only available over Eventbridge can now be delivered via Webhooks.
App Signals are no longer sent implicitly [2024.2.DP.03]
App Signals are now subscribed to via the app manifest, like all other events. This change is now live for all apps.
BioProcess
Benchling Bioprocess enhances efficiency and data management in bioprocessing workflows with its integrated, user-friendly platform for tracking, analyzing, and reporting bioprocess data.
Auto-generated Bioprocess analysis: renamed two data tables [2024.2.BP.1]
The data table "Actual conditions" is now "Parameter measurements" for any newly-created analysis. Similarly, "Planned material" is now "Material input confirmations" for new analyses.
Auto-generated Bioprocess analysis: refrain from creating empty data tables [2024.2.BP.2]
Data tables with 0 rows are no longer created. Previously, tables were created even if they had 0 rows.
Auto-generated Bioprocess analysis: change how some column names are generated [2024.2.BP.3]
Column names are now generated using the new naming convention:
New naming convention: <Parameter name> (<Parameter unit symbol>) | setpoint | <Unit operation name>
Old naming convention: <Unit operation name>: <Parameter name> setpoint (<Parameter unit symbol>)
Process development studies overview tab: label update [2024.2.BP.4]
The "Experiment run" label is now "Recipe experiment run." This change affects only the label on the overview tab.
Max length handling for condition names [2024.2.BP.5]
Condition name cells now display error annotations when the text input exceeds the maximum length.
Block GlobalCreate/Study creation from selecting an invalid procedure recipie [2024.2.BP.6]
Users cannot create a study using an invalid procedure. Currently, a saved procedure is invalid if one of the steps is missing a name, but additional validation checks are being developed.
Bug Fixes
Molecular Biology
· Fixed a bug where preferred primers were assigned backwards in combinatorial assembly
In Vivo
· Fixed a bug where the Standard Concentration (vg/kg) Dose was calculating the Volume incorrectly.
· Resolved issue where distribution was not refreshed when moving back in randomisation.
· Fixed a bug where Windows scroll bars obstructed the view of Datatables formula fields
· Fixed a bug where devices could not write to fields not visible on the screen
Workflows
· Fixed bug where text truncated when editing routers and flowcharts
· Fixed a bug where archiving a field made a router config uneditable
Schemas
· Fixed a bug where URLs were not captured as part of Text Fields in Audit Logs
Access Management
· Fixed a bug where archiving a Project from within Search would archive the contents and root folder of the Project but not the actual Project itself, putting the Project in a bad state where it would appear in the Project pane as an empty project that could neither be archived nor unarchived.
· Fixed a bug where users could copy folders into Projects where they had "Add other items" but not "Create folders" permissions
Application Core
· Fixed a bug where config migration would attempt to update objects after running into a validation error
· Fixed a bug where nullable operators were showing up in filters for modified_at and created_at fields when they shouldn't have
Developer Platform
· Search bar in the API docs was broken when more than 1 character was typed
· API would sometimes return a 500 error even when data was created successfully, but failed to index in our search system. It now correctly returns a 200 to indicate the data was created, and search indexing will complete async in these cases