SPT Labtech and 10x Genomics have partnered to provide automated workflows for single cell research. The collaboration will allow scientists to scale experiments on 10x’s Chromium Single Cell platform, with planned future expansion to the Visium Spatial platform, by providing plug-and-play protocols on SPT Labtech’s firefly® liquid handling platform, according to officials at both companies.
Firefly users will gain access to optimized, ready-to-run methods developed by application teams at SPT Labtech and 10XGenomics, who say these protocols are designed to streamline single cell assay workflows, and improve reproducibility, efficiency, and scalability. This partnership builds on 10x’s acquisition of Scale Biosciences, a company already partnered with SPT Labtech. Many firefly users rely on Scale Biosciences chemistries, and this expanded collaboration with 10x will provide researchers access to the company’s full range of single cell and spatial solutions, pointed out Morten Frost, CCO at SPT Labtech.
The partnership was spotlighted at the ASHG conference in Boston. Data from customer labs were used to demonstrate how automated liquid handling streamlines single-cell library prep workflows.
“Single cell experiments are a critical area of focus for our firefly community. Working closely with 10x Genomics has been key to understanding the specific challenges and needs of researchers in this space,” noted Frost. “By making these optimized methods available in the firefly cloud, we are empowering scientists with easier access to cutting-edge tools for single cell discovery, while reducing barriers to adoption of advanced workflows.”
“10x Genomics is committed to enabling researchers everywhere to uncover new insights into biology through our single cell solutions,” added Brooke Murphy, vp, strategic marketing, 10X Genomics. “This partnership with SPT Labtech will allow more labs to seamlessly automate their workflows, combining the flexibility of firefly automation with the robustness of our GEM-X chemistry, ultimately accelerating breakthroughs in human health.”
Firefly is an all-in-one liquid handling system that brings together multiple technologies within a single compact design for library and sample preparation workflows and output. Relying on intuitive software, firefly exploits the potential of automation to help accelerate genomic research.
Chromium GEM-X uses a microfluidic chip to generate Gel Beads-in-emulsion (GEMs) where target molecules are captured and barcoded, automating partitioning and reverse transcription within individual, nanoliter-scale partitions. This process, performed by the Chromium X instrument, places each cell into its own GEM where its released mRNA is captured by the gel bead’s unique cell barcode, allowing for single-cell gene expression analysis with improved accuracy and throughput.
