SPT Labtech and Swiss company Alithea Genomics have announced a partnership for automating single-cell transcriptomic workflows.
The partnership combines the capabilities of Alithea Genomics’ MERCURIUS FLASH-seq, an ultra-sensitive technology for single-cell RNA sequencing, with the firefly liquid handling system of SPT Labtech to create a unified process intended for transcriptomics studies.
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MERCURIUS FLASH-seq is designed for detecting genes from small or single-cell samples.
Founded in 2020, Alithea Genomics also provides BRB-seq technologies that assist researchers in identifying new biomarkers and accelerating drug discovery at reduced costs and timelines.
According to SPT Labtech, research in single-cell transcriptomics is experiencing significant growth, contributing to breakthroughs in fields such as immunology and pharmaceutical development.
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By GlobalDataBut manual methods used in library preparation can cause inconsistency and restrict scalability.
By integrating firefly’s precision in low-volume dispensing with Alithea Genomics’ RNA-sequencing techniques, the alliance seeks to enhance consistency, boost throughput, and make high-quality single-cell studies widely available.
Alithea Genomics co-founder and CEO Riccardo Dainese said: “By combining MERCURIUS FLASH-seq and MERCURIUS Total DRUG-seq with SPT Labtech’s firefly, we’re removing key bottlenecks in library preparation workflows.
“This partnership simplifies complex processes, drives down costs, and empowers researchers to focus on discovery.”
firefly integrates dispensing, pipetting, incubating, and shaking functions into a single compact liquid handling system designed for genomic workflows.
Equipped with a 384 pipetting module and the option of either three or six dispensing heads, firefly offers high performance for tasks such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) setup.
SPT Labtech chief commercial officer Morten Frost said: “This collaboration represents a step toward broader automation of complex RNA workflows, supporting the growing integration of transcriptomics into translational and clinical research.
“Implementing this workflow on firefly, laboratories can achieve a new level of efficiency, reproducibility, and throughput. The modular architecture of firefly supports both discovery-scale and large-scale experimental designs, enabling consistent results across varied throughput needs.”
