Illumina has unveiled a new spatial technology that is designed to unlock further sequencing capabilities for researchers.

Due for release in 2026, the US company’s technology for whole-transcriptome sequencing will allow researchers to examine the spatial proximity of millions of cells per experiment due to a capture area nine times larger than existing technologies, and with four times greater resolution.

Compatible with lllumina’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, NextSeq and NovaSeq, the technology will be paired with Illumina Connected Multiomics (ICM), a software that will provide researchers with the ability to visualise the results from spatial experiments and conduct further analysis on multiomic datasets.

Dubbed spatial transcriptomics, Illumina’s new technology allows for the exploration of biological interactions at the cellular level, presenting the potential for fresh insight to be gleaned in areas including tumour microenvironments, disease pathways, and neurobiology.

According to Illumina’s chief technology officer, Steve Barnard, spatial transcriptomics will open “entirely new pathways” and enable crucial insight to be gained into the cellular function of organisms.

"Illumina spatial technology will deliver another complete workflow on our leading sequencing platforms,” said Barnard.

“With this innovation, we are setting a new bar that will drive the next wave of scientific discoveries and unlock a deeper understanding of biology – from the impact of cell interactions on disease to the mechanisms needed to solve them."

Further details and early access customer data on Illumina’s new technology will be presented next week during the company’s Gold Sponsor Workshop at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) General Meeting in Florida.

Presenters during the workshop will include researchers from the Broad Institute, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Nicholas Banovich, associate director of the Division of Bioinnovation and Genome Sciences and the Center for Spatial Multi-Omics at TGen, will provide insight into the research company’s use of Illumina’s new offering in pulmonary fibrosis research.

As per Illumina’s press release, Banovich commented: “Our early analyses with this technology identified and localised molecular dysregulation associated with active epithelial cell remodelling in pulmonary fibrosis.

“We believe this will aid in identifying therapeutic targets which can be used to stop or slow the progression of disease."

In tandem with news about the new spatial technology, Illumina also announced a collaboration with the Broad Institute on the Spatial Flagship Project. With the overall aim to demonstrate the transformative potential held in large-scale spatial datasets, the project will give research groups early access to Illumina’s new technology through the Broad Institute's Spatial Technology Platform (STP) pipeline.