ASHG 2025 - Idea to Insight: Automation that accelerates genomics

SPT Labtech and 10x Genomics Partner to Automate Single Cell Workflows

Through this collaboration, firefly^® users will gain access to optimized, ready-to-run methods developed with combined expertise from both companies’ application teams. 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.

SPT Labtech and Agilent Introduce Automated Target Enrichment Protocols for Genomic Workflows

Available immediately to all firefly+ users on the firefly community cloud, the new protocols enable users to prepare libraries with Agilent’s Library Prep and Target Enrichment panels and have been developed through a collaboration between SPT Labtech’s in-house applications team and Agilent’s R&D and product teams. By leveraging firefly+’s advanced automation, the protocols enable hands-off library prep with increased reproducibility, reduced error rates, and significant time savings.

Automating 10x Genomics GEM-X 5’ Gene Expression V3 Library Prep with SPT
Labtech’s firefly^® to enable screening of over 12M activated primary human T cells

Efficient and reproducible RNA sequencing of primary human T cells is essential for immunological
research and translational studies. In this study, we evaluated the performance of SPT Labtech’s firefly
liquid handling system for automated 10x Genomics GEM-X 5’ Gene Expression v3 library preparation
across three T cell polarization methods. Three distinct polarization and activation conditions were
evaluated, with each yielding ~4.5M activated T cells. For each polarization condition, cells were
sorted in batches of 2 followed by Gel Beads-in-emulsion (GEM) generation and library preparation.
Key performance metrics, including library yield, cell recovery, sequencing saturation, and gene
detection, demonstrate that firefly generates consistent, high-quality RNA-seq libraries across
a range of conditions and workflows.

PacBio’s 1000 Genomes RNA Sequencing 
Project – Automated on firefly^®

PacBio’s 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) aims to use PacBio’s Iso-Seq and Kinnex 
kits to generate a high-quality, comprehensive open-source whole transcriptome 
dataset to characterize transcript diversity across populations. This effort is being led 
by Danny Miller, MD, PhD, FACMG - Seattle Children’s Research Institute / University of 
Washington, Rajiv McCoy, PhD – Johns Hopkins, Winston Timp, PhD – Johns Hopkins 
and Evan Eichler, PhD – University of Washington. More than a thousand RNA samples 
were isolated at Johns Hopkins. Samples were split and batched and are currently being 
processed across two firefly’s at Seattle Children’s Research Institute – Spatial and
Genomics CoLab and University of Washington in the Eichler Lab.