PacBio Launches Single-Cell Transcriptome Solution Ushering in a New Era of RNA Discovery

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Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.

Oct 20, 2022, 09:05 ET

MAS-Seq Supports Isoform Research Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing from 10x Genomics

MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB), a leading developer of high-quality, highly accurate sequencing solutions, today announced the launch of its Multiplexed Arrays Sequencing (MAS-Seq) kit in partnership with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and 10x Genomics, Inc. The kit is a first-of-its-kind kitted solution leveraging 10x Genomics' Single Cell Gene Expression technology to enable cost-effective long-read single-cell RNA sequencing for a more complete interrogation of the transcriptome. Insights generated from single-cell RNA sequencing experiments can power new disease discoveries and the identification of therapeutic targets across many categories.

"We're thrilled to collaborate with these innovative organizations and bring new capabilities to our customers, enabling them to unlock new discoveries in their research," said Christian Henry, President and Chief Executive Officer of PacBio. "With this first-of-its-kind kit, PacBio aims to empower customers' single-cell research in a way that has not been possible before. The availability of MAS-Seq is a significant milestone for PacBio."

MAS-Seq will help single-cell researchers better identify and characterize novel isoforms, novel driver mutations, and cancer fusion genes, which are particularly relevant in the fields of cancer research and neurodegenerative diseases.

"Understanding cell heterogeneity at the isoform level is critical for basic and disease research," said Jeff Eidel, Chief Commercial Officer at PacBio. "Our customers understand the need for HiFi sequencing to obtain full-length isoforms at single-cell resolution with accuracy. With the MAS-Seq technology, we aim to bring the throughput increase that enables customers to use HiFi for single-cell RNA sequencing in a cost-effective manner."

Together with the kit, PacBio will also release new SMRTLink software that supports single-cell transcriptome analysis, helping researchers easily glean insights from their data.

"The single cell revolution has already led to groundbreaking discoveries in biomedical research and has transformed our understanding of disease and development, yet there are so many more research questions and applications waiting to benefit from the power of single cell analysis," said Edwin Hauw, Vice President of Marketing for 10x Genomics. "We believe the ability to characterize single cells at the transcript isoform-level will fuel discoveries of new biomarkers that are important in both disease research and cellular function, helping to unlock new biological insights and open up new application areas. The combination of the MAS-Seq kit with our industry-leading Chromium assays is yet another way 10x Genomics is working to build and deliver the most comprehensive single cell portfolio for researchers worldwide."

The MAS-Seq kit is the first in a series of products from PacBio to be included in its partnership with 10x Genomics as part of their Compatible Partner Program (CPP). The compatible partner program includes products that have been verified with 10x Genomics workflows.

"To date, we have had tremendous success using bulk Iso-Seq to facilitate the discovery of novel gene and isoform-resolved regulatory events pertaining to specific disease and developmental states. Today, we are excited to apply MAS-Seq technology to pioneer beyond tissue-specific associations and begin assigning these transcriptional features to specific cell populations. MAS-Seq data will ultimately better stratify disease-associated biology and enable more robust biomarker discovery for future functional validation from organism to tissue and now cell-specific outcomes," said Robert P. Sebra, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Director of the Center for Advanced Genomics Technology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

PacBio is now accepting orders for the MAS-Seq kit which will begin shipping in early November. PacBio will host a webinar on November 16, 2022 that describes the MAS-Seq library and bioinformatics workflow in detail and is open for registration here.

About PacBio

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB) is a premier life science technology company that is designing, developing and manufacturing advanced sequencing solutions to help scientists and clinical researchers resolve genetically complex problems. Our products and technology under development stem from two highly differentiated core technologies focused on accuracy, quality and completeness which include our existing HiFi long read sequencing and our emerging SBB™ short read sequencing technologies. Our products address solutions across a broad set of research applications including human germline sequencing, plant and animal sciences, infectious disease and microbiology, oncology, and other emerging applications. For more information, please visit www.pacb.com and follow @PacBio.

PacBio products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to future availability, uses, accuracy, advantages, quality or performance of, or benefits or expected benefits of using, PacBio products or technologies, including in connection with the MAS-Seq kit, new software supporting single-cell transcriptome analysis, and other future events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements contained in PacBio's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in PacBio's Forms 8-K, 10-K, and 10-Q. PacBio disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.