10x Genomics Acquires Tech for Protein Detection Throughout Single Cells
The Proteintech Genomics assays were built to be compatible with 10x’s Flex single-cell sequencing technology and could help build datasets for training AI.
10x Genomics has acquired Proteintech Genomics from Chicagoland-based antibody maker Proteintech.
Under the terms of the deal, announced June 9, 10x will obtain barcoded antibody cocktails that provide information about many types of proteins in a cell, not just those on the cell surface, which are assayable with existing 10x products. ProteinTech Genomics assays include the Human Discovery Panel and an immune profiling antibody panel, as well as antibodies for cell hashing to multiplex samples. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
10x officials have indicated that the deal was “smaller” than the company’s $30 million acquisition of Scale Biosciences, Guggenheim Securities Analyst Subbu Nambi wrote in a note to investors.
With the purchase, 10x adds more products to its quiver of single-cell assays, expanding its multiomic capabilities. Single-cell data is shaping the first wave of attempts at artificial intelligence-based virtual cell modeling and combining RNA and protein readouts could help bridge the knowledge gap between gene expression patterns and protein products.
“Biology is bigger than transcriptomics alone,” Ci Chu, senior VP of AI-Enabled Discovery at AI-based pharmaceutical company Xaira Therapeutics — a customer of both 10x and Proteintech Genomcis — said in a statement. “Bringing scalable protein measurements into single-cell and spatial biology is an important step toward richer, more predictive views of cellular state — and ultimately, virtual cell models that better reflect the complexity of living systems.”
In morning trading on the Nasdaq, shares of 10x Genomics rose slightly.
Proteintech Genomics launched its first product in late 2023, a 53-antibody immune profiling antibody panel with nuclear, cytosolic, and secreted protein targets, as well as cell-surface markers. It was developed under a compatible product agreement with 10x and sold under a comarketing agreement.
“Longer term, we see this acquisition as much more than simply adding products,” Michael Schnall-Levin, CTO and cofounder of 10x Genomics, said in an email.
“While we’re not announcing specific future products today, directionally we see opportunities to expand protein content, enable higher-plex measurements and make integrated RNA and protein workflows more accessible and scalable for researchers,” he said.
He added that the deal will generally help with multimodal analysis in 10x’w single-cell and spatial products, including the recently-launched Atera spatial platform.
Schnall-Levin said 10x is not changing any pricing for Proteintech Genomics products at this time.