Takara Bio and SPT Labtech have partnered on validating automated library preparation workflows that pair Takara Bio’s next-generation sequencing library preparation assays with SPT Labtech’s Firefly liquid handling platform.
The collaboration, announced Oct. 20, will start by optimizing select SMART-Seq RNA-sequencing library prep workflows on the Firefly instrument, with plans to expand to other sequencing kits, including immune profiling assays.
The companies said they jointly built and verified the automation scripts, targeting sequencing core labs running high sample volumes. The first product to be launched will be the SMART-Seq mRNA Long-Read Extended kit, scheduled to ship in January 2027.
Takara Bio said the kit offers improved input flexibility, enhanced recovery of long, full-length transcripts, and greater quantitation confidence through unique molecular identifiers (UMIs).
For Takara, the deal follows an automation partnership with Hamilton, announced in April.
Takara Bio and Hamilton Partner to Automate RNA-seq Library Prep
Takara Bio USA and Hamilton have entered into a development and comarketing agreement around automated next-generation sequencing library preparation workflows.
Firefly automation scripts are already available for two existing kits: SMART-Seq mRNA LP and SMART-Seq Total RNA Library Prep with ZapR Depletion (with UMIs).
“As we introduce new library preparation technologies, customers can expect automated workflows to be built into the product experience from the start,” Takara Bio CEO Andrew Farmer said in a statement.