SPT Labtech and Alithea Genomics collaborate to automate ultra sensitive single-cell transcriptomic workflows
Integrates Alithea Genomics’ MERCURIUS FLASH-seq single-cell RNA-seq protocol with SPT Labtech’s firefly liquid handling platform
20 Nov 2025
SPT Labtech and Alithea Genomics have announced a collaboration to provide an automated solution for single-cell transcriptomics.
The collaboration integrates Alithea Genomics’ ultra-sensitive single-cell RNA-seq technology, MERCURIUS™ FLASH-seq, with SPT Labtech’s firefly® liquid handling platform, creating a scalable and reproducible workflow for transcriptomics research. The automated workflow is immediately available to customers worldwide through SPT Labtech and Alithea Genomics’ application support teams.
Single-cell transcriptomics is a rapidly expanding field driving advances in cell biology, immunology, and drug discovery. However, many workflows remain limited by manual library preparation steps, which can introduce variability and constrain throughput.
This collaboration directly addresses that bottleneck by combining firefly’s low-volume precision dispensing with Alithea Genomics’ scalable RNA-sequencing chemistry, improving reproducibility, throughput, and accessibility for single-cell studies. As demand for higher-throughput, cost-efficient single-cell sequencing grows, the ability to automate sensitive RNA-seq protocols is becoming essential for both academic and research environments.
Alithea Genomics has gained recognition for transforming RNA sequencing with its scalable and cost-effective solutions. MERCURIUS FLASH-seq, a novel single-cell RNA-seq protocol, offers gene detection sensitivity on ultra-low input samples and single-cells.
Morten Frost, Chief Commercial Officer at SPT Labtech, commented, “This collaboration represents a step toward broader automation of complex RNA workflows, supporting the growing integration of transcriptomics into translational and clinical research. Implementing this workflow on firefly, laboratories can achieve a new level of efficiency, reproducibility, and throughput. The modular architecture of firefly supports both discovery-scale and large-scale experimental designs, enabling consistent results across varied throughput needs.”
Riccardo Dainese, CEO and co-founder of Alithea Genomics, said, “Our mission has always been to make high-throughput and high-quality RNA-seq accessible and scalable for any lab. By combining MERCURIUS FLASH-seq and MERCURIUS Total DRUG-seq with SPT Labtech’s firefly, we’re removing key bottlenecks in library preparation workflows. This partnership simplifies complex processes, drives down costs, and empowers researchers to focus on discovery.”
