Illumina Unveils New Single-Cell RNA Prep Solution Following Fluent BioSciences Acquisition

On July 9, 2024, Illumina acquired single-cell company Fluent BioSciences.

We have provided detailed coverage and analysis of this, welcome to click and learn more.

Acquisition of Fluent BioSciences Reveals Illumina's Latest Strategic Intent

Half a year later, this acquisition has finally been integrated into Illumina's sales system.

It can be said that the first fruit has been borne.

The product has been renamed to Illumina Single Cell Prep, and the original PIPseq V is no longer in use.

However, the original product series naming convention has been retained, starting from T2 (2000 cells/sample).

Up to T100 (100,000 cells/sample), not one more, not one less.

It is true that it is a bit challenging to develop a new series in half a year.

Of course, if you want to find other changes from this, it seems there are none.

Interestingly, due to the time difference, the WeChat push in the China region was earlier than the official announcement in the United States.

It was not until January 7 local time that the Illumina Single-Cell Prep was officially announced.

Still behind the "upgrade news" of the NovaSeq X Plus product...

Apart from pushing it on the Chinese official account, there hasn't been much fanfare on the official website or the official X platform.

Is it still as we guessed, fearing excessive stimulation of single-cell partners?

Interestingly, the Illumina Single Cell Prep Starter Equipment still features Fluent's logo.

Actually...Fluent's main feature is that it doesn't require special equipment, as we've mentioned before.

These two items are the metal bath and the Vortex mixer, and friends, I’ve also discovered a secret.

It looks exactly the same as the DTH-100H from Hangzhou Mio. Who replicated whom....

(Please Miou settle the advertising fee, thank you. Strikethrough)

Finally, based on sporadic information on platform X, the product is currently not available for sale in South Korea and Japan.

Anyway, given the enthusiasm in the Chinese region, it's certain that sales will begin in China.

At that time, in the article mentioned above about the acquisition of Fluent BioSciences, we had already discussed Illumina's layout in the single-cell field, and our speculation back then seems to be confirmed once again.

It has been proven that reading our little account more often can predict trends at least half a year in advance (don't believe it, I'm just making things up).

So, can Illumina's single-cell products change the current market landscape?

In my personal opinion, it will be difficult in a short time.

There are three reasons:

First, the single-cell sequencing market is already relatively mature, especially with 10x Genomics holding a position that is difficult to shake.

Second, the domestic single-cell sequencing market has entered a stage of stock competition, where prices are not advantageous and new brands struggle to gain market share;

Third, Fluent technology’s main advantage is that it does not require dedicated equipment, but in China, most of the cost of dedicated equipment is shared through service providers, so ordinary users barely feel this advantage, making it less obvious.

It's just one person's opinion, so everyone can take it as entertainment.

Relevant Information:Note 1: https://www.illumina.com/products/by-type/sequencing-kits/library-prep-kits/single-cell-rna-prep.html#tabs-d94eba50ee-item-46c519620a-overviewNote 2: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/NsxqKMehxO5wcKovm6BjggNote 3: https://www.illumina.com/content/dam/illumina/gcs/assembled-assets/marketing-literature/iillumina-single-cell-rna-prep-data-sheet-m-gl-03195/illumina-sc-rna-prep-data-sheet-m-gl-03195.pdf