PacBio Announces HiFi Prep Kit 96 and HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 for Long-Read Sequencing Applications at Scale

Rhea-AI Summary

PacBio (PACB) announced two new high throughput library preparation kits and workflows optimized for its Revio sequencing system, offering automated, scalable, and high-performance solutions with a 40% reduction in costs and a 60% decrease in workflow time. The HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 now includes 384 validated barcode adapters, allowing customers to run 1,536 samples in a single Revio run. These new kits aim to bring scale, savings, and speed never before possible on Revio.

Insights

Market Research Analyst

Pacific Biosciences of California's introduction of high throughput library preparation kits for its Revio sequencing system represents a significant advancement in the genomics industry. By reducing costs by 40% and decreasing workflow time by 60%, PacBio is strategically positioning itself to increase its market share in the long-read sequencing market. This is particularly important given the competitive landscape, where cost and speed are critical factors for customers, such as research institutions and biotech companies.

The ability to run 1,536 samples in a single Revio run, due to the inclusion of 384 validated barcode adapters, is a game changer. This level of throughput could catalyze a substantial increase in demand for PacBio's services, potentially translating into increased revenue streams. The scalability of these solutions also suggests that PacBio is targeting larger projects and aiming to become the go-to provider for high-volume sequencing needs.

Financial Analyst

The announcement by PacBio is likely to have positive implications for the company's financial health. The reduction in costs and workflow time not only enhances the value proposition for existing customers but also makes the Revio sequencing system more attractive to new clients. This could lead to an uptick in sales, beneficial for PacBio's revenue growth and margins. Furthermore, the stock market typically responds well to innovations that promise to expand a company's addressable market and improve operational efficiencies, which could positively impact PACB's stock performance in the near term.

Investors will be closely monitoring the adoption rate of the new library preparation kits and workflows. If PacBio can convert this technological advancement into a substantial market share gain, it could lead to upward revisions in revenue forecasts and potentially increased investor confidence. However, investors should also be aware of the R&D and marketing expenses associated with the launch of new products, which could offset some of the near-term financial benefits.

Biotech Industry Expert

The biotech sector is rapidly evolving, with genomics playing a pivotal role in advancements from personalized medicine to agricultural biology. PacBio's new library preparation kits are likely to accelerate research and development across various applications due to increased efficiency and lower costs. The technical leap in sample throughput, allowing for 1,536 samples per run, is unprecedented and could enable new kinds of large-scale studies that were previously not feasible or cost-prohibitive.

From a technical standpoint, the high-fidelity (HiFi) sequencing provided by the Revio system is crucial for complex genomic analyses, such as detecting rare genetic variants or understanding highly repetitive regions. The new kits could also facilitate more comprehensive population-scale genomics studies, which require high-throughput, accurate long-read sequencing. This could have far-reaching implications for genomics research, potentially leading to breakthroughs in understanding complex diseases and developing new treatments.

New Library Preparation Solutions Offer Never Before Achieved Scale for the Revio™ Sequencing System

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB), a leading developer of high-quality, highly accurate sequencing solutions, today announced two new high throughput library preparation kits and workflows optimized for its Revio sequencing system. With these kits, PacBio takes another leap forward in the long-read market by offering customers automated, scalable, and high-performance library preparation solutions with a 40 percent reduction in costs and a 60 percent decrease in workflow time. In addition, with the HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 now including 384 validated barcode adapters, customers will have the groundbreaking ability to run 1,536 samples in a single Revio run.

"With the launch of these new kits, PacBio will bring our customers scale, savings, and speed never before possible on Revio," said Jeff Eidel, Chief Commercial Officer at PacBio. "We are always in conversation with our customers about future innovation and these kits were built in response to several large projects recently won on Revio with customers wanting to scale to thousands if not tens of thousands of samples per year. We are thrilled with the prospect of providing customers with meaningful options for scale that allow them to explore emerging applications."

Engineered for efficiency, the new HiFi Prep Kit 96 and HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 are designed to allow users the ability to automate long-read sequencing workflow steps and streamline the process of preparing, pooling, and loading samples. These capabilities help eliminate bottlenecks related to cost, time, and labor, making them one of the most cost-effective high-throughput long-read library preparation solutions on the market.

For microbial, metagenome, and low-pass whole genome sequencing customers, these new offerings will allow them to unlock large projects with organizations of varying budget requirements. The new kit configurations will also provide customers with a 4-fold reduction in waste and packaging as compared to the previous generation of PacBio library preparation kits.

"The new automated workflow is providing high quality HiFi-GS libraries in our pilot experiments on human blood DNAs," said Tomi Pastinen, M.D., Ph.D. Dee Lyons/Missouri Endowed Chair in Pediatric Genomic Medicine and Director for the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Children's Mercy Kansas City. "We are excited to implement the workflow in clinical HiFi-GS research to reduce turnaround time and increase efficiency, respectively."

"The output of Revio opened up the possibility of scaling the use of long-read sequencing beyond reference genomes into genotyping," said Josh Clevenger, Ph.D., Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. "The speed and ease of use of the HiFi Prep Kit 96 and HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 has made it possible for us to use long-read sequencing as a high-throughput genotyping tool."

The new HiFi library prep kits are expected to be available for purchase in the first quarter of 2024, with delivery planned early in the second quarter of 2024. Automated protocols will first be available on the Hamilton NGS STAR system, with qualified protocols on additional PacBio Compatible automation platform partners being added in the future. Kits contain enough volume for customers to develop their own automated methods.

About PacBio
PacBio (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 technologies stem from two highly differentiated core technologies focused on accuracy, quality and completeness which include our HiFi long-read sequencing and our 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. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to future availability, uses, advantages, quality or performance of, or benefits or expected benefits of using, PacBio products or technologies, including HiFi Prep 96 and HiFi Plex 96 Prep kits; advancement in the long-read market; reductions in cost and workflow time; advancements in scale and exploring applications; automation of workflows; elimination of bottlenecks; streamlining preparation, pooling, and loading; cost-effectiveness; and reduction in waste and packaging; among 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. These risks include, but are not limited to, challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, launching, marketing and selling new products; potential product performance and quality issues and potential delays in development and commercialization timelines; rapidly changing technologies and extensive competition in genomic sequencing that could make the products PacBio is developing obsolete or non-competitive; and third-party claims alleging infringement of patents and proprietary rights or seeking to invalidate PacBio's patents or proprietary rights. 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.

Contacts

Investors:
Todd Friedman
ir@pacificbiosciences.com

Media: 
Lizelda Lopez
pr@pacificbiosciences.com

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SOURCE Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.

FAQ

What did PacBio announce?

PacBio announced two new high throughput library preparation kits and workflows optimized for its Revio sequencing system.

What are the benefits of the new kits?

The new kits offer automated, scalable, and high-performance solutions with a 40% reduction in costs and a 60% decrease in workflow time. The HiFi Plex Prep Kit 96 now includes 384 validated barcode adapters, allowing customers to run 1,536 samples in a single Revio run.

Who is the Chief Commercial Officer at PacBio?

Jeff Eidel is the Chief Commercial Officer at PacBio.