Element Bio put out an announcement on the new AVITI24 instrument and reagents for their first foray into NGSX: Next-Generation Sequencing and Multi-Omics.
Element Biosciences has begun taking orders for AVITI24™ the first instrument to combine state-of-the-art sequencing and cyto-profiling (mapping cell characteristics) into a single integrated biology platform, the company announced at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
In this case, they call it cyto-profiling, rather than anything sounding more like spatial biology.
AVITI24 revolutionizes research by enabling simultaneous examination of DNA, RNA, proteins, phosphoproteins, and cell structure within single cells. Powered by Element’s new Teton™ chemistry, AVITI24 expands on AVITI’s best-in-class sequencing capabilities to offer new multi-omics functionality, simplifying results in one multi-omic read-out in less than 24 hours.
I am still not sure about what they mean here by phosphoproteins, does it mean they have designed some of the antibodies to bind pockets of phosphorilated versions of proteins in the cells they have residing in the Teton flowcells?
This technology is particularly relevant for cancer researchers, facilitating in-depth exploration of the links between the molecular makeup of cancer cells and how they function within complex tumors. With the ability to profile up to one million cells in a single experiment, AVITI24 can maximize detection of rare cells such as residual cancer cells or tumor-specific immune cells, which are difficult to detect using conventional methods.
Clearly they want cancer to be one of the focuses for them here: if you think about it, when you have proliferative cells, that can grow anywhere, why wouldn’t you put them in an in-vitro system, like the AVITI24, and analyse them in a multitude of omic ways?
The AVITI24 is now available for pre-order at a U.S. list price of $424,000 or as an upgrade to the AVITI System at a list price of $150,000. Before June 30, 2024, customers can save $50,000 by pre-ordering AVITI24 as part of their AVITI purchase. Teton panels, used for cyto-profiling on the AVITI24, are designed to maximize value and ensure cost-effectiveness per cell or sample, providing a meaningful cost advantage compared to other approaches and empowering researchers to drive transformative discoveries without constraints. For more information, please visit: https://www.elementbiosciences.com/preorder-aviti24 and look for Element at AACR, Booth 605.
Here is one of the crucial aspects of AVITI24: it is an upgrade on top of the AVITI system, and we know there are 100+ of them out in customers’ hands, but how many of them will be upgraded and how many new customers does one get?
AVITI24 will launch with four fixed Teton panels, including two focused on deep profiling of the MAPK signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in the development and progression of tumors. These MAPK panels aid in cancer biology exploration and studying therapeutic response and resistance.
The first few Teton panels are going to be dedicated to cancer. If Element and their customers can demonstrate that you can perform the kind of science that wasn’t readily available before with these panels, then this can gain traction into other areas.
Additionally, two other fixed panels will enable human immune profiling and neuroscience applications. The former allows researchers to understand the dynamic interplay between immune cells and disease states, while the latter captures diverse cell types and functional states within neuronal circuits. With the ability to culture cells in a 12-well format, Teton further enables drug development by allowing iterative testing of novel therapies, doses, and combinations.
An expanding roadmap of fixed and custom Teton panels will enable broad applications across oncology, immunology, neuroscience and more.
Immune profiling and neuroscience are both interesting bets. Immune profiling is everywhere, including cancer, and sometimes the most difficult part of diagnosing a cancer, and stratifying the patients according to their immune response (positive or negative) against it, is to understand what those immune cells are doing.
“Today, we are redefining what a sequencer can do by streamlining multiple conventional stages of discovery into a single powerful platform,” said Molly He, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Element Biosciences. “The MAPK pathway panel is only the beginning. We are planning more targeted panels to address different biological problems, and we welcome input from the scientific community about what we develop next. To beat cancer and other genetic diseases, we have to do this together, and that starts with cutting-edge innovation to bring researchers the tools they need to accelerate discovery.”
I look forward to see the first few “on field” datasets and see what kind of science people come up with these new products.
Given that AVITI24 and Teton join Singular Genomics G4X instrument and reagents in this new field of NGSX (NGS+Multi-Omics), I expect the trend to continue and see more companies, possibly including Illumina, joining the party here.