Takara Bio USA, Inc. ("Takara Bio USA"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc. ("Takara Bio"), today announced a series of updates to its spatial biology product portfolio, extending its innovation with a new class of spatial technology. Takara Bio USA has expanded its instrument-free Trekker™ Single-Cell Spatial Mapping Kits for compatibility with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, one of the most common and trusted archival sample types, making spatial single-cell analysis more accessible to a broader range of researchers. The Trekker kits have also been enhanced for compatibility with additional research workflows and third-party instrument systems, including single-cell library prep platforms from 10x Genomics, BD Biosciences, Parse Biosciences, and Illumina.
Takara Bio USA has broadened its spatial biology technology to incorporate more applications and integrations to support new research breakthroughs, advancing a platform-agnostic approach that delivers true single-cell spatial resolution with deeper biological insights from multiomics experiments. The enhanced version of the Trekker technology is designed for seamless integration into existing workflows, providing a simplified way to add a spatial dimension to single-cell research. The Trekker kits are also now available as an end-to-end spatial biology solution that combines spatial omics with epigenetics and immune profiling, including combined epigenetic and RNA-seq readout.
"Takara Bio is providing researchers with a new way to approach spatial biology—faster, easier, more cost-effective, and with richer multiomic insights," said Andrew Farmer, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Takara Bio USA. "Building on our track record as the first company to commercialize single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing, it is a natural progression for us to expand into spatial biology. As the only company with the capabilities to provide scientists with tools for spatial, single-cell, and bulk sequencing, Takara Bio is uniquely positioned to deliver a powerful combination at a scale no other life science company can offer. These advances establish us as both an emerging leader in spatial biology and a long-trusted global provider of innovative life science technologies."
Trekker technology unlocks new possibilities in spatial biology
Single-cell, spatial omics is redefining how scientists study tissue biology, enabling high-resolution maps of gene and protein expression. Representing a new class of spatial technology, Takara Bio USA's Trekker kit is the first commercial instrument-free spatial solution that integrates seamlessly with existing single-cell sequencing workflows while preserving high molecular sensitivity.
With a straight-forward process, researchers can transform standard single-cell data into spatial insights. To support the expanding pipeline of applications, Takara Bio USA has also introduced an enhanced, end-to-end bioinformatics software solution and offers technical support through the company's dedicated Field Application Scientists and Technical Support Scientists to optimize downstream analysis for researchers using open-source software tools.
"As a scientist and entrepreneur exploring avenues to apply omics technologies to better our understanding of biology, specifically in the context of precision medicine, I am encouraged by how Takara Bio is expanding the applications of its spatial technology and bringing a novel approach to spatial analysis into the mainstream of discovery research," said Nachiket Kashikar, PhD, Co-founder of OMAPiX. "The company's platform-agnostic, multiomic approach opens new possibilities and enables us to ask deeper scientific questions, without the need for specialized instrumentation or added capital investment. By lowering the barriers of entry to spatial biology, Takara Bio is delivering a powerful tool with the potential to transform the outcomes of foundational research."
Takara Bio USA is investing in the future of spatial biology
To further strengthen its spatial business, Takara Bio USA has expanded its research and development (R&D) team focused on spatial biology, including integration of the spatial team currently located in Palo Alto, CA into the company's San Jose, CA facilities. The company has also moved all manufacturing of its Trekker and Seeker spatial biology solutions to Takara Bio USA's manufacturing facilities, providing the capacity to scale production and meet growing global demand.
As we celebrate Takara Bio USA's 20th anniversary, we mark an important milestone in our history as a trusted partner to researchers worldwide.
Our innovation in spatial technology builds on two decades of delivering leading life science tools—spanning next-generation sequencing, PCR, gene expression, gene editing, and single-cell analysis. With our new class of spatial technology complementing our single-cell platforms, and continued investment to make spatial biology accessible to more labs, Takara Bio USA is positioned at the forefront of revolutionizing single-cell spatial biology for de novo discovery."
Carol Lou, President & CEO, Takara Bio USA.
Takara Bio USA at ASHG Annual Meeting
Takara Bio USA will be presenting its latest innovations at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting, taking place October 14-18, 2025 in Boston. Company representatives will be available in the exhibition hall at Booth #2374 to discuss these new advancements, present data on display at the booth, and answer questions from attendees.
Takara Bio USA's Chief Scientific Officer Andrew Farmer will deliver a CoLab Session talk, entitled "Advances in single-cell epigenomics and a new class of single-cell spatial technology enable novel biomarker discovery" on October 16 from 12:45-1:15 pm (EDT) in Theater 1 at the ASHG conference.
How the University of Manchester used Bruker equipment to map the dynamics of complex protein