10x Genomics Introduces Atera, a New Platform to Redefine How Biology is Measured and Understood
Enables Whole-Transcriptome In Situ Spatial Biology with Single-Cell Sensitivity at Scale
Debuts at AACR Annual Meeting 2026 with Data from Leading Research Institutions, Including the June Lab at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and German Cancer Research Institute (DKFZ)
PLEASANTON, Calif., April 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 10x Genomics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXG), a leader in single cell and spatial biology, today announced Atera, a new in situ spatial biology platform engineered to deliver whole-transcriptome spatial analysis with single-cell sensitivity at unprecedented scale.
Biology is best understood by measuring molecules and cells within intact tissue, where gene expression, cellular states and spatial organization together shape how disease emerges and evolves. Historically, these dimensions have been studied using separate tools, often at limited scale, precluding a complete view of how biological systems function. Spatial biology provides the path toward a comprehensive measurement of biology in its native context.
Until now, spatial technologies have been constrained by tradeoffs between scale, sensitivity and gene selection. Atera removes these limitations, enabling the complete measurement of biology, in its native context at single-cell resolution and at scale, without compromise. It marks a fundamental shift in how biology is analyzed and understood.
Atera is engineered to enable large-scale whole-transcriptome spatial studies across both fresh-frozen and FFPE tissue, supporting diverse applications in both discovery and translational research.
"At 10x, our mission is to accelerate the mastery of biology to advance human health," said Serge Saxonov, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of 10x Genomics. "Biology is inherently complex, and as much progress as we have made, we still understand only a fraction of how it works. Progress in medicine depends on confronting that complexity directly, which requires measuring biology as it actually functions: systems of individual cells, expressing specific transcripts, in precise locations within tissue. Atera removes the trade-offs that have constrained research, unlocking a new era of insight that will transform our understanding of science and human health."
Carl June's Opening Plenary session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 will include data from the June Lab's early access samples analyzed on Atera.
"Spatial tools have always been important in understanding the tumor microenvironment. The samples we work with are rare, collected from glioblastoma patients treated with first-in-human bivalent CAR T cells, so it is critical to capture every layer of information possible," said Andrew Rech, Instructor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine in the Carl June Lab at the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania. "Using Atera has been extremely exciting for advancing our studies because its very high spatial resolution has allowed us to generate tumor microenvironment data from patients treated with CAR T cells, resolve rare immune cells, including T cells, in the post-treatment tumor microenvironment, and better understand tumor dynamics after treatment at a level that was not attainable in our prior lower-plex spatial work."
Data presented at AACR by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) will highlight Atera's ability to challenge prevailing assumptions and uncover cancer biology not accessible with legacy approaches. Researchers distinguished multiple malignant and stem cell states, across disease stages, within a single colorectal tumor sample and mapped how these populations interact with the surrounding immune microenvironment. Notably, tumors previously characterized as having limited or low immune infiltration were found to harbor active and diverse immune cell populations, revealing a more complex immune landscape that could inform future therapeutic strategies and drug development.
Leading life sciences organizations and research institutions have already committed to utilizing Atera at scale, underscoring strong demand for high-throughput, high-sensitivity spatial analysis across both whole-transcriptome and targeted applications.
As the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) continues its mission to map every cell type in the human body, its success will require uncompromised spatial biology at scale, and Atera will enable the consortium to achieve its next set of ambitious goals.
"Whole-transcriptome spatial transcriptomics transforms tissues into living maps, enabling scientists to visualize complex cellular interactions in disease, uncover hidden mechanisms in clinical specimens and identify new therapeutic targets. Seeing this platform early made it clear that it represents a significant step forward for spatial biology. We expect Atera to fundamentally expand the scope of our translational research and accelerate target discovery in inflammatory and fibrotic diseases," said Kevin Wei, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Global service providers are moving to adopt Atera to support the next generation of spatial studies. Macrogen, a leading global Contract Research Organization (CRO), along with its U.S. subsidiary Psomagen, has committed to deploying multiple Atera instruments, becoming the first global service provider to adopt the platform. This investment reflects growing demand for high-throughput, uncompromised spatial analysis in biopharma and translational research, and positions Macrogen to support large-scale spatial programs.
Atera builds on the momentum and leadership in spatial biology established by Xenium, which remains the trusted solution for generating spatial data today. Bioptimus, a France-based AI biotech company, recently announced its partnership with 10x to build one of the world's largest spatial datasets, STELA, a global initiative to power their multimodal AI platform, M-Optimus. The data will provide the cornerstone of the AI-driven biology and drug discovery engine at Bioptimus. Bioptimus begins with Xenium to generate high-quality spatial data immediately, with plans to expand to Atera in 2027 as increased throughput enables the program to scale toward its full ambition.
"Atera reflects a first-principles approach to solving a core challenge in biology, which is how to measure complex systems without limitations," said Michael Schnall-Levin, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Scientist at 10x Genomics. "We rethought the system from the ground up, optimizing each component across chemistry, hardware and software to enable what was previously impossible in spatial analysis. The result is a platform that delivers whole-transcriptome spatial data with single-cell sensitivity at scale. The Atera platform will substantially expand the scope of questions that can be addressed in spatial biology."
To harness the scale of insight generated by Atera's whole-transcriptome studies, 10x is introducing a powerful new cloud analysis platform to securely store, analyze, visualize and collaborate on spatial datasets. Building on the foundation of Xenium Explorer, the new platform brings intuitive visualization into the web and pairs it with GPU-accelerated analysis, empowering biologists to bridge the gap between raw data and insight in minutes instead of hours. Importantly, researchers maintain full control over their data and workflows with Atera routing results to 10x Cloud, customer-managed cloud or on-premise data storage.
Broad accessibility to Atera is critical to enabling biological impact. To ensure researchers can access the new platform, regardless of their project size or infrastructure, 10x has launched Catalyst Research Services, enabling direct submission of samples for whole-transcriptome spatial analysis. The program offers flexible access packages, with pre-booking now available and sample processing beginning alongside Atera's commercial availability.
10x Genomics at AACR 2026
Atera will be introduced at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, where 10x will host in-person and digital launch events that include early data generated on the platform; additionally, the company will host an Exhibitor Spotlight Presentation on Atera.
- Digital Launch Event: Register for the webinar here.
- Featured Presentations and Posters:
- Exhibitor Spotlight Presentation: 10x Genomics will introduce Atera, including a presentation from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) with data generated on the platform, on April 19 at 1:30 PM PT in Spotlight Theater C, Sails Pavilion, San Diego Convention Center.
- Poster #7116: Atera enables clinical-scale spatial studies by overcoming limitations in cost, workflow and performance, generating high-resolution, low-noise datasets optimized for AI-driven biomarker discovery and early cancer detection.
- Poster #6216: Whole-transcriptome spatial analysis with Atera reveals TME remodeling genes and mitotic signaling at the tumor invasive front, providing new mechanistic insight into tumor progression and immune evasion in cervical and breast cancer.
Pre-orders for Atera are now open. The platform is expected to begin shipping in the second half of 2026. 10x Genomics contemplated the launch of Atera when it provided its full-year 2026 financial outlook in February.
Additional details on the platform can be found in the Atera media kit.
About 10x Genomics
10x Genomics is a life science technology company building products to accelerate the mastery of biology and advance human health. Our integrated research solutions include instruments, consumables and software for single cell and spatial biology, which help academic and translational researchers and biopharmaceutical companies understand biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Our products are behind breakthroughs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience and more, fueling powerful discoveries that are transforming the world's understanding of health and disease. To learn more, visit 10xgenomics.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Bluesky or YouTube.
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