Takara Bio USA, Inc. collaborates with Illumina on spatial transcriptomics workflow, details presented at AGBT 2026

Integration of Takara Bio USA’s Trekker reagent kit with Illumina’s Single Cell 3′ RNA Prep assay delivers high-density, high-sensitivity spatial data with true single-cell resolution

San Jose, California—February 26, 2026—Takara Bio USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced that it presented a scientific poster at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) general meeting detailing a new reagent-kit-based spatial transcriptomics workflow developed in collaboration with Illumina. Combining Takara Bio USA’s Trekker Single-Cell Spatial Mapping Kit with the Illumina Single Cell 3′ RNA Prep assay, users of Illumina solutions will be able to obtain high-density, high-sensitivity spatial maps with true single-cell resolution. The AGBT general meeting takes place in Orlando, Florida on February 23–26, 2026. 

The integration of Trekker technology, a new class of spatial tools based on barcode donation, with Illumina’s Single Cell 3′ RNA Prep assay provides a scalable, high-resolution solution capable of recovering over 100,000 spatially resolved nuclei per sample, all without the need for specialized instrumentation. This combined workflow demonstrates that spatial positioning accuracy can effectively resolve fine-tissue architecture while maintaining robust detection of low-abundance and spatially restricted transcripts in complex tissues. 

“By partnering with Illumina, we are removing the traditional barriers to spatial transcriptomics and delivering a truly turnkey, instrument-free solution that allows researchers to gain high-resolution spatial insights using the Illumina library prep and sequencing workflow they already rely on,” said Andrew Farmer, DPhil, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D at Takara Bio USA. “This collaboration allows scientists to scale their studies to hundreds of thousands of nuclei while preserving the single-cell sensitivity needed to interrogate even the most complex tissue architectures—without relying on specialized hardware or intricate cell segmentation algorithms. We are pleased to share the details of this innovative solution with the scientific community.” 

Takara Bio USA’s Trekker Single-Cell Spatial Mapping Kit is the first commercial, instrument-free spatial multiomics solution that integrates seamlessly with existing single-cell sequencing workflows while preserving high molecular sensitivity. Trekker technology can be used to spatially resolve multiple single cell omics, including immune profiling, chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq), or 3′ and 5′ gene expression. 

Illumina Single Cell 3′ RNA Prep is a highly scalable single-cell RNA-seq solution for mRNA capture, barcoding, and library prep, offering high transcript and gene sensitivity with high-quality data. It easily scales with a wide processing range from a few to hundreds of thousands of cells and detects rare cell types.  

“As the boundaries of discovery expand, researchers need tools that give them the flexibility and scale required to resolve complex cellular systems,” said Fiona Kaper, Vice President and Head of Assay R&D at Illumina. “This collaboration provides Takara Bio customers with a powerful way to pair Illumina’s single cell 3' RNAseq with the Trekker platform advancing their ability to explore tissue organization while maintaining the reliable performance they expect from Illumina.” 

Visit Takara Bio USA’s website for more information about spatial biology solutions.