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The market is projected to surpass $16 billion by 2033, reflecting its rapid transition from research labs into clinical applications such as oncology and prenatal testing. Yet despite this momentum, progress is slowed by a critical bottleneck: library preparation.
The single-cell bottleneck
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allows molecular profiling of hundreds of thousands of cells, yet manual preparation is labor-intensive and prone to pipetting variability. Even small errors can compromise data quality, introduce batch effects, and limit large-scale studies. As the field shifts toward population-scale projects and cell atlases, workflows that rely solely on manual liquid handling cannot keep up.
Automation meets proven chemistry
SPT Labtech addresses these challenges by pairing intuitive automation with leading chemistries from providers such as 10x Genomics, Parse Biosciences, Qiagen, and Takara. This integration enables researchers to scale single-cell studies while minimizing variability.
Enabling large-scale studies
Single-cell technologies such as SmartSeq and pooled methods have broadened research into disease, aging, and metabolism. While accessible at small scales, these techniques become challenging in large cohort studies where reproducibility and throughput are
critical. Here, automation proves essential.
Partitioning strategies illustrate the point. Droplet-based methods (10x Genomics, Illumina, scGenetics) confine single cells into reaction chambers but often suffer variability in sample prep and purification—variability that automation reduces by standardizing cDNA generation and library preparation. Microwell segmentation, as seen with BD and Scale Biosciences, can process millions of cells in parallel but requires multiple distribution and wash steps, making automation invaluable for consistency and efficiency. Combinatorial indexing, used by Parse and Scale, is especially well-suited to automation: instead of racks of pipette tips, pooled cells can be redistributed via non-contact dispensing, dramatically cutting plastic waste, dead volume, and processing time while reducing cell loss.
By removing variability and scaling throughput, automation allows researchers to execute population-scale projects and generate cell atlases with confidence.
Miniaturization: doing more with less
Miniaturized workflows further expand access to single-cell genomics by reducing reagent use without compromising quality. At the University of California, San Diego1, a miniaturized method cut total costs by 90% and reduced input cDNA more than fivefold while still producing high-quality libraries. Such efficiencies lower barriers for labs worldwide, enabling more groups to adopt single-cell approaches at scale.
Democratizing discovery
By eliminating repetitive manual steps, automation frees scientists to focus on experimental design and data interpretation. Together, miniaturization, automation, and robust chemistries are transforming single-cell genomics from a bottleneck-limited process into a scalable, cost-effective, and reproducible platform.
With the market projected to exceed $16 billion by 2033, the drive toward automation is not only about improving workflows—it is about empowering the next decade of biological discovery and accelerating the path from research insight to clinical impact.
Ready to scale your single-cell research with automation? Explore solutions that minimize variability and maximize throughput—find out more.
Reference
- Mora-Castilla S, To C, Vaezeslami S, et al. Miniaturization Technologies for Efficient Single-Cell Library Preparation for Next-Generation Sequencing. Journal of Laboratory Automation. 2016;21(4):557-567. doi:10.1177/2211068216630741
Ready to scale your single-cell research with automation?
Explore solutions that minimize variability and maximize throughput — find out more.