10x Genomics has launched the next generation of its Chromium Flex assay with plate-based multiplexing and automation compatibility. The company positions the update to address demand for high-throughput single-cell analysis in pharma and large research programs, saying it will “massively scale single cell research.”The new Flex supports up to 384 samples and “up to 100 million cells per week” in a 96-well, automation-ready format, while retaining Flex chemistry and emphasizing reduced reagent waste and lower cost per sample. Early-access quotes highlight batching of fixed cells and liquid-handling compatibility. New Flex is available globally.
Market context for single-cell
Analysts size single-cell analysis at roughly $4.3–5.3 billion in 2024 with projections to about $13.7 billion by 2030 (mid-teens to high-teens CAGR).
Large pharmas continue scaling single-cell programs for biomarker discovery, resistance mechanisms, immunotherapy response and cell therapy quality, use cases that benefit from plate-based multiplexing and automation.
Meanwhile, academic funding pressure is real in 2025. NIH issued guidance in February to cap indirect costs at 15% (now entangled in litigation and temporary court blocks in March), and separate administrative actions led to widespread grant terminations, about 1,400 by late May (including about 160 active clinical trials) and more than 2,000 by mid-June, forcing labs to seek lower per-sample costs. Meanwhile, biotech venture activity cooled: “first-financing” rounds fell sharply in Q2 2025 after a better Q1, narrowing startup purchasing power relative to pharma.
Flex maintains existing chemistry but adds modular, automation-compatible workflows intended to cut waste and cost per sample; fixed-cell processing supports batching and time-course studies. 10x and early-access users (Allen Institute; Pfizer) emphasize moving from “thousands” to “millions” of cells and study-level multiplexing.
Incumbents include Illumina, BD, Beckman Coulter (Danaher), Bio-Rad, and niche players such as Standard BioTools, Parse Biosciences, and Mission Bio. Major efforts include Illumina’s collaboration with Broad Clinical Labs on a multi-billion-cell atlas and BD’s robotics-ready kits for automated workflows.
