NEW YORK – Single-cell sample prep startup Factorial Biotechnologies said on Tuesday that it has forged a collaboration with Watchmaker Genomics to further develop an intracellular sequencing library preparation technology.
Based in San Carlos, California, Factorial Biotechnologies said its in-cell library preparation approach circumvents the need for physical cell isolation required in typical single-cell workflows and "enables the preparation of complete whole-genome and RNA libraries within intact cells."
As a result, the company said, its technology can be "comparable in cost, time, and scalability to traditional library prep workflows for bulk sequencing."
As part of the collaboration, Watchmaker Genomics will provide highly optimized and robust enzymes for the technology.
"The sensitivity of our in-cell assays requires high precision enzymes that offer superior performance and consistent results," Factorial Biotechnologies Cofounder and CEO John Wells said in a statement. "Our partnership with Watchmaker Genomics has given us access to best-in-class enzymes and the expertise of their team to accelerate the development of our in-cell library prep assays."