10x Genomics Begins Global Shipments of Atera, Putting Unprecedented Spatial Biology Capabilities in Researchers' Hands
Booked orders had surpassed the company’s 2026 shipment expectation before commercial deliveries began.
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Rhea-AI Summary
10x Genomics (TXG) has begun worldwide commercial shipments of Atera, its spatial biology platform for research customers. Booked orders exceeded the 40 instruments the company expected to ship in 2026, a threshold it disclosed on its second-quarter earnings call. In five months, projects were booked across more than 100 customers. Nearly all of the world’s top 20 biopharma companies by research and development spending are purchasing Atera systems or services through 10x’s Catalyst Research Services lab.
The Allen Institute plans to use three instruments for research in immunology, neuroscience and synthetic biology. The ASTRA consortium plans to use Atera to expand its cancer atlas to 5,000 tumors over the next two years. 10x is also preparing to run its first customer samples through Catalyst Research Services. Its Atera roadmap includes planned mouse whole-transcriptome capabilities and other future additions.
How this balance works
Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.
It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.
Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.
Hollow bars mark forward-looking points. How the balance works
Positive
- Moderate pointFirst commercial Atera shipments have begun worldwide.
- Moderate pointBooked orders exceeded the 40 instruments 10x expected to ship in 2026.
- Moderate pointNearly all of the world’s top 20 R&D-spending biopharma companies are purchasing Atera systems or Catalyst services.
- Minor pointProjects across more than 100 customers were booked in five months.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Three Atera instruments are planned by the Allen Institute for its research programs.
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
- Booked instrument orders
- Exceeded 40 instruments
- Orders exceeded the number 10x expected to ship in 2026
- Early-access dataset
- More than 350,000 cells
- Combined whole-transcriptome spatial datasets from human skin and duodenum
- Biopharma adoption
- Nearly all of the world's top 20 R&D-spending biopharma companies
- Purchasing systems or services through 10x
- Customer projects booked
- More than 100 customers
- Projects booked in five months through Catalyst Research Services
- Planned tumor atlas
- 5,000 tumors
- ASTRA plans to expand its atlas over the next two years
Key Terms
whole transcriptome technical
in situ technical
multiomic technical
pharmacologic perturbations medical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Extraordinary early global demand, ambitious new research programs and an expansive technology roadmap mark the beginning of a new era for biological understanding
Introduced in April of this year, Atera brings together whole transcriptome analysis, sub-cellular resolution, single cell sensitivity and unprecedented scale, removing longstanding tradeoffs that have constrained the size, scope and accessibility of spatial studies and expanding the range of biological questions researchers can address. Now, Atera is moving into the hands of researchers around the world, from those scaling existing spatial programs to researchers exploring spatial biology for the first time, across discovery, translational and biopharma research.
Atera's growing reach is matched by the breadth of research now being planned on the platform, spanning biological questions across nearly every major disease area, from oncology and neurodegenerative disease, to autoimmune, inflammatory and cardiometabolic disease and more. Planned applications include foundational cell and tissue atlasing, studies of disease mechanisms and therapeutic response, biomarker research and the generation of large-scale datasets to train AI models of biology.
"We built Atera with the ambition to fundamentally change how researchers measure and understand biology. The remarkable response since launch, and the scale and diversity of the studies now being planned, reinforce our conviction that Atera will do exactly that," said Serge Saxonov, Co-founder and CEO of 10x Genomics. "Today is just the beginning. Atera will change how biological research is done, bringing us closer to a future where the complexity of biology is no longer a barrier to understanding disease, developing better treatments and advancing human health."
Demand for Atera has been extraordinary from the start. As previously announced at the company's second-quarter earnings call, booked orders exceeded the 40 instruments that 10x expected to ship in 2026. Since then, momentum has continued to build. Now, as the first instruments begin shipping, that demand is translating into ambitious new research programs designed to take advantage of Atera's combination of breadth, sensitivity and scale.
Discovery Research
The Allen Institute is among the first organizations preparing to put Atera's scale to work. Through early access, researchers used Atera to profile human skin and duodenum tissue, generating whole transcriptome spatial datasets across more than 350,000 cells combined, with high transcript detection and broad transcriptional coverage in both tissues. Now, with three instruments planned to support research across immunology, neuroscience and synthetic biology, the Institute is preparing to take that work even further.
"The Allen Institute is excited to build on our groundbreaking work with Xenium and be among the first to receive Atera. Atera gives our researchers unprecedented power to decode complex tissues and disease states," said Pete Skene, Senior Director, The Allen Institute. "We're thrilled to build on our longstanding partnership with 10x Genomics and unlock a new wave of discoveries."
And the Wellcome Sanger Institute sees Atera opening up new possibilities for research across the institute. "Atera builds on the best features of Xenium in situ technology while advancing capabilities on multiple fronts, pushing the boundaries of scale while providing deeper insights into spatial biology," said Kenny Roberts, PhD, Senior Development Scientist and Technical Spatial Lead at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. "This evolution in spatial capabilities will continue to invigorate not only collaborative global initiatives such as the Human Cell Atlas, but also diverse research projects across our institute and the broader genomics community."
Translational Research
Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are preparing to put Atera to work in translational cancer research.
"Cellular language models are only as powerful as the data they learn from. Atera offers the scale and depth to build high-quality, single-cell spatial maps of patient tissues—capturing not just what cells are doing, but the neighborhoods in which they operate," said Linghua Wang, MD, PhD, Professor of Genomic Medicine and Executive Director & Head, Center for Cellular Language, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "These data can help us move beyond describing how cells respond to therapy toward predicting response and anticipating resistance."
At the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, Nicholas Banovich, VP of Scientific Development, and Director of TGen's Center for Spatial Multi Omics (COSMO), and his team are preparing to use Atera across a broad range of translational research applications. "There's been a real gap in the landscape for whole-transcriptome spatial profiling at this combination of sensitivity and throughput. Atera lets us resolve nuanced cell–cell communication and molecular dysregulation enabling novel discovery in large cohorts and providing real opportunities to move this work toward clinical application. We're excited to offer it through COSMO's core services to investigators at TGen, City of Hope, and beyond."
Biopharma
Atera is already gaining significant traction across Biopharma, with nearly all of the world's top 20 R&D-spending biopharma companies either purchasing systems or services through 10x's service lab, Catalyst Research Services. The breadth of this early adoption reflects growing conviction that spatial biology can fundamentally change drug discovery and development.
AI Foundation Models
"Atera is also poised to help advance the vision of virtual biology, where predictive models could allow scientists to ask and answer biological questions digitally at a scale and rate far beyond what is possible today. Realizing that vision will require vast amounts of high-quality biological data. To that end, Biohub plans to use Atera to generate multiomic and morphology data at scale to train AI foundation models that can predict cellular responses to genetic and pharmacologic perturbations," said Andrea Califano, President of Immune Cell Reprogramming at Biohub and Head of Biohub New York.
Xenium to Atera
Atera builds on the strong foundation established by Xenium, giving researchers a path to take successful spatial programs to new levels of scale. The Asia-Pacific Spatial Translational Research Alliance (ASTRA), launched in 2025 by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of
Catalyst Research Services
Atera is gaining traction beyond traditional life sciences research, including at Procter & Gamble (P&G). P&G is enhancing its spatial biology program through 10x's Catalyst Research Services (CRS), specifically to explore how Atera's transformative improvements in spatial biology can propel its skin research forward.
CRS gives researchers more ways to access Atera, and 10x is now preparing to run the first customer samples through the service. In just five months, projects have been booked across more than 100 customers, with a meaningful portion coming from biopharma, highlighting strong early interest in Atera as spatial biology expands into larger-scale translational and drug development research programs.
Roadmap
And what Atera can do today is only the beginning. Atera was designed as a platform that will continue to expand what's possible in spatial biology, with future innovations that will further simplify the experimental workflow, bring together complementary biological information and expand the biological questions researchers can ask. Alongside planned mouse whole transcriptome capabilities, future innovations include:
- Slide Prep Automation: A first of its kind capability, future onboard automation of the slide prep workflow will take Atera's easy-to-run workflow even further, automating manual assay steps directly on the instrument.
- RNA-Protein Multiomics: Future protein capabilities will enable researchers to measure RNA and protein together within the same tissue section, at the same-cell level, combining whole-transcriptome breadth with the functional insight of protein and the flexibility of customizable protein panels.
- Mutation Detection In Situ: Future, first of its kind, base-by-base sequencing will bring targeted mutation detection directly into the Atera workflow, allowing researchers to read genetic variation alongside gene expression within the same cells and tissue architecture.
"The biggest advances in science come when you stop accepting the limitations of what's been possible before and rethink the problem from first principles," said Michael Schnall-Levin, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Scientist at 10x Genomics. "That's how we built Atera, and it's how we'll continue to push the platform forward. What we're shipping today is just the foundation. As Atera evolves, it will expand what researchers can do, enabling them to ask increasingly ambitious questions and make discoveries that were previously out of reach."
Additional customer quotes can be found here.
Atera is now shipping to customers worldwide. To learn more about Atera, visit 10xgenomics.com.
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.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. All statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "see," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "would," "likely," "seek" or "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding litigation. These statements are based on management's current expectations, forecasts, beliefs, assumptions and information currently available to management. Actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors and such statements should not be relied upon as representing 10x Genomics, Inc.'s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. 10x Genomics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements provided to reflect any change in 10x Genomics' expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. The material risks and uncertainties that could affect 10x Genomics, Inc.'s financial and operating results and cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release include those discussed under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the company's most recently-filed 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2026 and 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and elsewhere in the documents 10x Genomics, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.
Disclosure Information
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FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
How did 10x Genomics’ Atera orders compare with its 2026 shipment expectation?
Booked orders exceeded the 40 instruments 10x expected to ship in 2026. The company disclosed that threshold on its second-quarter earnings call; the comparison is with expected shipments, not instruments already delivered.
What future capabilities does 10x Genomics plan for Atera?
10x’s Atera roadmap includes planned mouse whole-transcriptome capabilities. Other future additions include slide preparation automation, measurement of RNA and protein in the same tissue section, and mutation detection within the Atera workflow. No release dates were specified for those additions.