ArgenTag, a biotechnology company founded in Argentina during the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced a strategic partnership with PacBio to advance long-read single-cell transcriptomics. This collaboration, formalized through the PacBio Compatible Partner Program, aims to enhance researchers’ capabilities in transcriptomic analysis by integrating ArgenTag’s Single-Cell RNA Library Kit with PacBio’s Kinnex RNA kits.
The partnership simplifies access to long-read isoform sequencing at single-cell resolution, eliminating the need for specialized capital equipment typically required for cell partitioning. “When you do short reads, you’re not getting all the information,” stated Sofía Lavista Llanos, PhD, director of process development at ArgenTag. She emphasized that short reads only provide a limited snapshot of the transcriptomic landscape.
ArgenTag employs a portable microfluidic chip-based technology that utilizes gravity for cell partitioning and barcoding. Each chip contains microwells to partition cells, along with beads that carry unique barcodes. This innovative technology, which was initially detailed in a May 2022 publication in Scientific Reports, facilitates multiplex long-read sequencing.
Transformative Benefits for Researchers
When combined with PacBio’s Kinnex kits and HiFi long-read sequencing, ArgenTag’s workflow offers a scalable method for capturing complete isoform diversity, alternative splicing events, and gene fusions. These aspects are often overlooked by traditional short-read methods, which typically focus on the 3′ end of transcripts. Accessing full-length isoform data at the single-cell level enables researchers to explore new avenues for biomarker discovery and therapeutic development.
ArgenTag distinguishes itself as one of the few companies focused on solutions specifically designed for long-read sequencing. This emphasis on high-resolution, full-length isoform data provides unparalleled biological clarity, unattainable through short-read platforms. Their platform also includes integrated software tools optimized for long-read data, which streamline the complex analysis of single-cell datasets by demultiplexing reads and assigning them to their corresponding cells.
Grant Program to Support Research Initiatives
In conjunction with this partnership, ArgenTag is launching a Single-Cell Long-Read Research Grant Program. This initiative will grant selected researchers access to the ArgenTag single-cell kit, fostering novel or exploratory long-read single-cell projects. The application period for this grant opens on February 17, 2026, and closes on March 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Interested applicants can find additional details, including eligibility criteria and application instructions, on the ArgenTag website.
“Our mission at ArgenTag is to enable scientists to better understand health and disease with long-read single-cell sequencing solutions,” said Leandro Ciappina, CEO of ArgenTag. “By joining PacBio Compatible, we are enabling more researchers to access high-resolution, long-read data. This compatibility empowers any lab to explore the full complexity of the transcriptome at single-cell resolution.”
This partnership marks a significant advancement in the single-cell genomics industry, potentially transforming how researchers approach transcriptomic analysis.
