What Fluent BioSciences does

Fluent BioSciences is a life-sciences tools company that developed and commercialized PIPseq (Particle-Templated Instant Partitions) technology, a proprietary chemistry for single-cell RNA sequencing that segregates cell mixtures into barcoded partitions using a vortex mixer instead of complex microfluidic instrumentation. The Watertown, Massachusetts-based firm was founded in 2017 and built a product portfolio spanning four scalable kit tiers (T2, T10, T20, T100) supporting 100 to 200,000 cells per reaction with up to 96-plex multiplexing, supported by the PIPseeker analysis software, accessory reagents, nuclei isolation kits, and dedicated starter equipment. Its customer base spans academic research institutions, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, government labs, and hospital/medical centers performing cellular diversity, developmental biology, immunology, neuroscience, and translational research.

In July 2024 Illumina acquired Fluent BioSciences for less than $120 million to fold PIPseq into its multiomics portfolio; Fluent's kits are now sold as Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep kits through Illumina's global direct sales, online, and distributor channels. The platform integrates with Illumina sequencers (NovaSeq X, NovaSeq 6000, NextSeq 1000/2000, NextSeq 550) as well as third-party platforms from Element Biosciences and Singular Genomics, and routes secondary analysis through DRAGEN, BaseSpace Sequence Hub, Partek Flow, and Illumina Connected Multiomics. The company was funded pre-acquisition through NIH SBIR grants and a 2020 equity round led by Illumina Ventures and Samsara BioCapital.

Name

Fluent BioSciences

Legal name

Fluent BioSciences

Website

https://fluentbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fluent BioSciences (acquired by Illumina in July 2024) developed PIPseq, a microfluidics-free single-cell RNA sequencing chemistry sold as Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep kits to academic, biotech, pharmaceutical, government, and clinical research laboratories worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reagents

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transcriptomics & Gene Expression Profiling Services (HLAGANAE), Multiplex & High-Throughput Diagnostics Platforms (microarrays, digital PCR, lab automation-enabled assays) (HLAAALAL)

Keywords

• Single-cell RNA sequencing
• ScRNA-seq kits
• Transcriptomics reagents
• Single-cell analysis software
• Microfluidics-free sequencing

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Single-cell RNA sequencing kits: Sale of Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep kits including T2 (8 samples, 2000 cells/sample), T10 (8 samples, 10000 cells/sample), T20 (4 samples, 20000 cells/sample), and T100 (2 samples, 100000 cells/sample) kits. Revenue generated from reagent kit sales through Illumina's distribution network.
2. PIPseeker Software: Data analysis software available for download. Users must register and agree to End User License Agreement to access downloads.
3. Accessory Products: Sales of accessory products including Illumina Single Cell Unique Dual Indexes, Nuclei Isolation Kit, Supplemental Enrichment and Amplification Kit, and Starter Equipment (Dry Bath, Vortex Mixer)

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fluent BioSciences develops and sells single-cell RNA sequencing reagent kits and analysis software based on its proprietary PIPseq (Particle-Templated Instant Partitions) technology. The product line includes four kit tiers (T2, T10, T20, T100) supporting 2,000 to 100,000 cells per sample, along with PIPseeker analysis software, multiplexing indexes, nuclei isolation reagents, enrichment kits, and starter equipment such as vortex mixers and dry baths. The platform enables single-cell mRNA capture, barcoding, and library preparation without requiring microfluidic instrumentation.

Product overview

Fluent BioSciences (acquired by Illumina in July 2024) offers a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing solution centered on PIPseq (Particle-Templated Instant Partitions) technology. The portfolio includes four kit tiers—T2 (2,000 cells), T10 (10,000 cells), T20 (20,000 cells), and T100 (100,000 cells)—providing scalable throughput from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of cells. The platform uniquely eliminates the need for expensive microfluidic equipment through a vortex-based workflow. Supporting products include PIPseeker analysis software, sample multiplexing indexes (UDI-96), nuclei isolation reagents, and starter equipment. The solution integrates with Illumina sequencers (NovaSeq, NextSeq), Element Biosciences Aviti, and Singular Genomics platforms, analyzed through DRAGEN, BaseSpace Sequence Hub, and Partek Flow software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep: Following acquisition by Illumina in July 2024, Fluent BioSciences' PIPseq technology has been rebranded and integrated into Illumina's product portfolio as Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep kits. The product line includes T2, T10, T20, and T100 kits for scalable single-cell RNA sequencing.

Products and services

• Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep T2 Kit Entry-level reagent kit for single-cell RNA sequencing, covering 8 samples with up to 2,000 cells per sample. Includes cell capture, library prep reagents, and cDNA synthesis capabilities, designed for academic and biotech researchers new to single-cell workflows.
• Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep T10 Kit Mid-throughput reagent kit covering 8 samples with up to 10,000 cells per sample for single-cell RNA sequencing applications in research and translational settings.
• Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep T20 Kit High-capacity reagent kit covering 4 samples with up to 20,000 cells per sample, providing enhanced throughput for larger-scale single-cell RNA sequencing studies.
• Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep T100 Kit Ultra-high-throughput reagent kit covering 2 samples with up to 100,000 cells per sample, designed for massive-scale single-cell profiling to identify rare cell types in heterogeneous populations.
• PIPseeker Software Analysis software for single-cell RNA sequencing data that generates standard feature-barcode count matrices, provides summary metrics, diagnostic plots, clustering, and differential gene expression tables. Compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows and available via download with registration and End User License Agreement acceptance.
• Illumina Single Cell Unique Dual Indexes Accessory product providing 96 indexes that enable high-plex pooling of up to 96 samples, allowing multiplexing of more than 8 samples per sequencing run for single-cell workflows.
• Illumina Single Cell Nuclei Isolation Kit Optional accessory reagent kit providing reagents for nuclei isolation, washing, and resuspension to enable single nuclei input into the Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep workflow.
• Illumina Single Cell Supplemental Enrichment and Amplification Kit Optional accessory reagent kit providing reagents for custom single-cell applications, enabling enrichment of custom RNA tag sequences for expanded multiomic workflows.
• Illumina Single Cell Prep Starter Equipment One-time purchase equipment bundle required for the Illumina Single Cell Library Prep workflow, including a vortex mixer engineered for consistent emulsification, a dry bath with heated lid, and accessories for 0.5ml, 1.5ml, and 5ml tubes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Single-cell analysis scalable from 100 to 200,000 cells in a single reaction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• IlluminaflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 30 April 2026Following acquisition, Illumina integrated Fluent BioSciences single-cell RNA sequencing into its TruPath Genome platform launched in Taiwan in April 2026, combining single-cell transcriptomics with whole-genome sequencing.
• IlluminaflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 July 2024Illumina acquired Fluent BioSciences in July 2024 for less than $120 million to enhance its multiomics portfolio with single-cell technology. The acquisition is part of Illumina's broader strategy to expand in the single-cell sequencing space. Fluent BioSciences products are now sold under Illumina's brand as Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep kits.
• Ultima GenomicscoreTechnology or IntegrationFluent BioSciences received NIH SBIR Phase II grant to commercialize low-cost, high-capacity single-cell RNA sequencing kits enabled by Ultima Genomics' sequencing technology. The partnership combines Fluent BioSciences' PIPseq technology with Ultima Genomics' high-throughput sequencing capabilities.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington University in St. Louis lab successfully tested Fluent BioSciences' prototype million-cell analysis kits, demonstrating the potential of the technology for high-throughput cellular analysis research.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• 1CellBio: Emerging single-cell multiomics player with droplet-based workflows for targeted gene expression and proteogenomics, partially overlapping with PIPseq's transcriptomics applications.
• Scale Biosciences: Early-stage single-cell company developing low-cost, scalable combinatorial indexing-based workflows; directly comparable on the microfluidics-free, cost-accessible thesis.

Direct peers

• Singleron Biotechnologies: Single-cell sequencing company offering microfluidic-free workflows (AccuraCode, Singleron Matrix) targeting similar academic, clinical, and pharma customers as Fluent/PIPseq.
• Parse Biosciences: Single-cell RNA sequencing company whose Evercode platform also eliminates microfluidics through combinatorial barcoding. Directly comparable to PIPseq on the microfluidics-free, scalable workflow value proposition.
• 10x Genomics: Category leader in single-cell sequencing with the Chromium platform, offering microfluidic droplet-based scRNA-seq, multiome, ATAC, and spatial assays. The dominant incumbent Fluent/PIPseq directly competes against on cost, ease-of-use, and scalability.
• Mission Bio: Single-cell DNA sequencing and multiomics platform (Tapestri) for genomics, particularly oncology. Competes with Fluent in adjacent single-cell applications and shares overlapping pharma/biotech customers.
• BD (Becton Dickinson) – BD Rhapsody: BD's Rhapsody single-cell analysis platform uses a microwell-based approach to compete with both microfluidic and PIPseq-style workflows. A major strategic competitor for biotech and pharma single-cell deals.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Broader life science tools and ddPCR/droplet technology provider with single-cell adjacencies through the ddSEQ workflow, supplying incumbent alternatives for scRNA-seq sample prep.
• Illumina: Now Fluent's parent company, Illumina provides the NovaSeq/NextSeq sequencing platforms and global commercial infrastructure under which PIPseq is sold as Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA Prep.

Others

• Element Biosciences: Sequencer vendor whose Aviti platform is documented as compatible with PIPseq chemistry. Acts as an enabling ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fluent BioSciences