10x Genomics unveiled Atera, a new spatial platform positioned to deliver whole-transcriptome spatial biology at scale. The company presented the instrument at AACR, describing a design meant to reduce trade-offs seen in current spatial tools and expand throughput and sensitivity for whole-transcriptome workflows. Atera is benchmarked against 10x’s Xenium, with claims including higher throughput, greater multiplexing capacity for targeted assays, and improved sensitivity for whole transcriptome profiling. 10x said orders are open, with availability in the second half of the year, and set a $495,000 price point. For instrument buyers and translational researchers, Atera’s emphasis on whole-transcriptome profiling and panel customization could accelerate tissue-context studies where single-modality spatial reads have been limiting.