Plasmidsaurus launched a low‑cost, shallow‑depth transcriptome service marketed at $50 per academic sample with a two‑to‑three‑day turnaround, aiming to displace qPCR and traditional RNA‑seq for rapid gene expression work. The company processes samples in US labs and delivers interactive analysis tools; demand reportedly produced heavy daily order volumes at launch. The service threatens academic core facilities by offering a price and speed point that could change routine expression profiling workflows, prompting questions about capacity, data depth, and interpretation for different research use cases.