10x Genomics used the AACR meeting circuit to launch Atera, a new spatial instrument aimed at whole-transcriptome profiling at scale. The company positioned Atera as closing performance gaps seen in existing spatial tools, with higher throughput and multiplexing designed to reduce the usual tradeoffs between coverage, sensitivity, and experimental load. In direct comparisons to its Xenium platform, 10x said Atera delivers four times throughput, six times higher plex for targeted assays, 3.6x higher plex, and 2–3x sensitivity for whole-transcriptome workflows. The instrument is priced at $495,000 and is set for availability in the second half of the year, with orders now open. Atera supports up to 800 one-square-centimeter whole-transcriptome samples per year using FFPE or fresh frozen tissue, with a more than 5 cm² imageable area per slide. The system also includes an Atera whole-transcriptome assay spanning 18,000 genes and stackable 1,000-gene panels (Atera Select), with plans for optional stacking of up to three panels. Holger Heyn of CNAG (Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico) endorsed the direction, noting whole-transcriptome spatial profiling is positioned as an “ultimate approach” to measure single cells while preserving tissue context.