Ultima Genomics Inc. has revolutionized the world of genomic sequencing with the launch of its UG 100 Solaris platform, which promises significant advancements in efficiency and cost reduction to the industry. Officially announced at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Conference on February 24, 2025, the UG 100 Solaris features new chemistry, software updates, and easier workflows aimed at surpassing the capabilities of traditional sequencing technologies.
The UG 100 Solaris sets the bar high by increasing output to 10 to 12 billion reads per wafer—a remarkable over 50% enhancement compared to its predecessor. Ultima has also slashed pricing by 20%, bringing the cost down to just $0.24 per million reads, which facilitates the ambition of sequencing the entire human genome for around $80. This affordability could usher in the long-sought goal of making genomic sequencing universally accessible.
Gilad Almogy, founder and CEO of Ultima Genomics, expressed his enthusiasm about the launch, stating, "Only one year after commercially launching our UG 100 sequencing platform, we are excited to announce another major leap forward... providing even higher throughput, lower cost, and broader support for key applications technologies on our UG 100 sequencing platform." This pivotal rollout not only exemplifies the potential of the UG 100 architecture but also signals dramatic shifts toward more affordable genomic data.
The UG 100 Solaris is also engineered to handle various workflows, such as Solaris Free for PCR-free library preparations and Solaris Flex for amplified and converted libraries. These advancements have garnered praise from prominent institutions already using the technology.
Kenny Beckman, Director at the University of Minnesota Genomics Center, noted, "The UG 100 has really transformed the way we approach high-depth projects. At the per read cost of the new Solaris chemistry, we are simply replacing sequence capture with whole-genome sequencing. We have been amazed to see, in our initial projects, it's less expensive -- not to mention way simpler -- to sequence the whole human genome at 30X than to carry out just 1/1000th of it through traditional capture methods." Beckman’s enthusiasm reflects the excitement within the scientific community as they explore the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of whole-genome sequencing.
The Broad Institute has also reported significant advancements with the UG 100 Solaris. Executive Vice President, Stacey Gabriel, commented, "The new Solaris chemistry has provided us with considerable increase in our output on the UG 100 Sequencer and at a cost-point enabling many applications for the Broad community." With large-scale projects running on the sequencer, the Broad Institute anticipates the economic benefits of the new lower cost reads.
Meanwhile, John Overton, PhD, Vice President at Regeneron Genetics Center, stated, "Our genetic analyses are powered by the scale of our data, making our sequencing lab's throughput key to our success. We are looking forward to increasing throughput with the UG 100 Sequencer with Solaris, and plan to utilize it with the recently announced UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project to generate the largest and most comprehensive proteomics dataset in the world." The collaboration between Regeneron and UK Biobank highlights the capability of Solaris to assist extensive research endeavors and usher significant advancements necessary for health innovations.
Additional developments include the early access availability of UG 100 Solaris Boost, which promises to offer unprecedented throughput of up to 100 billion reads per day for specific short-read applications. Almogy noted, "Solaris Boost is an excellent example of the scalability possible with our flexible sequencing architecture, and this feature will enable data-hungry applications." The anticipation around Solaris Boost indicates the increasing momentum for high-throughput sequencing, which can facilitate population-scale genomics.
Through these advancements, Ultima Genomics is at the forefront of transforming genomic analysis. Johnny Yu, CSO and Co-Founder at Vevo Therapeutics, emphasized the changes at play stating, "We believe the field of biotechnology is rapidly accelerating toward massive datasets and AI/ML techniques to transform drug discovery. The speed, quality, and cost enabled by Ultima's technology provide compelling capability for those seeking to rapidly generate data at massive scale." This sentiment captures the broader industry acknowledgment of the potential for this technology.
With the UG 100 Solaris, Ultima Genomics has positioned itself to play a central role as the genomics field progresses at breakneck speed. The improvements not only promise to make genomic data more accessible but hold the potential to reshape research and therapeutic development pathways, heralding the dawn of API-driven therapeutics on monumental scales.