Madrid Science Park strengthens the Spanish biotech ecosystem as an official provider of STOmics spatial transcriptomics
The validation of this disruptive technology, born from a strategic alliance with the CNB-CSIC and the BGI Group, provides the biotech and pharma sectors with nanometer-resolution genetic mapping, which is crucial for accelerating new therapies, precision oncology, and agritech innovation.
Madrid Science Park (PCM) takes a strategic step in its support for corporate R&D by becoming certified as an official laboratory provider of the STOmics spatial transcriptomics technology, developed by the MGI Group. This accreditation, formalized during a recent visit to our facilities by MGI executives led by President Duncan Yu, consolidates cutting-edge technological infrastructure now fully available to the Spanish biotechnology ecosystem.
Spatial transcriptomics enables unprecedented tissue analysis in the market: single-cell genetic mapping with a resolution of 500 nanometers. Unlike traditional targeted techniques, the STOmics platform stands out for its unbiased capture and extremely high versatility. It is fully compatible with both fresh frozen tissues and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks, a critical feature for entities focused on oncology research, immunology, biomarker development, and retrospective clinical trials. Furthermore, its technical applicability extends to animal models, microorganisms, and plant physiology, opening new R&D avenues for the blooming agritech sector.
The implementation of this demanding workflow has been made possible through a robust alliance between the PCM's Genomics Unit and the Histology and Confocal Microscopy services of the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC). This collaboration guarantees a flawless end-to-end processing pipeline. Internal technical validations have demonstrated optimal and scalable performance: highly intact RNA extractions (RIN > 8.4), detection of up to 28 000 genes per sample, and sequencing reads meeting rigorous Q30 quality standards of 97 %.
With the integration and readiness of this new service (first of its kind in the Community of Madrid, second in Spain), the PCM reaffirms its foundational mission: providing the biotechnology industry with deep tech infrastructures that drastically reduce the time-to-market of their innovations, thus positioning Spain as a highly competitive genomic hub on the global stage.
The image accompanying the article shows spatial gene expression analysis using STOmics on fresh-frozen mouse brain tissue. The results were generated by the Genomics Scientific Services Unit at Madrid Science Park (PCM), in collaboration with the Histology and Microscopy Units at CNB-CSIC.