Cytos Cell Analysis System
Single-cell multiomics for CRISPR screening and drug discovery — capturing cell morphology, protein expression, guide RNA, and 3′ transcriptome from the same cell in one automated run on AVITI24.
Product Overview
CRISPR and drug screens can point you to a hit — but they don't always explain it. Cytos is Element Biosciences' single-cell multiomics workflow for CRISPR screening and drug discovery, run on the .
In one automated run, Cytos captures cell morphology, protein expression, guide RNA, and 3′ transcriptome data from the same cell — linking each perturbation directly to its downstream phenotype. Direct In Sample Sequencing reads the transcriptome in place, with no library prep and no separate sequencing run, and results are processed automatically through ElemBio Catalyst at run completion.
Applications
- →CRISPR and optical pooled screening
- →Single-cell multiomics analysis
- →Phenotypic drug discovery research
- →Cell morphology and imaging analysis
- →Cancer research technologies
- →Mechanism-of-action and dose-response studies
Compatible with AVITI24, ElemBio Catalyst, and CytoCanvas for visualization of transcriptome, protein, and morphology data.
Four Readouts From the Same Cell
Morphology (Cell Paint)
Imaging across four markers — cell membrane, nucleus, actin, and mitochondria — with onboard segmentation and feature extraction. Custom immunofluorescent markers can be added.
Protein
Up to 20-plex immunofluorescent readouts, including fixed panels and custom targets. Detection is intensity-based, and custom targets need no conjugation or barcoding.
3′ Transcriptome
Unbiased whole-transcriptome sequencing (poly-A) using Direct In Sample Sequencing — no library prep and no separate NGS run.
Guide RNA
Guide identity is read in place inside the cell, with high-confidence assignment for screens of tens to tens of thousands of guide RNAs.
Key Features and Benefits
Cytos Configurations
Cytos Optical Pooled Screening
Guide RNA and morphology readouts for optical pooled CRISPR screens.
Cytos Multimodal Pooled Screening
Guide RNA, morphology, protein, and 3′ transcriptome from the same cell.
Cytos 3′ Transcriptome
A transcriptome-focused configuration for whole-transcriptome single-cell readouts.
Kit options include Onboard Optimization, Protein, Optical Pooled Screening, 3′ Transcriptome, and Multimodal Pooled Screening kits, plus protein panels and slide kits. Contact our team for the full ordering list and catalog numbers.
Technical Specifications
| Platform | Runs on the Element Biosciences AVITI24 instrument |
| Readouts (same cell) | Cell morphology, protein expression, guide RNA, and 3′ transcriptome |
| Morphology | 4 markers (cell membrane, nucleus, actin, mitochondria), plus optional custom markers |
| Protein | Up to 20-plex immunofluorescent readouts (fixed panels and custom targets) |
| Transcriptome | Unbiased 3′ (poly-A) via Direct In Sample Sequencing — no library prep, no separate NGS run |
| Guide RNA scale | Tens to tens of thousands of guide RNAs per screen |
| Hands-on time | Less than one hour |
| Run time | As low as one day |
| Secondary analysis | Automated via ElemBio Catalyst (one-year subscription included with any kit) |