PacBio Stock Up on HiFi Sequencing Adoption for Major SUDC Research

Company Developments - Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (PACB) announced that its HiFi whole-genome sequencing technology has been adopted as a first-line approach in a major research effort to study Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) [1] - The research, led by UW Medicine and Seattle Children's, will sequence trios from 200 families using PacBio's Revio sequencing system with SPRQ-Nx chemistry, enabling comprehensive detection of genetic variation [9] - PACB reported preliminary revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 of $44.6 million and full year 2025 revenue of $160 million, representing year-over-year growth of 14% and 4%, respectively [3] Market Performance - Following the announcement, PACB shares gained 10.8% in the trading session [3] - Over the last six months, PACB shares have increased by 63.9%, compared to the industry's growth of 11.4% and the S&P 500's rise of 14.8% during the same period [3] - PACB currently has a market capitalization of $643.1 million [6] Technology and Industry Trends - HiFi sequencing is positioned as a first-line approach for complex genetic cases, which is expected to strengthen clinical validation and accelerate adoption [4] - The global long-read sequencing market size was estimated at $538.9 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.53 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 20.12% from 2025 to 2030 [12] - PACB's SPRQ-Nx chemistry enhances the performance of HiFi sequencing by delivering higher throughput, improved data quality, and lower costs, making large-scale whole-genome sequencing studies more practical [10] Future Prospects - The adoption of HiFi sequencing in clinical research is expected to create a recurring revenue stream for PACB as demand for its Revio systems, consumables, and service contracts rises [4] - The new community-developed method, CiFi, enables chromosome-scale, haplotype-resolved genome assemblies from a single sequencing run, addressing limitations of short-read Hi-C [13][14]