US genomics technology firm Element Biosciences, backed by Samsung Electronics as its largest shareholder, is kicking off a global road show in Seoul on Tuesday to showcase its latest DNA sequencing and multiomics technologies.
Founded in San Diego in 2017, Element develops genomic analysis technologies aimed at improving accuracy and lowering costs. The company entered the market in 2022 with its AVITI DNA sequencing system.
Samsung joined Element's Series D funding round in July 2024, contributing to the over $277 million raised for that round.
Samsung joined Element's Series D funding round in July 2024, when the bioscience company said it raised over $277 million. Samsung invested another $175 million in the Series E round in June 2026, becoming the company's largest shareholder.
The Shift Your Science event, held at Ryse Hotel in Hongdae, western Seoul, will feature a demonstration of Vitari, a high-throughput benchtop DNA sequencer, and the announcement of initial shipments of Cytos, a multiomics analysis platform.
Vitari is designed to make large-scale DNA sequencing faster and more affordable. Element claims the system delivers 99.99 percent sequencing accuracy and processes more than five times as much data per run as existing systems, potentially bringing the cost of sequencing a human genome down to $100 from a going rate that ranges from $200 to $800.
The compact device supports applications ranging from whole-genome sequencing for rare disease research to cancer studies and single-cell RNA analysis. Preorders are underway, with deliveries expected to begin by the end of 2026.
Cytos, meanwhile, enables researchers to examine multiple characteristics of individual cells simultaneously, including their physical structure, protein expression and gene activity.
By combining these measurements, the platform can help scientists track how cells respond to drug treatments and better understand disease mechanisms, potentially accelerating drug discovery.
"Progress in biological research begins with high-quality experimental data," Element CEO and co-founder Molly He said.
"Cytos enables researchers to observe cellular changes and analyze the results together, making more accurate and sophisticated experiments possible."
She added that the technology could help scientists tackle biological questions that existing analytical methods have struggled to address.
The Seoul event will feature presentations by He and Michael Previte, co-founder and chief technology officer, alongside researchers from Samsung Medical Center, KAIST, Yonsei University College of Medicine and institutions in Japan, Australia and India.
Discussions will cover applications in cancer research, gene regulation, immunology and agricultural genomics.
Following Seoul, Element's 2026 road show will continue in San Diego, Munich, Boston and Stockholm.
By Lim Ye-jin (yejinlim@heraldcorp.com)
