MERCURIUS™

DRUG-seq kits
for high-throughput transcriptomics

Massively multiplexed and extraction-free library preparation kits.

Compatible with Illumina® and AVITI™ sequencers.

Discover Sample Datasets

HepG2, Hap1, HeLa

Ideal for screening projects

No RNA extraction, no material loss

Pre-amplification-free protocol

One-day library prep workflow

Product Overview

Built for screening teams requiring ultra-high-throughput detection of protein-coding transcripts in 2D cell lines and primary cells without expensive, time-consuming RNA extraction. Ideal for screening studies with larger cohorts, more conditions, or more timepoints than possible to realistically assess with standard bulk RNA-seq methods.

MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq enables bulk RNA-seq at screening scale through in-well cell lysis, early barcoding, and multiplexing of up to 96 or 384 samples in a single tube. It provides 3’ transcript coverage of coding transcripts without compromising depth, data quality, or sensitivity compared to sample-by-sample methods. As it is compatible with standard high-throughput screening infrastructure and Illumina® and AVITI™ platforms, it makes high-throughput transcriptomics a reality for compound screening, safety assessment, dose–response, and whole-transcriptome CRISPR perturbation screens.

preps in a single tube
Up to 96
genes detected
at 1M reads/sample
300 +
extraction steps needed
Down to 1 RNA
library prep workflow
Down to 3 day

Applications

  • Medium-to-large compound screens where time and unit cost matter
  • Mechanism-of-action and target validation studies
  • Toxicity profiling and benchmark dosing
  • Time-course and dose-response matrices
  • Generating AI-ready expression matrices across hundreds to thousands of samples

Detects 13k+ genes at 1M reads/sample

Distribution of the number of detected genes across 22,000 samples in 125x 384-well MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq plates from six different frozen cell lines. The library was sequenced at an average of 1 million reads per sample on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000.

51

Compounds

6

Cell lines

13'000

Genes/sample
1M reads/sample

Enables accurate compound clustering and co-clustering analysis based on unbiased gene expression

UMAP projection of transcriptional profiles from cells treated with four compounds individually and in combination, alongside untreated controls. Each point represents a single sample, coloured by treatment condition. Samples cluster by transcriptional similarity, revealing that single-compound treatments and combination treatments occupy distinct regions of transcriptional space.

Sample Datasets

HepG2

Number of samples:
360
Reads per sample in demo dataset:
10'000 reads

To have access to the deep-sequenced dataset (2 M reads per sample) contact us.

Demo dataset file size:
217 MB

Hap1

Number of samples:
24
Reads per sample in demo dataset:
10'000 reads

To have access to the deep-sequenced dataset (7.3 M reads per sample) contact us.

Demo dataset file size:
13.3 MB

HeLa

Number of samples:
24
Reads per sample in demo dataset:
10'000 reads

To have access to the deep-sequenced dataset (7.1 M reads per sample) contact us.

Demo dataset file size:
13.6 MB

Product documentation

User guide

Barcode files

Publications

2025
Anstett, V.; Heinzelmann, E.; Piraino, F.; Roch, A.; Chrisnandy, A.; Norkin, M.; Garnier, V.; Homicsko, K.; Hoehnel-Ka, S.; Brandenberg, N.

Application

Equipment compatibility

Illumina and AVITI NGS instruments

Species compatibility

All eukaryotic species

Available formats

96 and 384 preps

Shipping conditions

Dry ice

Storage conditions

-20C


Validated Cell Lines

Liver / Hepatic Models
HepaRGLiver
HepG2Liver (HCC)
Huh7Liver (HCC)
Hep3BLiver (HCC)
PHH (Primary Human Hepatocytes)Primary liver
NCI-H295RAdrenal/liver metabolism
Cancer Cells
MCF7Breast cancer
A549Lung carcinoma
H358Lung cancer
NCI-H1563 / H1048Lung cancer
DLD-1Colorectal cancer
SW837Colorectal cancer
HCT116Colorectal cancer
LS180Colorectal cancer
COLO201Colorectal cancer
C2BBe / C2BBe1Colorectal
GP5dColorectal
U2OSOsteosarcoma
A172Glioblastoma
PSN-1Pancreatic cancer
AsPC-1Pancreatic cancer
SU.86.86Pancreatic cancer
A375Melanoma
HaCaTKeratinocyte
UMUC3Bladder cancer
5637Bladder cancer
HT1197Bladder cancer
Cal29Bladder cancer
UBLC1Bladder cancer
Blood / Immune Cells
PBMCPrimary blood
JurkatT-cell leukemia
RajiB-cell lymphoma
THP-1Monocyte
U937Monocyte
MV-4-11AML
MOLM13AML
HL60Leukemia
MM1SMyeloma
KMS12BMMyeloma
CD4+ / CD8+ T cellsPrimary immune
Tregs / TILsImmune subsets
CD3 T cellsImmune
Stem Cells / iPSC-Derived Models
iPSCPluripotent
iPSC-derived neuronsNeural
iPSC-derived cardiomyocytesCardiac
iPSC-derived cortical neuronsNeural
iPSC-derived organoidsVarious
Neural / Glial Models
HMC3Microglia
LuhmesDopaminergic neuron
IMR90Fibroblast (used in brain spheres)
iCell GlutaNeuronsNeurons
Astrocytes (human/mouse/rat)Glial
Fibroblast
NHDFDermal fibroblast
MEFMouse embryonic fibroblasts
Epithelial
HEK293 / HEK293TKidney (transformed)
ARPE-19Retinal epithelium
NHEKKeratinocytes
Lung epithelialEpithelial
RPTEC/TERT1Kidney (proximal tubule)
T84Colon epithelium
Adipose
Human adipocytesPrimary
Brown adipocytesMetabolic
Visceral adipocytesPrimary
Mouse/canine adiposeAnimal

Each DRUG-seq or BRB-seq kit contains reagents (including four pairs of Unique Dual Indexing adapters) sufficient for the complete library preparation process for four different pools.

To note, the total number of RNA samples that can be processed with one kit does not exceed the kit specifications; for instance, a 96-sample kit can be used to prepare up to 96 samples distributed across up to four different libraries.

The DRUG-seq technology can be used to generate high-quality sequencing data from 2000 – 50000 mammalian cells per well. Notably, the kit can be used to pool any number of samples up to the capacity of the provided plate (96 or 384) with two considerations:

The total cell number per pool should be at least 80000.

Pooling less than eight samples may result in low-complexity reads during sequencing, decreasing the overall sequencing quality.

The only difference between DRUG-seq and standard RNA-seq data analysis is the demultiplexing step, which is used to assign sequencing reads to their sample of origin based on the DRUG-seq barcode sequence.

For a thorough description of DRUG-seq data processing, please refer to the DRUG-seq kit user guide.

The barcode set for your kit is conveniently located on the kit label. Please refer to the label for accurate identification.

For optimal compatibility, ensure that you use the appropriate plate format (e.g., for kits designed for 96 reactions, the 96 well-plate format should be used). This ensures accurate and efficient processing of your samples. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our support team for assistance by email or using our live chat tool.

Ask your question:

Kit name

Catalog number

Total preps
Barcoded plates
UDI
pairs
Species compatibility

MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq library prep kit (96 preps)

#10841
96
1
4
Human, mouse, rat,
all eukaryotic species

MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq library prep kit (4x96 preps)

#11041
384
4
4
Human, mouse, rat,
all eukaryotic species

MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq library prep kit (384 preps)

#10851
384
1
4
Human, mouse, rat,
all eukaryotic species

MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq library prep kit (4x384 preps)

#11051
1,536
4
4
Human, mouse, rat,
all eukaryotic species

* Contact us to inquire about compatibility with other species. 

** Find the list of validated cell lines here.

Accessories

Product

Catalog number

Number of Samples

UDI Pairs

MERCURIUS™ UDI Expansion module

#10504
-
12

MERCURIUS™ Cell Lysis Modules

#10351
96
-

MERCURIUS™ Cell Lysis Modules

#10352
384
-

MERCURIUS™ Standard Post-Pooling Preparation Module (4 libraries)

#10501
-
-

Ordering tip

Each kit includes 4 UDI pairs. Add the expansion module if you need more unique indexes (total 16 UDI pairs available). 

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