Volta Labs, founded in 2018 and spun out of the MIT Media Lab, is developing a desktop-sized, programmable instrument to automate DNA sample preparation. The platform uses digital fluidics (electrowetting) — an electrode grid that moves, mixes and heats drops — and can incorporate magnetic fields to extract molecules. The team aims to keep the device roughly laptop-sized while executing complex enzymatic and chemical workflows needed for sequencing prep. A working instrument is reportedly in the hands of four partners testing workflows in cancer care, RNA research, a genome center and synthetic biology. Volta plans a "limited trial edition" launch at the AGBT Genomics conference and expects a commercial product in 2023. The company positions its product as a solution to the sample-prep bottleneck that lags advances in sequencing throughput.

Total raised

$20M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Mar 2022