Pacific Biosciences of California PACB, also known as PacBio, recently entered a collaboration with Blank Bio, an applied AI research company focused on RNA foundation models for precision oncology. The collaboration accompanies PACB’s $7.2 million seed financing in Blank Bio to support model development and partnership expansion. Blank Bio will use PacBio’s HiFi long-read sequencing technology to generate bulk RNA sequencing data from patient tumor samples across multiple cancer indications.
PacBio Management noted that its HiFi long-read sequencing technology is built to resolve complex transcriptomes of tumors that conventional sequencing approaches may miss. The company underscored that Blank Bio’s foundation models show how high-resolution RNA sequencing and machine learning can strengthen precision oncology applications, including biomarker discovery, diagnostics and clinical trial design.
Likely Trend of PACB Stock Following the News
Following the announcement, the company's shares traded flat at yesterday’s closing. In the year-to-date period, the stock has declined 38.5% compared with the industry’s 18.8% fall. However, the S&P 500 has risen 9% in the same timeframe.
The collaboration with Blank Bio strengthens PacBio’s competitive standing in the oncology market. It also expands the use of its HiFi long-read sequencing technology in AI-driven precision medicine applications. Rising adoption of long-read sequencing across clinical research and biomarker development could support PacBio’s long-term growth in advanced sequencing technologies.
PACB currently has a market capitalization of $357.2 million.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
More on the News
Under the collaboration, Blank Bio will generate PacBio HiFi long-read, bulk RNA sequencing data from up to 100 fresh frozen tumor samples spanning multiple cancer types. Sequencing activities will be conducted at Seattle Children’s Research Institute using Kinnex RNA libraries on the SPTLabtech firefly+ platform.
Bulk RNA sequencing is being adopted ever more across oncology research as it provides insight into the molecular state of tumors at scalable costs. Traditional analysis methods often compress RNA-seq data into per-gene count summaries, limiting the ability to capture isoform diversity and patient-specific tumor biology.
PacBio believes its HiFi long-read sequencing technology will help address these limitations by delivering comprehensive transcriptomic information. The collaboration with Blank Bio is expected to support the development of next-generation AI models capable of improving patient stratification, biomarker discovery and clinical interpretation in oncology.
Industry Prospects Favoring the Market
Going by the data provided by Precedence Research, the U.S.-targeted DNA/RNA sequencing market was valued at $5.73 billion in 2026 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 19.2% through 2035.
Factors like the rising cancer incidences, increasing focus on oncology, growth of precision medicine and rising trend for early disease detection are boosting the market’s growth.
Other News
PacBio reported mixed first-quarter 2026 results, wherein earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate while revenues missed the same. Stable revenues were supported by strong consumables demand, improving utilization trends and growth in the EMEA region, while operating losses narrowed due to lower expenses and restructuring benefits. During the quarter, PacBio strengthened its long-read sequencing business through collaborations with Basecamp Research, DNAstack and Lucid Genomics, expanded its SPRQ-Nx beta program and completed the sale of its short-read sequencing assets for approximately $48.1 million in net cash proceeds.
Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Price
Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. price | Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Quote
PACB’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks
PacBio currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are West Pharmaceutical WST, Globus Medical GMED and Intuitive Surgical ISRG.
West Pharmaceutical, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, reported first-quarter 2026 earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 26.8%. Revenues of $844.9 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
West Pharmaceutical has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 13.9%. WST’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 19.4%.
Globus Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.12, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 22.1%. Revenues of $759.9 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.0%.
Globus Medical has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 10.2%. GMED’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 26.3%.
Intuitive Surgical, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted EPS of $2.50, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20.2%. Revenues of $2.77 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.2%.
Intuitive Surgical has a long-term estimated growth rate of 14.6%. ISRG’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.8%.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG): Free Stock Analysis Report
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST): Free Stock Analysis Report
Globus Medical, Inc. (GMED): Free Stock Analysis Report
Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (PACB): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).