Affordable, High-Performance Genotyping for Life Sciences

Empower Discovery and Innovation with PACE® by 3CR

From academic labs to biotech start-ups, life science research depends on reliable molecular tools. SNP genotyping is essential across areas like disease research, functional genomics, biomarker discovery, and translational studies. But traditional probe-based technologies can be expensive, limiting the scale and pace of scientific progress.

At 3CR, we believe in Making Science Affordable. Our patented PACE® (PCR Allelic Competitive Extension) chemistry provides a powerful, cost-effective SNP genotyping solution for life science applications. Designed for high-throughput PCR, PACE® delivers accuracy, reproducibility, and flexibility — enabling researchers to run more samples, explore more targets, and push innovation further.

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Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Functional Genomics

Interrogate SNPs linked to gene function, expression regulation, or structural variants to understand how genetics drive biological processes.

Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Disease Association Studies

Screen populations for genetic variants associated with susceptibility or resistance to human, animal, or plant diseases.

Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Biomarker Discovery & Validation

PACE® provides the throughput required for identifying and validating SNP biomarkers for diagnostics or therapeutic research.

Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Translational & Preclinical Research

Bridge basic science and clinical applications by genotyping SNPs relevant to disease models, drug metabolism, or patient stratification.

Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Microbial Genotyping

Track mutations, monitor genetic variation in microbial populations, or study host-pathogen interactions with high-resolution SNP data.

Applications in Life Sciences

PACE® is widely adopted across diverse research disciplines. Key applications include:

Model Organism Studies

Support research in Arabidopsis, zebrafish, Drosophila, and mouse genetics with flexible, low-cost SNP genotyping.

Real-World Examples

  • Cancer Research: Screening SNPs linked to tumour progression or therapy response.
  • Pharmacogenomics: Studying genetic variation affecting drug metabolism.
  • Infectious Disease: Identifying host SNPs influencing pathogen susceptibility.
  • Neuroscience: Exploring genetic markers associated with neurological disorders.
  • Plant & Animal Sciences: Supporting model research projects with rapid SNP analysis.

Already Sure? Let’s UPGRADE Life Science Genotyping TOGETHER!

Order your PACE® Master Mix now and streamline your workflows with unmatched speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency—trusted by 600+ labs worldwide.

Simple Integration, Expert Support

PACE® is designed to fit seamlessly into standard PCR workflows, meaning there’s no steep learning curve for adoption. Our technical support team provides guidance on reaction setup, primer ordering (we recommend suppliers such as IDT), and troubleshooting, ensuring you get the most from every assay.

If your lab prefers outsourced services, 3CR provides full-service PACE® chemistry genotyping for projects of any size.

Get Started with PACE® for Life Sciences

Whether you’re an academic group, biotech company, or contract research organisation, 3CR can help you streamline your genotyping workflows.

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End-to-end genotyping solutions FOR AQUACULTURE BREEDING

Unlock the full spectrum of genotyping possibilities with our comprehensive, modular range of instruments. Explore our end-to-end genotyping automation solutions and discover the perfect fit for your laboratory, ensuring efficiency and accuracy at every step.

AUTOMATED EXTRACTION

Automated Extraction

Fully automated, high-quality nucleic acid extraction & purification instrumentation for use with magnetic bead-based reagents. Suitable for genotyping, library sequencing, gene chip analysis & more.

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LIQUID HANDLING

LIQUID HANDLING

Automated liquid handling workstation for sample replication and reformatting, low volume assay dispensing, plate sealing and more. On-deck sonicating washing dramatically reduces tip consumption and cost.

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THERMAL CYCLING

THERMAL CYCLING

A highly efficient, high-throughput thermal cycling water bath instrument capable of running up to 25 PCR plates per run. Robust, streamlined basket design.

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DATA ANALYSIS

DATA ANALYSIS

A high-speed plate scanner for precise fluorescence signal detection and analysis. Full-field scanning technology for excellent sensitivity and resolution; automated loading, detection and unloading.

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About 3CR

3CR is an independent UK-based company dedicated to Making Science Affordable. Our proprietary PACE® technology powers genotyping applications across crops, livestock, aquaculture, fruits, vegetables, and life sciences. We help researchers worldwide achieve more — at lower cost — by providing robust, scalable, and flexible PCR solutions.

PACE genotyping accuracy, independently verified
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YEARS OF COMBINED TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
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customers worldwide
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assays designed to date
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seed producers worldwide trust PACE genotyping
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Take the Next Step! Accelerate your discovery pipeline with cost-effective SNP genotyping from 3CR.

With PACE®, you can scale your experiments, validate more biomarkers, and bring research closer to real-world impact.

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MEET OUR TEAM

Steve Asquith Managing Director
Steve began his career in the Genetics Division of GlaxoSmithKline, as part of the team establishing GSK’s high-throughput core genotyping laboratory. Steve joined KBioscience when it was first founded in 2002 and was a key driver in taking the company from a small start-up to a multi-national service laboratory, quickly growing the company’s revenue to over $7.5M p.a. Following the acquisition of Kbioscience by LGC in 2011, Steve was appointed Global Director of Operations for LGC Genomics, responsible for over 100 staff in Europe and N. America, successfully elevating the genotyping products and service business. Steve held a crucial leadership role until he left in 2016. In 2017 Steve joined forces with John Holme to create 3CR Bioscience, a new company with a mission to deliver outstanding, customer-focused genotyping products with innovation and affordability at its core.
Dr. John Holme Technical Director
John joined KBioscience shortly after it was founded, in 2003, and became Head of Technical Development, building the company’s genotyping and DNA extraction product portfolio and service delivery until 2011 when it was acquired by LGC. Post-acquisition, John was appointed Head of Technical Group for LGC Genomics, in charge of all Research & Development and Technical Support activities for the company. In this role John continued to build on the high-quality products and services provided to the companies growing customer base. During the 19 years John has worked in commercial R&D, he has co-invented numerous highly successful products including PACE®, ProbeSure, KASPâ„¢, KlearKall, KlearGene, KlearAmp and KlearTaqâ„¢, creating breakthrough offerings in genotyping and extraction and generating huge revenues for the companies he has worked in. In 2017, he joined forces with Steve Asquith and started 3CR Bioscience. John is dedicated to developing outstanding, innovative genotyping products and providing the very best technical support to customers globally.
Dr. Nisha JainOperations Director
Nisha has been innovating since the start of her career at Geneform Technologies developing Iso-thermal Genotyping Technologies. Nisha joined KBioscience in 2008, as Senior R&D Scientist and key account Technical Support Scientist, developing KASP and Klearkall performance and coinventing two further versions of KASP. Nisha has more than 15 years’ experience working in molecular biology and genotyping technologies, with extensive experience in the areas of R&D, Quality Assurance and Customer Technical Support. She has technically assisted many giants of the industry with their protocol development and troubleshooting and continues to deliver high-quality support and guidance. In 2018, Nisha joined 3CR Bioscience as Operations Director where she continues to develop PACE and ProbeSure for an increasing range of applications, and to grow 3CR Bioscience’s new product pipeline. Nisha is dedicated to developing outstanding, innovative genotyping products and providing the very best technical support to customers globally.
Nazma Saffin General Manager
For 20 years Nazma Saffin has worked and gained extensive expertise within the genotyping sector. Working at Kbioscience and then LGC, she has held operational leadership posts responsible for manufacturing and laboratory services. With experience of ISO 9001 implementation, production scale up and LEAN operations, Nazma has successfully led highly profitable production departments. Joining 3CR Bioscience in 2022, Nazma is committed to delivering operational excellence.
Jon Curtis Non-Executive Chair
After 8 years in The Royal Air Force, Jon moved to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund where he pioneered the use of ultra high-throughput genomic automation, capable of 46,000 PCRs per hour. In the 1990’s Jon joined GlaxoSmithKline, implementing a high-throughput genomics platform into their drug discovery pipeline. Whilst there he also developed acoustic mixing into compound management, becoming the gold standard across pharma. Jon developed the world’s first commercially viable 1536-well PCR plates, automated thermal & laser plate-sealer, plus automated liquid-handling & tip washing tools to reduce waste and costs. In 2002 Jon co-founded KBioscience with Phil Robinson, utilising ultra high-throughput PCR instrumentation & a suite of automation tools to create the company’s SNPline robotic platform, with a capacity of 250,000 PCRs/day. The business was underpinned by their ground-breaking patented genotyping chemistry, KASP™, which has over 10,000 scientific papers to date. In November 2022 Jon joined 3CR Bioscience acting as an advisor bringing his commercial and scientific experience to the company.