On February 22, 2021 NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSTG), a leading provider of life science tools for discovery and translational research, reported the commercial availability of the Whole Transcriptome Atlas (WTA) for research using human tissue and the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) (Press release, NanoString Technologies, FEB 22, 2021, View Source [SID1234575391]). In addition, NanoString is introducing the WTA for research using mouse tissue through its GeoMx Technology Access Program (TAP). These launches extend the GeoMx Atlas portfolio, which combine the power of spatial biology and Next Generation Sequencing, to enable full transcriptome spatial RNA and high-plex protein analysis on the GeoMx DSP.
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The WTA provides an unbiased, spatial view of all protein-coding genes and is designed for NGS readout on Illumina sequencers. The WTA extends the GeoMx RNA Assay portfolio from a focus on oncology and immunology to new applications in neuroscience, developmental biology, and additional diverse fields. The WTA utilizes the same workflow and chemistry as other GeoMx Atlas products to enable robust and sensitive performance in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) or Fresh Frozen samples. Complementary protein assays allow for a multi-omic view of spatial biology using GeoMx DSP.
"We applied the WTA to map the spatial context of gene expression in developing brains to better understand how substructures change over time. The high sensitivity of the WTA enabled us to not only map cells that we had identified in our single cell RNA-seq experiments, but also localize the cellular interactions that lead to substructure formation," said Omer Bayraktar, Ph.D., Cellular Genetics Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
"The launch of WTA is a key milestone for NanoString, bringing unbiased RNA profiling to the GeoMx DSP portfolio," said Brad Gray, president and chief executive officer of NanoString. "The strong enthusiasm for the products in our Technology Access Program highlights the appetite for whole transcriptome spatial analysis on GeoMx DSP."
The commercial launch of the Whole Transcriptome Atlas will be highlighted at NanoString’s 3rd Annual Spatial Genomics Summit, to be held virtually on February 23. Data demonstrating the high sensitivity and robust performance of the WTA for human and mouse will be highlighted in several presentations from leading research institutions. The Spatial Genomics Summit has been held each February beginning in 2019 to showcase the rapidly evolving field of Spatial Genomics. This year’s event will include a panel of experts for the plenary roundtable discussion of "Research in the Spatial Genomics Era." Panelists include Drs. Esperanza Anguiano from Bristol Myers Squibb, Omer Bayraktar of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Evan Newell from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Peter Sorger of Harvard Medical School. The moderator of the panel is Stephane Budel, Ph.D., from DeciBio Consulting.