NanoString Technologies signed an early-access agreement for the nCounter Analysis System for digital gene expression with the Genome Sequencing Center at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Washington University will use the technology first for a large-scale diabetes study to validate the expression of over 50 genes across 15 tissues in over 900 samples. “If we wanted to perform this study with qPCR it would have been over 55,000 individual reactions,” comments James Cheverud, Ph.D., who will lead the research. “We can complete the entire study on the nCounter Analysis System in about 900 reactions and in a fraction of the time.”
The nCounter Analysis System uses digital technology that enables direct multiplexed measurement of gene expression. It offers high levels of sensitivity and precision including detection of fractional fold change differences, according to NanoString. The technology uses molecular barcodes and single molecule imaging to detect and count hundreds of unique transcripts in a single reaction.
