Affymetrix and Leica Biosystems have announced the launch of Affymetrix’ fully automated RNA in situ hybridization assays ViewRNATM eZ assays on the Leica BOND RX staining platform.
These assays detect coding RNA as well as novel non-coding markers in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Dedicated for research use only, the assays provide researchers with a powerful automated solution for drug discovery, translational research, and the development of new diagnostic tests for personalized medicine. The automation significantly reduces hands-on time and assay run time for profiling single-cell gene expression.
The Leica BOND RX system automates the staining process, bringing all the benefits of consistency, reduced labor, and speed. This fully automated assay is hands-free from tissue de-waxing to counter staining, and offers high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility with easy standardization across laboratories. ViewRNA eZ Assays represent a major technological advancement offering a robust and reliable platform to easily interrogate the function and disease relevance of any expressed genes.
Affymetrix COO Dr Andrew Last noted that in particular, the ability to target non-coding as well as coding transcripts opens up a significant new capability to discover powerful new biomarkers for molecular test development, as the importance of the non-coding regions of the transcriptome are becoming more and more evident.
"In addition, researchers can now design probes to visualize RNA transcripts coding for secreted proteins, which are important targets that traditional immunohistochemistry assays have challenge detecting," Dr Last added.
Affymetrix’ ViewRNA eZ Assays on the Leica BOND RX platform are now available for research applications. The ViewRNA eZ staining protocol is pre-loaded onto the Leica BOND RX, and the staining kit optimized for FFPE samples and probes of choice are available from Affymetrix.