NanoString Technologies,
Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a molecular barcoding
detection system, today announced that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is
employing its nCounter™ Analysis System at two of its core labs. One system
was purchased by the NCI Center for Cancer Research (CCR) through the Institute's
Office of Science and Technology Partnerships, and a second was purchased by
SAIC-Frederick, operations and technical support contractor to NCI-Frederick.
The nCounter Analysis System provides highly multiplexed, direct digital detection
and counting of individual biological molecules in a single reaction without
the need for amplification. The system is now available to all NCI researchers
through the CCR DNA Sequencing Minicore laboratory at the Bethesda facility
and through the Laboratory of Molecular Technology, Advanced Technology Program
of SAIC-Frederick at NCI-Frederick.
The role of the Office of Science and Technology Partnerships is to evaluate
the latest technologic advancements and then make these advances available to
all CCR investigators. The Advanced Technology Program offers the latest in
genetics and genomics technologies to the NCI through the Laboratory of Molecular
Technology. The nCounter Analysis System was selected based on the level of
multiplexed gene expression analysis it offers with high sensitivity and without
the need for enzymes, as well as its very simple workflow.
“We are excited to bring this state-of-the-art gene expression analysis
technology to our cancer researchers,” said Michael Smith, Director of
Genetics and Genomics and Vice-President at SAIC-Frederick. “The nCounter
Analysis System offers a cost-effective way to validate the results from our
large-scale microarray work for NCI investigators, producing a large amount
of quantitative data in a short amount of time with an easy to perform protocol.”
CCR investigators have already begun using the nCounter Analysis System in
various studies related to the mechanisms involved in cancer development. These
include investigations into the role of inflammation in cancer and RNA-interference
or “gene-knockdown” experiments, and studies measuring changes in
gene expression in response to drug treatment. These studies are expected to
lead to a better understanding of the disease and ultimately to more targeted
treatment options.
“The nCounter Analysis System is well suited to cancer research because
it is highly sensitive, has a very small sample requirement, and can handle
multiple sample types including whole blood and degraded samples,” said
Wayne Burns, Acting Chief Executive Officer of NanoString Technologies. “We
are proud to be part of the portfolio of technologies offered to scientists
at this prestigious institute and look forward to supporting NCI researchers
in their mission to discover new insights about this complex disease.”
The nCounter Analysis System is comprised of a fully automated sample prep
station, a digital analyzer, the CodeSet (molecular barcodes) and all other
reagents needed to perform the analysis. Custom and off-the-shelf assay panels
are available for gene expression analysis, with additional applications such
as miRNA profiling and copy number variation detection currently in development.