Workflow Application Provides Single Cell Analysis for Immunology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Research

(Seattle, WA, USA), a provider of life-science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, and BD Biosciences (San Jose, CA, USA), a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, reported on a collaboration agreement for the development of a single cell isolation and analysis workflow.

The companies, under the agreement, will jointly develop a workflow using the NanoString nCounter analysis system (including the nCounter single cell assay) and the BD flow cytometry cell-sorter product range (emphasizing the new BD FACSJazz cell sorting system). The combined workflow will enable single cell gene expression analysis for research applications such as immunology, and stem cell, and oncology research. Collaboration work will also include the development of materials validating the workflow protocol, as well as cohosting webinars and meetings to educate scientists about the single cell workflow.

“Maximizing both the quantity and quality of data that can be extracted from a single cell is critical to the emerging field of single cell biology. The nCounter analysis system can analyze entire gene pathways and provides a highly precise and reproducible digital output, making it ideally suited to the task,” said Brad Gray, president and chief executive officer, NanoString Technologies. “The nCounter analysis system and the BD FACSJazz cell sorting system can together provide a powerful and efficient workflow for single cell gene expression analysis.”

“Our collaboration with NanoString Technologies furthers BD’s commitment to providing researchers advanced solutions for cell analysis and isolation,” said Alberto Mas, president, BD Biosciences. “We believe this new sorting workflow will complement the recent and very rapid advances in genomic studies that value the requirement for greater sample integrity for critical single cell analysis.”

NanoString Technologies’ nCounter analysis system is a multi-application digital detection and counting system with a highly automated and simple workflow. The company’s single cell gene expression application provides researchers with a highly flexible and sensitive approach to discovering differences in cell-to-cell gene expression profiles. The tool enables up to 800 genes to be detected in a single tube.

The BD FACSJazz cell sorting system identifies, characterizes, and isolates single or multiple cells—from complicated or very rare cell populations—and positioning them in 96- and 384-well plates to provide fast cell isolation, tracking, and identification throughout the process.

NanoString Technologies is a global provider of life-science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products. The company’s nCounter analysis system has also now been applied to diagnostic use in the European Union. The system offers a cost-effective way to easily profile the expression of hundreds of genes, miRNAs, or copy number variations, simultaneously with high sensitivity and precision. The System is available for “research use only” in North America.

BD is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices, instrument systems, and reagents. The company serves healthcare institutions, life-science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry, and the general public.

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