NanoString Collaborates with Applied Precision for Co- Development and Manufacture of Gene-Expression Imager

NanoString™ Technologies, Inc. and Applied Precision®, LLC, announced that they have entered into an agreement for the co-development and manufacture of a custom, fully automated, high resolution, high speed fluorescent imager to be distributed by NanoString as a component of their nCounter™ System for Gene Expression.

The nCounter System for Gene Expression provides life science researchers with a method for multiplexed direct quantification of individual mRNAs in a biological sample. This technology is based on employing large numbers of single molecule reporters which bind directly to target molecules of interest in a one-to-one ratio. The target molecules can then be individually counted without any enzymatic conversion or amplification.

NanoString selected Applied Precision based on the company’s 20 plus years of world class engineering experience in high-performance image acquisition and analysis systems, in addition to the their ongoing commitment to play a key role in providing the quantifiable data and information needed to advance technology and realize important scientific discoveries.

The joint collaboration involves the use of Applied Precision’s base instrument, which will be co-developed for NanoString’s custom application where it will be used to acquire and process image data from NanoString’s single molecule reporters. The imager will be paired with a fully automated fluid handling instrument, which will provide end users with a platform for gene expression with less than 30 minutes of hands-on time per run.