In the news release about the deal, the companies call RNA-based ISH "an indispensable method to analyze gene expression in the context of tissue architecture in areas of oncology, virology and neuroscience research." They note that RNAscope is an award-winning, breakthrough technology that provides researchers the unique capability to interrogate the function and disease relevance of any expressed genes in situ, especially for the approximately 5,000 genes and 15,000 non-coding RNAs in the human genome that no other technologies can adequately address. In addition, RNAscope allows researchers to tap into the estimated 400 million clinically annotated, archived FFPE tissue specimens for retrospective clinical studies in translational research.  

 

"The combination of RNAscope reagent system and our sophisticated and flexible DISCOVERY platform and detection systems delivers a powerful solution for biomarker discovery and validation," said Bill Crawford, Ventana's director of marketing for the company's Discovery division, in an official statement. "It has significant potential to advance cell- and tissue-based biomarker analyses for future clinical and companion diagnostics development."  

 

News of the Ventana-ACD deal came just a little more than a month after ACD announced that it had received the 2011 North American Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award for its RNAscope platform, based on Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis of the in-situ biomarker detection assay market.

 

"RNAscope provides the first opportunity to profile single cell gene expression in situ, leveraging the full potential of RNA biomarker technology," said Cecilia Van Cauwenberghe, a Frost & Sullivan senior research analyst, at the time. "This technology offers unique opportunities by targeting the molecular signature of every cell within the intricate cellular structure and tissue architecture evidenced in clinical specimens."  

 

Furthermore, the RNAscope technology platform excels over conventional assays by reaching significantly high levels of specificity and sensitivity in detecting virtually any gene in the human transcriptome in situ, while simultaneously enabling quantification of multiple mRNA transcripts at a single-cell level.

 

"Other strengths include quantitative analysis, enabling the detection of each target to be quantified on a per-cell basis," noted Van Cauwenberghe. "In addition, it offers colorimetric or fluorescent readout under bright field or fluorescent microscope, broad sample type spectrum, as well as speed and throughput compatibility with fully automated walk-away assay systems. The technology has been demonstrated to achieve RT-PCR-level sensitivity and specificity. RNAscope is viewed as being over 100-fold more sensitive than traditional non-isotopic ISH methods."