The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a $905,853 Project Grant (CFDA 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training) to Molecular Instruments, Inc. to develop novel technologies for automated, ultrasensitive, and multiplexed RNA and protein imaging. Specifically, the R&D project aims to:
Engineer a chromogenic signal amplification cascade to enable 4-plex automated RNA chromogenic in situ hybridization (RNA-CISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and simultaneous RNA-CISH/IHC for rapid whole-slide scanning.
Engineer an enzyme-free fluorescent signal amplification cascade to enable 4-plex automated RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH), immunofluorescence (IF), and simultaneous RNA-FISH/IF for rapid whole-slide scanning.
These innovations leveraging Hybridization Chain Reaction (HCR) technology are intended to enable drug developers, pathologists, and biologists to perform advanced multi-dimensional analyses of genetic regulatory networks and protein expression in an anatomical context. The 2-year project period runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2026.