Bio-Techne has expanded the automation capabilities of its Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD)-branded RNAscope in situ hybridisation (ISH) technology with the launch of several new and updated assays. The developments increase both access to, and use of, RNAscope and improve overall robustness and ease of use. The continued investment in automation builds on successful agreements with equipment providers and is driven by Bio-Techne’s desire to facilitate drug discovery and development via rapid, easy, and accurate gene expression detection and localisation.
The new RNAscope VS Duplex Kit, developed for the DISCOVERY ULTRA automated IHC/ISH slide staining systems from Roche, delivers simultaneous in situ detection of two RNA species on an automated platform. The assay enables experiments such as co-localisation studies and gene expression profiling in specific cell types identifiable with known markers. Such dual staining is notoriously difficult to achieve with traditional ISH and particularly on automated staining systems. However, using the company’s patented signal amplification and background suppression technology, the VS Duplex Assay delivers specificity and sensitivity with clean signals - enabling researchers to pinpoint gene expression at single-molecule sensitivity.