nCounter

The nCounter from NanoString Technologies is designed to measure highly multiplexed targets (up to 800-plex in a single tube) using fluorescently labeled reporter probes. Through the use of a barcoding technology, direct counting of individual molecules is made possible with a very high dynamic range, sensitivity, reproducibility, specificity and without any enzymatic reaction.

RNA and DNA molecules can be measured.

The probes used are about 100 bases long. They are designed by NanoString bioinformaticians on the basis of RefSeq ID’s or provided sequences.

The complete system includes two instruments. The PrepStation (liquid handling robot) is used to purify ternary complexes obtained during the hybridization, to remove unhybridized probes and to immobilize the complexes into the cartridge for subsequent image acquisition. The nCounter (image acquisition instrument) is used to scan the cartridge and generate raw data (counts).

Applications

• mRNA, miRNA, long non coding RNA profiling
• CNV analysis
• ChIP analysis (ChIP-string)
• Simultaneous gene and protein measurement (available for the commercial PanCancer Immune codeset only)