NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Advanced Cell Diagnostics and Definiens today announced a partnership to develop a platform for the quantification of RNA molecules in individual cells.
The partnership will build on ACD's RNAscope platform, a proprietary RNA in situ hybridization tool for the detection and quantification of "virtually" any expressed gene at single molecule sensitivity in individual cells. As part of the deal, the platform to be developed will include new specialized image analysis solutions developed by Definiens that automatically process and analyze images from RNAscope assays.
The image analysis application from Definiens will provide users "with powerful analysis capabilities," the two firms said, and the software system will "significantly" improve the capabilities of RNAscope-based diagnostic tests for personalized medicine.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“This advanced image analysis solution will bring objective and accurate quantification to RNAscope and enable a new generation of diagnostic applications such as circulating tumor cell detection and molecular analysis," said Yuling Luo, founder, president, and CEO of ACD, in a statement. "For the first time, gene expression can be measured quantitatively at single cell resolution and interpreted by pathologists within histopathological context.”
Based in Hayward, Calif., ACD develops cell- and tissue-based diagnostic tests. Its flagship RNAscope system can detect and quantify RNA biomarkers in all major biological specimen types, including cell lines; formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded-tissue; and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, it said.
Definiens, based in Munich, Germany develops software solutions for biomedical image analysis, data mining, and clinical decision support.