Gene expression analysis techniques are based on highly multiplexed measurements with demanding assay performance requirements for precision and sensitivity. In one now broadly adopted strategy, molecular “barcodes” and single molecule imaging are used to detect and count hundreds of unique transcripts in a single reaction. After a decade of practical experience and refinement, this technique is today a widely adopted and validated platform based on highly orchestrated reagent design, automated sample processing and precision instrumentation. Lumencor designed, developed and manufactures the microscope imaging systems and optical hardware that drives the fluorescence excitation and detection for such instruments. Spatially resolved transcriptomics is a collective term for a set of techniques for molecular level characterization of single cells within the spatial context of the tissues that they inhabit. MERFISH (multiplex error robust fluorescence in situ hybridization) is one such imaging technique, capable of profiling cell populations based on identification of thousands of RNA transcripts per cell.
