Vizgen’s MERSCOPE® Platform offers an unprecedented view of the spatial organization of biological systems and will help enable researchers looking to gain deeper insights into a wide range of biological domains, from fundamental biology through translational medicine. Leverage our in-house sample processing and MERFISH spatial profiling expertise to accelerate your scientific research and yield fundamental insights faster. Vizgen offers flexible custom projects and proof of principle projects. Demand is high, start planning your project today.
Receive expert guidance and support from initial project consultation to data delivery.
Gain access to MERFISH data without constraints on your own lab resources.
Leverage the high-quality MERFISH data in your research and manuscripts.
Experience MERFISH with Ease and Expertise
Comprehensive Spatial Genomic Profiling
MERSCOPE uses MERFISH technology to directly map and quantify the spatial distribution of RNA and proteins in your tissue samples.
High-quality Spatial Genomics Data Generation
MERSCOPE’s combination of optimized optics and MERFISH technology generates high resolution and high-quality spatial genomics data that will provide unique biological insights to help your lab decode biological complexity with confidence.
Access to Vizgen’s Scientific Expertise
Vizgen’s Lab Services team is comprised of scientists with a wide range of demonstrated knowledge in cell and molecular biology, single-cell genomics, and imaging technologies, along with computational biologists and project managers to oversee data analysis and project execution. Vizgen offers the greatest depth of MERFISH expertise and instrument operation experience available.
Excited to get your hands on MERFISH data generated on the MERSCOPE® Platform, but have limited resources in your lab or time constraints for data generation? Custom projects allow you to work with our lab services team to design a project that fits your research needs.
Our MERFISH experts will:
Optimize a custom designed gene panel specific to your species and research application.
Develop and validate a protocol for your species and sample type.
Deliver high-quality MERFISH data for your team to analyze.
Spatial Profiling Lab Service Project Details
Our expert lab services scientists will plan, lead, and execute your spatial genomic profiling project, communicating with you each step of the way. Custom projects include 6 key steps: project consultation, custom panel design or panel selection, sample shipment, custom MERFISH protocol development or standard protocols, MERSCOPE spatial imaging, and MERFISH data delivery.
Meet with our team to discuss your project in detail and receive a statement of work.
2
Custom Panel Design or Panel Selection
We assist with selecting the gene panel and protein co-detection strategy most relevant for each biological question and optimize for your species and tissue type or help you choose a predefined panel.
3
Sample Shipment
Ship your samples to our laboratory headquartered in Cambridge, MA
4
MERFISH Protocol Development or Standard Protocol
We develop a sample processing and MERFISH protocol specific to custom project samples or use a standard protocol for POP studies.
5
MERSCOPE Spatial Imaging
Our team spatially profiles the gene and protein expression of your tissue samples with MERSCOPE. Vizgen scientists have access to the largest centralized collection of MERSCOPE instruments enabling a rapid turn-a-round of high-quality data.
6
MERFISH Data Delivery
You receive decoded MERFISH datasets packaged into easy-to-read tables and high-resolution images to analyze along with a final report.
“Using MERFISH technology, researchers at the Allen Institute were able to gather cellular-resolution spatial transcriptomic data that advanced us significantly closer toward our goal of creating a taxonomy of cell types and a description of their connectivity within brain circuits – laying the groundwork to one day understanding how brain circuits function.
In the hands of the research community, I believe that MERSCOPE will be a powerful tool for standardizing the way we characterize different cell types, not just in the brain, but also in the rest of the body, ultimately bringing a deeper level of understanding to all life science research .”
Hongkui Zeng, Ph.D.
Executive VP & Director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science
Applications
Examples of research applications evaluated within lab services. Vizgen has successfully tested more than 60 tissue types from multiple species.
Neuroscience
Spatially profile the gene expression of whole tissue sections down to the sub-cellular level to accurately characterize cells within the brain. Detect low and high abundance genes to create complete molecular cell atlases.
Oncology
Investigate the tumor microenvironment by identifying novel cell-cell communication and interactions between cancer cells and immune cells. Unlock high-quality spatial genomics data from FFPE tissue sections.
Kidney Disease
Preserve and explore the spatial architecture of complex tissues to understand the structure-function relationships of cells and disease pathophysiology. Visualize spatial gene expression to discover and map new cell types and states.
Start Your Project
Interested in starting a MERFISH spatial profiling project at Vizgen? Fill out the form below and a member of the Lab Services team will get in touch within 2-3 business days to set up a project consultation call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your lab can provide sectioned samples to be tested or send tissue blocks to Vizgen for sectioning. The sample submission protocol will be discussed in full detail during the project consultation call.
Samples for Vizgen lab services projects can be prepared as fresh frozen (FF), fixed frozen (PFA), formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), or cell culture.
For Vizgen Proof of principle projects we accept human and mouse tissue samples. With custom lab service projects our team of experts will work with you to develop a protocol suitable for your target species and tissue type.
MERSCOPETM supports the imaging of multiple discrete regions, up to a total area size of 1cm2. One or multiple regions of interest can be drawn within the imageable area.
Proof-of-principle projects can select one of many available human or mouse gene panels that range in size between 140-500 genes and include canonical marker genes used to identify different cell types and pathways. Custom projects can generate novel gene panels of up to 500 genes.
You can create a custom gene panel of up to 500 genes with a custom lab service project using Vizgen’s Gene Panel Portal. Custom panels are not offered for Proof-of-Principle projects.
MERSCOPETM combines MERFISH technology with optimized optics to provide high-quality spatial genomic data. MERSCOPETM has a demonstrated 95% detection efficiency in cells and >80% detection efficiency in tissue. We encourage you to download our free eBook that explains four key quality metrics for spatial genomics data and how MERSCOPETM measures up to these metrics: sensitivity, specificity, information density, and effective multiplexing capacity. Download our data quality ebook here]. Below is a table summarizing spatial genomics data quality metrics and how MERSCOPETM meets those metrics:
Vizgen can perform two RNA quality measurements to evaluate samples 1). RNA Integrity Number (RIN) and 2). DV200 of requested samples. Tissue blocks with RIN>7 or DV200>60% are acceptable for MERFISH measurements.
The current MERSCOPETM Protein Stain Kits enable the co-detection of up to 6 proteins. Protein staining is offered for custom lab services projects only.
Government, academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology institutions use Vizgen’s lab services.
Vizgen delivers two data tables:
Table describing the positions and abundance of all detected RNA transcripts for each sample.
Table describing the counts of each RNA species detected in every cell and the spatial position and volume of each cell for imaged samples.
We also provide the mosaic image files depicting the nuclear and cell boundary staining.
Yes, we accept service projects from international organizations.
Vizgen has the largest number of MERSCOPE instruments and highly trained scientists with significant single-cell spatial transcriptomics expertise. We are committed to addressing customer needs and are fully equipped to provide high-quality MERFISH results in the quickest possible timeframe to exceed customer expectations and ensure deadlines are met.
