Nature Methods Cites Vizgen’s Spatial Genomics Technology in Method of the Year 2020 Feature

Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Named “Method of the Year 2020” By Nature Methods

January 12, 2021 09:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vizgen, a life sciences company developing the next generation of in situ single-cell genomics, today announced that its proprietary technology has been featured in Nature Methods Special January Focus “Method of the Year 2020: Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics.” The Company’s MERFISH technology is highlighted in the Technology Feature and in a published Comment that provides an in-depth look at imaging-based methods for spatially resolved transcriptomics.

“We’ve seen the demand for spatially resolved transcriptomics escalate in the past year as we’ve been ramping up for the forthcoming commercial release of our instrument based on MERFISH technology,” said Terry Lo, CEO, Vizgen. “Our early access program is full, and we have a wait list for the technology which addresses applications across basic research and drug discovery and development.”

Vizgen emerged from stealth mode in January 2020 with the announcement of its Series A Financing to accelerate the commercialization of MERFISH. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company sustained solid momentum and launched its Early Release Program in July 2020, providing scientific investigators an opportunity to gain access to the novel technology ahead of its commercial release. Early adopters include world-leading research institutions such as the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and The Rockefeller University. In September 2020, Vizgen named Terry Lo, formerly of Akoya Biosciences, as its new President and CEO. In addition, last week Vizgen announced its Pharma Accelerator Lab to speed neuroscience and oncology drug development pipelines.

“Vizgen’s technology is truly remarkable and opens new windows into our understanding of the brain, which requires spatial context,” said Catherine Dulac, the Higgins Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Lee and Ezpeleta Professor of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. “MERFISH is a powerful tool that allows us to image and distinguish thousands of different RNAs and can be used in any region of the brain for any type of function.” Dr. Dulac’s research is aimed at identifying the neural basis of innate social behaviors using molecular and genetic tools.

Vizgen’s MERFISH technology was developed in the laboratory of Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and David B. Arnold, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. In addition to Dr. Zhuang, Vizgen co-founders include Dr. Jeffrey Moffitt, Ph.D., Investigator at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School; and David Walt, Ph.D., Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Core Faculty, Wyss Institute for Bioinspired Engineering, Harvard University; HHMI Professor.

“MERFISH provides unprecedented efficiency and precision for high-throughput spatially resolved transcriptomic profiling that can help shed new light into the impact of spatial context and cellular heterogeneity on tumor progression, therapeutic resistance, and ultimately clinical prognosis,” said Jean Fan, PhD, Assistant Professor, The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Fan, who was a post-doctoral fellow in Zhuang Research Lab, develops computational methods for analyzing spatially resolved transcriptomics data to address a wide range of questions in developmental and cancer biology.

For information email info@vizgen.com or visit the website at www.vizgen.com.

About Vizgen

Vizgen is developing the next generation of spatially resolved genomic profiling tools that enable researchers to gain new insight into the biological systems that underlie human health and disease. The company’s proprietary MERFISH technology enables massively multiplexed, genome-scale nucleic acid imaging with high accuracy and unrivaled detection efficiency at subcellular resolution. MERFISH provides transformative insight into a wide range of tissue-scale basic research and translational medicine in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine. For more information, go to www.vizgen.com and connect on social media @Twitter, @LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contacts

Brittany Auclair
Vizgen
Brittany.auclair@vizgen.com