Vizgen Announces First Worldwide Shipments of MERSCOPE Ultra™, Ushering in a New Frontier in Spatial Genomics
First commercial shipments deliver enhanced capabilities to pioneering research institutions fueling next-generation discoveries
Vizgen, Inc., the life science company dedicated to improving human health through single-cell spatial genomics, proudly announces the first global shipments of the highly anticipated MERSCOPE Ultra™ Platform. This milestone marks a significant step for Vizgen as it begins delivering this next-generation technology to leading research institutions around the world. Among the first to receive the platform are the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope in Phoenix, Arizona, and other leading research institutes.
Vizgen initially unveiled the MERSCOPE Ultra Platform at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in April 2024, alongside MERFISH 2.0 – an enhanced chemistry that improves RNA anchoring and signal strength, matching MERFISH’s sensitivity and reproducibility even in degraded RNA samples, such as FFPE. MERFISH 2.0 is set to launch later this year and will be available for both the flagship MERSCOPE® Platform and the MERSCOPE Ultra.
Following the success of the MERSCOPE Platform, the MERSCOPE Ultra represents Vizgen’s next-generation solution, offering high-resolution in situ analysis that maps and quantifies RNA species within tissues. The MERSCOPE Ultra triples the imaging area of its predecessor to 3.0 cm² on a single slide and introduces an interchangeable design with two flow chamber sizes, enabling cost efficiency and flexible experimental set up. This flexibility allows researchers to scale up imaging area up to profile larger single samples, or multiple smaller samples in one run and scale down to conserve reagent when running smaller samples. The system also features faster imaging speeds, crucial for handling larger sample areas, and continues to support custom panels of up to 1000 genes, a standard feature since the MERSCOPE’s initial launch.
The Sanderson Center of Optical Experimental at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School has been at the forefront of testing Vizgen’s platforms, dating back to 2019 with a MERSCOPE Platform Alpha unit. “We’re thrilled to continue this partnership by being among the first sites in the world to beta test Vizgen’s MERSCOPE Ultra Platform. We have been running MERSCOPE Platform projects in our lab for years and are excited about the possibilities that the MERSCOPE Ultra further unlocks. The MERSCOPE Ultra will not only accelerate the research we support by handling bigger and more complex datasets efficiently due to the increased imaging speed but will also enable the application of this technology to new tissues thanks to the greatly enlarged imaging area,” says Christina Baer, PhD, the Director of the SCOPE.
Similarly, at the Institut Pasteur, Mélanie Hamon, Head of the Chromatin and Infection Unit, reflects on new possibilities, “The recent installation of the MERSCOPE Ultra at our Center for Technology Resources and Research—funded through the prestigious ‘Chaire d’excellence’ award from the French Ministry of Research—marks a significant milestone for our ‘ChromaBac’ project. The MERSCOPE Ultra, with its expanded imaging area and enhanced speed, will be an integral tool in our research, enabling us to delve deeper into the complex interactions between pathogens and host chromatin with unprecedented sensitivity,” says Hamon.
“We are thrilled to announce the global launch of the MERSCOPE Ultra Platform, a remarkable achievement for our team. This success showcases our resilience and commitment to advancing spatial genomics,” says Seth Benson, Vizgen CFO. “As we look ahead, the future of Vizgen is brighter than ever, with groundbreaking innovations on the horizon including our MERFISH 2.0 chemistry. The MERSCOPE Ultra will enable researchers to make profound discoveries, and we’re excited to continue driving this momentum in the years to come.”
Vizgen is poised to redefine the standards of spatial genomics with the advancements of MERSCOPE Ultra paired with the future integration of the MERFISH 2.0 chemistry.
About Vizgen®
Vizgen is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of genomics, providing tools that demonstrate the possibilities of in situ single-cell spatial genomics. The company has established the benchmark in spatial genomics and continues to drive industry innovation, delivering the highest sensitivity as well as excellent specificity and accuracy in cell segmentation. Vizgen’s MERSCOPE® Platform provides transformative insight into a wide range of tissue-scale basic research and translational medicine in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, developmental biology, cell and gene therapy, and is an essential tool for accelerating drug discovery and development. For more information, go to www.vizgen.com. Connect on social media Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.