PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 10x Genomics (Nasdaq: TXG) today announced it has begun shipping its Visium Spatial Gene Expression Solution. The Visium Spatial Gene Expression Solution is the first new product to result from 10x Genomics’ acquisition of Sweden’s Spatial Transcriptomics, a pioneer in the emerging field of spatial genomics. This solution builds on the foundation of Spatial Transcriptomics’ earlier product offering, providing researchers with a comprehensive map of where gene activity is occurring in a tissue specimen.

The Visium Spatial Gene Expression Solution is the first of multiple assays planned for the company’s new Visium platform. It has already seen strong demand from customers, including a significant number of pre-orders from first-time 10x Genomics customers, as well as from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Institutions like the New York Genome Center, Stanford University Genomics Facility and the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine are among the first customers to receive the product starting today.

While single cell analysis, which is enabled by 10x Genomics’ Next GEM technology, gives researchers the ability to see what is inside a cell, the Visium platform for spatial molecular profiling lets researchers see how cells are organized in relation to one another, allowing for a deeper understanding of biological systems in both normal and disease states.

“When we acquired Spatial Transcriptomics last year, it was with the belief our two teams could improve the resolution, scale and workflow in spatial genomics to rapidly accelerate our understanding of biology,” said Michael Schnall-Levin, senior vice president of research and development and founding scientist at 10x Genomics. “Today’s announcement furthers our commitment to enable existing and new researchers in their work and opens new areas in molecular pathology that were not possible before.”

10x Genomics’ Visium Spatial Gene Expression Solution represents a significant improvement in resolution over the prior offering from Spatial Transcriptomics for spatial molecular profiling. The solution equips scientists in many areas of biology, including oncology and neuroscience, with the following:

• Ability to survey hundreds of thousands of cells in a tissue section simultaneously using total mRNA spatial gene expression analysis
• Five times more spots within a capture area (5000) than the prior offering from Spatial Transcriptomics allowing researchers to map gene expression to tissue architecture with high spatial resolution 
• Reduction in the time involved to perform an assay from three days to one day over the previous offering
• Extremely high sensitivity capable of yielding at least 100,000+ UMI's and thousands of genes per spot
• Intuitive software for automated processing of Visium data as well as providing streamlined data analysis tools for both bioinformatics novices and experts
• The only comprehensive kitted solution available on the market allowing researchers to perform gene discovery from total mRNA analysis

"Spatial genomics opens up new possibilities for bringing microscopic anatomy into the realm of RNA sequencing. Visium makes it possible to spatially resolve gene expression in a complex cytoarchitecture through an end-to-end fully kitted solution with turn-key software, and no need for capital equipment investment. Scientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) running samples through the Visium solution have produced incredibly detailed results on the human brain that we did not think were possible,” said Daniel Weinberger, CEO of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD), a leading neurosciences research institution.

Dr. Andrew Jaffe, Lead Investigator at LIBD continued to say, “These rich spatial transcriptome maps produced by Visium will add another dimension to the growing single nuclei and single cell RNA-seq datasets to spatially refine the cell types in the human brain and their subsequent dysregulation in debilitating brain disorders."

Weinberger added, "We believe this technology answers important questions in neurology and neuroscience, and could also reveal novel molecular insights into other common human diseases with abnormal pathology."  

The Visium Spatial Gene Expression Solution is shipping to customers today. To learn more, please visit https://www.10xgenomics.com/solutions/spatial-gene-expression/.

About 10x Genomics
10x Genomics is a life science technology company building products to interrogate, understand and master biology to advance human health. The company’s integrated solutions include instruments, consumables and software for analyzing biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. 10x Genomics products have been adopted by researchers around the world including 93 of the top 100 global research institutions and 90 percent of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, and have been cited in over 570 research papers on discoveries ranging from oncology to immunology and neuroscience. The company's patent portfolio comprises more than 650 issued patents and patent applications.

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Source: 10x Genomics, Inc.