Vizgen  

Cambridge,  MA 
United States
http://vizgen.com

• Booth: 101

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 MERSCOPE^TM platform powered by 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. 

Brands: MERSCOPE

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 Press Releases

• Vizgen Releases Commercial MERSCOPE Platform (Sep 10, 2021)

  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. August 30, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE) —Vizgen, the life science company dedicated to improving human health by visualizing single-cell spatial genomics information, today announced shipment of the first commercial MERSCOPETM Platforms, marking the successful start of their limited summer release program. These first platforms are being purchased by leading research institutes including the Salk Institute, the University of California, Irvine, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Vizgen will continue shipping a limited number of commercial instruments for the next several months before releasing MERSCOPE to the U.S. market at large in late 2021.

  MERSCOPE is the first commercially available high-plex single-cell spatial genomics platform, and the only platform for MERFISH technology. 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, MERFISH provides the highest detection efficiency available for spatially profiling gene expression across whole tissues and resolving individual transcripts with nanometer-scale resolution through combinatorial labeling, sequential imaging, and error-robust barcoding.

  “This is a revolutionary time for the field of genomics. Researchers across the country are now able to access the spatial dimension to answer new kinds of scientific questions and make significant biological discoveries,” said Terry Lo, President and CEO of Vizgen. “Profiling the expression of hundreds of genes, in hundreds of thousands of cells, for hundreds of millions of transcripts all while retaining the spatial information within the tissue architecture has never been done before. What was previously unimaginable, MERSCOPE now makes routine.”

  One MERSCOPE platform has been installed in the lab of Xiangmin Xu, Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology and Director of the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, who purchased the system after seeing promising results when working with Vizgen earlier this year. “I’m excited to have a MERSCOPE system installed in our Center, where we will use it to explore the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease on a spatial transcriptome-wide level,” says Xu. “I look forward to building on the proof-of-concept study, which cataloged the spatial distribution of 150 target genes in specific cell types and identified where early changes in gene expression occur in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.”

  Another MERSCOPE platform is being installed at the Salk Institute Imaging Core facility. It will join other state-of-the-art imaging instruments accessible to cross-disciplinary Salk researchers driving the development of the next generation of microscopy and computational methods and other biological tools, with the goal of understanding health and disease. “In my lab we are interested in biomechanical modeling of muscle, which requires a thorough understanding of the cellular and molecular organization within the tissue,” said Pallav Kosuri, Assistant Professor, Salk Institute. “By using MERFISH to create organ-wide atlases, we will be able to root our models in the precise architecture of actual muscle.”

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has also acquired a MERSCOPE platform for their Spatial Technologies Unit, the first center of its kind in Massachusetts. MERSCOPE will be widely accessible to members of both academia and industry to enable innovations and breakthroughs in precision medicine. “Spatial Technologies are the new frontier in biomedical research, and we expect them to expand and potentially rewrite our understanding of human pathologies,” said Ioannis Vlachos, PhD, Director of the Spatial Technologies Unit and Co-Director of the Bioinformatics Program at BIDMC.

  Vizgen’s MERSCOPE is the only integrated solution for running MERFISH experiments, and the first complete platform for single-cell spatial genomics. The instrument is flexible and amenable to a large variety of sample or tissue types. It is also accompanied by a custom gene panel design portal, reagents and consumables, an analytical computer, and data visualization software. The MERSCOPE Platform offers a user-friendly workflow facilitating each step of a MERFISH experiment, from sample preparation, to measurement, and finally data visualization and analysis. Together these features enable the spatial profiling of hundreds of individual transcripts within hundreds of thousands of cells in a single instrument run.

  To learn more about MERSCOPE, please visit: vizgen.com/products.

• Vizgen Advances Spatial Genomics Research with New MERFISH Data Release Program (Sep 10, 2021)

  Vizgen releases new dataset generated by Vizgen’s MERSCOPE™ which includes a high-resolution spatial map of GPCR and RTK expression within the mouse brain

  The Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map dataset contains 554,802,908 transcripts and 734,696 cells representing the largest dataset of single-cell spatial transcriptomics publicly available to date. (Photo: Business Wire)

  May 06, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

  CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vizgen, the life science company visualizing biology to advance human health through the first complete solution for single-cell spatial genomics, today released its first freely available dataset, the Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map. This is the first of a series of datasets that will be made available through the company’s new Data Release Program.

  Vizgen’s release of the MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map marks the first time the research community at large can access open-source spatial genomics data. This will allow researchers to truly understand the power of spatial technologies, while also experiencing the capabilities and advantages of unparalleled scope and resolution enabled by MERSCOPE. The Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map contains the exact position of transcripts from 483 genes across three full coronal slices with three biological replicates for each slice. In all, the whole dataset contains 554,802,908 transcripts and 734,696 cells representing the largest dataset of single-cell spatial transcriptomics publicly available to date. The data set also includes cell boundary polygons, and high resolution DAPI and Poly T mosaic images.

  Through the data, researchers can learn how MERFISH technology provides a direct window into the molecular, cellular, and functional organization of intact biological systems and gain greater insight into the mechanisms underlying both health and disease. This and future datasets will be accessible through a form on Vizgen’s website. To eliminate barriers to access, datasets released through the Vizgen MERFISH Data Release Program will be freely available to participants to use as they wish.

  Notably, the dataset provides unprecedented detail about the spatial expression of hundreds of receptor genes – notoriously difficult data to capture due to many of these genes being expressed at very low levels within the tissue.

  The mission of the Vizgen Data Release Program is to provide researchers early access to MERFISH data generated on the MERSCOPE platform, which includes images and tables that describe the exact spatial position and their colocalization within individual cells. Each dataset released will represent a different “cell atlas,” expanding on the global initiative to generate systematic and comprehensive reference maps of cells and how they function together in both normal and diseased biological tissues. Overall, through its Data Release Program, Vizgen seeks to accelerate biological discovery by making MERFISH data available to scientists of all backgrounds and skillsets.

  “We are excited to make this data publicly available so that the research community can immediately leverage the high-quality spatial genomics measurement of MERSCOPE to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of these biological systems. Each dataset released will have a different anatomical or disease-associated focus and will be a resource for illuminating open biological questions that are difficult to address without a highly multiplexed, spatial genomics technology,” said George Emanuel, Vizgen co-founder and Director of Partnerships and Technology. “Our goal is to demonstrate the unique power of MERSCOPE’s data while providing a valuable resource for the research community.”

  About MERFISH

  MERFISH is a massively multiplexed single molecule imaging technology capable of simultaneously measuring the copy number and spatial distribution of hundreds to thousands of RNA species across hundreds of thousands of individual cells. The unique approach produces unmatched detection efficiency and images with nanometer-scale resolution.

  Vizgen’s MERSCOPE is the only commercially available platform designed for running MERFISH experiments, and the first complete platform for single-cell spatial genomics. The instrument is flexible and is amenable to virtually any sample or tissue type. MERSCOPE is accompanied by reagents and consumables, fully automated analytical instrumentation, and data visualization software. Together, these enable combinatorial labeling, sequential imaging, and error-robust barcoding for the spatial profiling of hundreds of individual transcripts within hundreds of thousands of cells in a single instrument run.

  Cells within biological systems typically follow a distinct spatial organization that is fundamental to their functionality. As such, spatial context is essential to classifying individual cell types understanding how they influence one another. Vizgen’s MERFISH Mouse Receptor Map focuses on neural tissue, but this is just one of many research areas that requires spatial context to fully approach yet-unanswered questions.

  About the Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map

  The Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Brain Receptor Map demonstrates the strength of MERFISH to characterize difficult to profile, lowly expressed but functionally relevant genes across large tissue areas.

  One highlight of this dataset is that it offers spatial information about nonsensory G-Protein coupled receptors (GPCRs): key mediators of signaling between neurons. In contrast to sensory GPCRs that directly receive inputs from the external environment, around 90 percent of the ~370 nonsensory GPCRs expressed in the brain are critical for the regulation of neuronal excitability, metabolism, reproduction, development, hormonal homeostasis, and behavior. Furthermore, studies are finding GPCR signaling to play an increasingly prominent role in processes underlying aging of the brain, particularly in how GPCR signaling over long periods of time effects the central nervous system and the progression of neurodegenerative disorders.1 As such, 30 percent of marketed drugs modulate specific GPCRs. 1, 2, 6 Yet, analysis of nonsensory GPCRs in vivo is a difficult process because of their structural properties, low abundance, and lack of highly specific antibodies.2 Some GPCRs to highlight in the Mouse Brain Receptor Map that are functionally relevant but lowly expressed include Oxtr (oxytocin receptor )3, Tshr (Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor)4, and Insr (insulin receptor).5

  MERFISH technology can now play a critical role in the continued mapping of GPCR expressions within the brain by providing high throughput, spatially resolved information with robust sensitivity and resolution to gain greater insight into the structure of the healthy brain and the phenomenon of neurological decline.6

  Specifically, the Vizgen MERFISH Mouse Receptor Map contains:

  • Gene panel: 483 total genes including canonical brain cell type markers, GPCRs, and receptor tyrosine kinases.
  • Samples: Measurements of three full coronal slices across three positions in the brain with three biological replicate measurements for each position.
  • Output data for each measurement: a list of all detected transcripts, gene counts per cell matrix, additional spatial cell metadata, cell boundary polygons, and high resolution DAPI and Poly T mosaic images.

  This dataset offers the same level of detail as recent data 7 coming out of the lab where MERFISH was developed, led by Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and David B. Arnold, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. Jiang He, PhD, Director of Scientific Affairs stated, “Vizgen is providing a robust solution for analyzing hundreds of thousands of cells simultaneously that enables identification of rare cell types and lowly expressed genes. The unprecedented view of the spatial organization that MERSCOPE provides at the subcellular level will allow researchers to gain transformative insights unraveling the complexity of biological systems.”

  About Vizgen

  Vizgen is developing the next generation of genomic profiling tools that enable researchers to gain new insight into the biological systems that underlie human health and disease with spatial context. The company’s MERSCOPE platform enables massively multiplexed, genome-scale nucleic acid imaging with high accuracy and unrivaled detection efficiency at subcellular resolution. MERSCOPE 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 and connect on social media @Twitter, @LinkedIn and Facebook.

  References

  1. G-Protein-Coupled Receptors in CNS: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Intervention in Neurodegenerative Disorders and Associated Cognitive Deficits (2020) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7072884/
  2. In vivo mapping of a GPCR interactome using knockin mice (2020) https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/13105
  3. Oxytocin pathway gene networks in the human brain (2019) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08503-8
  4. The expression of thyrotropin receptor in the brain (2001) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11159854/
  5. Igf1R/InsR function is required for axon extension and corpus callosum formation (2019) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219362
  6. Expression map of 78 brain-expressed mouse orphan GPCRs provides a translational resource for neuropsychiatric research (2018) https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-018-0106-7
  7. Molecular, spatial and projection diversity of neurons in primary motor cortex revealed by in situ single-cell transcriptomics. (2020) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.04.105700v1

  Contacts

  Brittany Auclair
  Vizgen
  Brittany.auclair@vizgen.com

• Vizgen Secures $37M Series B Financing to Advance Spatial Genomics Through Commercialization of MERSCOPE Platform (Sep 22, 2021)

  Funding will accelerate company growth and infrastructure expansion leading up to full commercial launch

  April 07, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

  CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vizgen, the life science company dedicated to advancing human health by visualizing single-cell spatial genomics information, has closed a $37 million Series B financing. The financing was co-led by Novalis LifeSciences LLC, and current investor Northpond Ventures. Also participating in the round were new investors Tao Capital Partners, Pura Vida Investments, LLC, and a large U.S. endowment fund. Current investors joining the round included ARCH Venture Partners and David Walt, Ph.D., Professor at Harvard Medical School, Core Faculty at the Wyss Institute, and co-founder of Vizgen.

  Joining Vizgen’s Board of Directors is Marijn Dekkers, Ph.D., Chairman and Founder of Novalis LifeSciences LLC, an investment and advisory firm for the life science industry. Dekkers brings over three decades of life science industry experience to support the Vizgen team, having previously served as CEO of Bayer AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific. In 2019, Dekkers was named Chairman of the Board of Ginkgo Bioworks.

  Dr. Dekkers remarked, “I’m deeply invested in solidifying Vizgen’s status as the leader in spatial genomics tools and look forward to working alongside the management team and my fellow Board members to support Vizgen’s mission, uniquely contributing to a deeper understanding of biology.”

  Last month, Vizgen announced plans for its new MERSCOPE^TM platform to become commercially available in the summer of 2021. Proceeds from the funding round, which was oversubscribed, will allow the Vizgen team to continue to grow to support commercialization and increase its manufacturing capacity.

  “We’re thrilled to continue supporting Vizgen’s rapid growth and vision for advancing human health,” said Andrea Jackson, Director at Northpond Ventures and Vizgen Board Director. “Vizgen is enabling researchers to profile gene expression with sub-cellular spatial resolution in ways otherwise not possible. We look forward to supporting the team expand MERSCOPE production.”

  MERSCOPE is the first and only integrated platform solution for generating MERFISH measurements. The 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. Dr. Zhuang and Dr. Jeffrey Moffitt, an Assistant Professor in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, are both cofounders of Vizgen and have over a dozen peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the capabilities of this technology. In January of this year, Nature Methods recognized spatially resolved transcriptomics’ potential to advance science by providing spatial context to genomic data, naming it “Method of the Year: 2020” and highlighted MERFISH in its Technology Feature and in a published Comment, which provides in-depth descriptions of this class of imaging-based methods.

  Terry Lo, President and CEO of Vizgen commented, “We are at an incredibly important inflection point in the evolution of genomics. The acceleration of data and new insights that can be generated through spatial information are truly profound. Funding from this Series B will enable us to bring the best tools for in situ single cell spatial genomics to the research community faster. We are grateful to have such supportive investors and founders to help realize this mission.”

  About Vizgen

  Vizgen is developing the next generation of genomic profiling tools that enable researchers to gain new insight into the biological systems that underlie human health and disease with spatial context. The company’s MERSCOPETM platform enables massively multiplexed, genome-scale nucleic acid imaging with high accuracy and unrivaled detection efficiency at subcellular resolution. MERSCOPE 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 and connect on social media @Twitter, @LinkedIn and Facebook.

  Contacts

  Brittany Auclair
  Vizgen
  Brittany.auclair@vizgen.com

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