New Workflow to Provide Scientists with Tools That Enable Single Cell Analysis for Oncology, Immunology and Stem Cell …

SEATTLE and SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NSTG), a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, and BD Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced a collaboration agreement for the development of a single cell isolation and analysis workflow.

Under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop a workflow using the NanoString nCounter Analysis System (including the nCounter Single Cell Assay) and the BD Flow Cytometry cell sorter product line (emphasizing the new BD FACSJazz Cell Sorting System). The combined workflow will enable single cell gene expression analysis for research applications such as oncology, immunology and stem cell research. Collaboration activities will also include the development of materials documenting the workflow protocol, as well as co-hosting meetings and webinars to educate scientists about the single cell workflow.

"Maximizing both the quantity and quality of data that can be extracted from a single cell is critical to the emerging field of single cell biology. The nCounter Analysis System can analyze entire gene pathways and provides a highly precise and reproducible digital output, making it ideally suited to the task," said Brad Gray, President and Chief Executive Officer, NanoString Technologies. "The nCounter Analysis System and the BD FACSJazz Cell Sorting System can together provide a powerful and efficient workflow for single cell gene expression analysis."

"Our collaboration with NanoString Technologies furthers BD's commitment to providing researchers advanced solutions for cell analysis and isolation," said Alberto Mas, President, BD Biosciences. "We believe this new sorting workflow will complement the recent and very rapid advances in genomic studies that value the requirement for greater sample integrity for critical single cell analysis."

NanoString Technologies' nCounter Analysis System is a multi-application digital detection and counting system with a highly automated and simple workflow. The company's Single Cell Gene Expression application provides researchers with a highly flexible and sensitive approach to discovering differences in cell-to-cell gene expression profiles. The application enables up to 800 genes to be detected in a single tube.

The BD FACSJazz Cell Sorting System is capable of identifying, characterizing and isolating single or multiple cells from complex or extremely rare cell populations and depositing them in 96 and 384 well plates to provide rapid cell isolation, tracking and identification throughout the process.

For more information about NanoString Technologies, the nCounter Analysis System and the nCounter Single Cell Assay, please visit http://www.nanostring.com.

For more information on the BD FACSJazz Cell Sorting System, please visit http://www.bdbiosciences.com/facsjazz.

About NanoString Technologies, Inc.

NanoString Technologies is a global provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products. The company's nCounter Analysis System, which has been employed in basic and translational research since it was first introduced in 2008 and cited in more than 220 peer-reviewed publications, has also now been applied to diagnostic use in the European Union. The system offers a cost-effective way to easily profile the expression of hundreds of genes, miRNAs, or copy number variations, simultaneously with high sensitivity and precision. The company's technology enables a wide variety of basic research and translational medicine applications, including biomarker discovery and validation. The nCounter-based Prosigna Breast Cancer Prognostic Gene Signature Assay is the first in vitro diagnostic kit to be marketed through the company's recently formed diagnostics business. The nCounter Analysis System is available for "Research Use Only" in North America. The Prosigna Assay has received a CE mark and is available for use by healthcare professionals in the European Union and other countries that recognize the CE Mark and in which Prosigna is registered; it is pending 510(k) clearance with the Food and Drug Administration and is not available for sale in the United States.

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New Workflow to Provide Scientists with Tools That Enable Single Cell Analysis for Oncology, Immunology and Stem Cell ...