Vizgen Announces Series of Nature Studies Harnessing the Power of MERFISH Technology to Build the Most Comprehensive Cellular Map of the Adult Mouse Brain

MERFISH shines spotlight on previously invisible cellular networks of the brain, providing scientists with a first-of-its-kind map fueling research for decades to come

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vizgen, Inc., the life science company dedicated to improving human health by visualizing single-cell spatial genomics information, today announced that five of the ten studies published in the December 13 issue of Nature, which unveiled the first full cellular map of the adult mouse brain, leveraged MERFISH technology for spatial genomics insights. Researchers identified more than 5,300 cell types across 32 million cells, more than ever known before, and were able to map their location within the brain.

The studies were published as part of the latest collection of research funded by the NIH BRAIN Cell Census Network (BICCN), an international collaborative which aims to revolutionize neuroscience research by illuminating foundational principles governing the circuit basis of behavior and informing new approaches to treating human brain disorders.

The studies sought to uncover the diversity, molecular signature, and spatial distribution of distinct types of cells in the whole adult mouse brain. By leveraging MERFISH or MERSCOPE^®’s exceptional detection efficiency and resolution, researchers were able to uncover unique features of cell type organization and cell-cell communications patterns in various brain regions, building a more comprehensive cell atlas of the entire brain.

"The release of the whole mouse brain cell atlas is a landmark achievement that really opens the door for the next stage of investigations of the brain's function, development and evolution, akin to the reference genomes for studying gene function and genomic evolution," said Hongkui Zeng, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. "My colleagues said that the 5,000 cell types we identified will keep neuroscientists busy for the next 20 years trying to figure out what these cell types do and how they change in disease."

“We’re thrilled to see the MERSCOPE platform and MERFISH technology contribute to the BICCN’s comprehensive collection of neuroscience research which is driving neurobiological breakthroughs. These five studies published in Nature underscore Vizgen’s mission to provide researchers with the tools they need to improve human health, and we could not be more pleased to have played a role in advancing this impactful research,” said Terry Lo, President and CEO of Vizgen. "This remarkable accomplishment stands as a pivotal milestone, poised to drive and sustain decades of breakthroughs in neuroscience.”

MERFISH studies published in Nature

• A high-resolution transcriptomic and spatial atlas of cell types in the whole mouse brain
• Molecularly defined and spatially resolved cell atlas of the whole mouse brain
• Single-cell DNA methylome and 3D multi-omic atlas of the adult mouse brain
• Brain-wide correspondence of neuronal epigenomics and distant projections
• A transcriptomic taxonomy of mouse brain-wide spinal projecting neurons

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, setting the standard for the spatial genomics field. These tools are enabling researchers to gain new insight into the biological systems that govern 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. Connect on social media Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.