NanoString, a novel digital color-coded barcode technology: current and future applications in molecular diagnostics

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sample is a gold mine of resources for molecular diagnosis and retrospective clinical studies. Although molecular technologies have expanded the range of mutations identified in FFPE samples, the applications of existing technologies are limited by the low nucleic acids yield and poor extraction quality. As a result, the routine clinical applications of molecular diagnosis using FFPE samples has been associated with many practical challenges. NanoString technologies utilize a novel digital color-coded barcode technology based on direct multiplexed measurement of gene expression and offer high levels of precision and sensitivity. Each color-coded barcode is attached to a single target-specific probe corresponding to a single gene which can be individually counted without amplification. Therefore, NanoString is especially useful for measuring gene expression in degraded clinical specimens.

Areas covered: This article describes the applications of NanoString technologies in molecular diagnostics and challenges associated with its applications and the future development.

Expert commentary: Although NanoString technology is still in the early stages of clinical use, it is expected that NanoString-based cancer expression panels would play more important roles in the future in classifying cancer patients and in predicting the response to therapy for better personal therapeutic care.

KEYWORDS:

• NanoString technologies
• NanoString Technologies nCounter Analysis System
• digital color-coded barcode technology
• molecular barcodes

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.

Notes on contributors

Hin-Fung Tsang

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.

Vivian Weiwen Xue

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.

Su-Pin Koh

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.

Ya-Ming Chiu

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.

Lawrence Po-Wah Ng

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.

Sze-Chuen Cesar Wong

Tsang HF wrote the article; Xue VW, Koh SP, Chiu YM and Ng LP added three sections, Wong SCC revised and gave comments to the paper.