Benzinga | Sep 23, 2021 02:51PM EDT

SeqLL Announces Publication of a New Single-Cell Epitranscriptomic Method Powered by SeqLL's tSMS Platform

Method developed by leading researchers at the Bernstein Laboratory and SeqLL Inc.



Funding for the research and method development provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

SeqLL Inc. ("SeqLL" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:SQL), a development-stage life sciences instrumentation and research services company engaged in the development of scientific assets and novel intellectual property across multiple "omics" fields, today announced the peer-reviewed publication of a new microscopy-based epitranscriptomic method powered by SeqLL's tSMS platform in the August issue of Cell Report Methods. The method was developed in collaboration with the laboratory of Bradley E. Bernstein, MD, PhD through grant R01-HG009269 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

The publication entitled: "Systematic detection of m6A-modified transcripts at single-molecule and single-cell resolution" details a new microscopy-based approach to quantify epigenetically modified mRNA molecules in single cells and relates these findings to cellular phenotypes. The method employs nanoscale technology to compare cell surface markers, gene expression, total numbers of individual mRNA transcripts, and adenosine mRNA methylation (m6A) levels, all in the same cells allowing for the study of mRNA modifications in single cells. Current amplification-based technologies and methods use chemical modification of mRNA that can affect many cellular processes, and cannot be used on small samples or in single cells.

Kyung Lock Kim, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of the publication, said, "Our team developed this method to capture and directly interrogate RNA transcripts from thousands of single cells without PCR amplification or sample manipulation steps. Using RNA modification antibodies combined with SeqLL's tSMS single-molecule sequencing, we were able to resolve single cells and thereby measure surface markers, gene expression, and m6A levels in the same cells. Typically, epitranscriptome studies, including cancer research (e.g. AML and lung cancer), require a lot of sample input and are performed at bulk levels. However, this platform provides multifaceted information in single cell resolution, which will be helpful for cancer diagnosis and assessing its causality."

Daniel Jones, CEO, President and Co-Founder of SeqLL, added, "We are proud of the accomplishments of this team and are excited by the future work this platform will enable, particularly beyond this initial cancer research. Using this epitranscriptomic method to profile single cells, researchers will have the power to reveal insights into complex biological pathways beyond those that current methods allow. We look forward to many exciting discoveries using this new platform."