FWO Hercules MZW: ERA platform: Extended RNA Analysis platform

Dynamic changes in gene expression are a widely studied topic in different fields of basic and clincial research. These days, RNA expression changes are often measured with state of the art RNAseq analysis, microarray analysis or NanoString nCounter ( all offered on the Brussels Health campus by the BrightCore facility) offering a global view of changes in the transcriptomic landscape. Often, a first step in the analysis is validation by real-time RT-PCR. However, the existing equipment for real time PCR on campus is outdated and urgently requires to be replaced and upgraded to meet actual standards. Secondly, there is a need for capturing RNA expression in situ at a single cell
level which can be visualised within the morphological and spatial context of intact tissue. A revolutionising improvement of RNA detection, i.e. RNAscope technology, now offers detection of any gene, in any species. For this reason, we aim to embark on a new ‘era’ in RNA expression analysis, setting up a state of the art ‘Extended RNA Analysis platform’, widely extending our possibilities for
gene expression studies, following the natural flow from big data generation to validation and in depth investigation of gene expression patterns in situ.