NanoString Unveils MicroRNA Kit

NanoString Technologies, the Seattle-based maker of tools for genetic analysis, said today it has introduced a new product to analyze microRNA molecules on its nCounter instrument. MicroRNAs are tiny strings of RNA that don’t carry the instructions for making genes, but are thought to regulate the activity of important biological processes. NanoString is rolling out the new application to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington D.C., where a number of enthused microRNA researchers are gathered today. NanoString primarily sells its instrument to researchers who want to look at how genes are dialled on or off in a sample, and it also foresees using the technology as a diagnostic tool.

Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.