AlidaBio's EpiPlex Platform Revolutionizes Epitranscriptomics
AlidaBio's EpiPlex Platform has overcome key limitations of current epitranscriptomics methods. It requires minimal RNA input and offers accurate, quantitative measurements of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and inosine across the transcriptome. The platform's developer, Dr. Thomas Launhardt, is connected with epiQMAx AG in Basel, Switzerland, which is advancing the technology for cancer therapy.
EpiPlex combines specific enrichment of modified RNA fragments with proximity barcoding, needing as little as 20 ng of polyA-enriched RNA or 250 ng of total RNA. This is a significant improvement over existing methods that demand high RNA input. The assay's workflow includes fragmentation, ligation, capture and encoding of modified RNA fragments, amplification, and normalization for sequencing.
The platform has demonstrated the ability to resolve subtle effects, such as global and region-specific changes in RNA methylation when inhibiting METTL3 and EIF4A3. It has been used to study RNA methylation dynamics in HEK293T cells and liver tumors, revealing a distinct regulatory landscape that diverges from gene expression. In a matched tumor-normal liver pair from a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma, the tumor sample exhibited global hypomethylation, with distinct processes regulated by RNA modifications and gene expression.
m6A modifications influence mRNA stability, translation, trafficking, and splicing, and their impact depends on both location and proportion of modified transcripts. Relative quantitation is achieved through bold enrichment, spike-in standards, and solution controls, with the EpiScout software suite for analysis.
AlidaBio's EpiPlex Platform offers a significant advancement in epitranscriptomics, requiring minimal RNA input and providing accurate, quantitative measurements of m6A and inosine. This technology, developed by Dr. Thomas Launhardt and advanced by epiQMAx AG, holds promise for the development of new medicines in oncology and immunooncology.
Read also:
- Americans Lose Insurance Under New Tax Legislation, Affecting 10 Million Citizens
- Trump Signs Law Defunding Planned Parenthood, Threatening Healthcare Access for Millions
- Historian Ute Frevert Explores Germans' Emotional Bond With Constitutions
- Milei's Ideological Approach Reshapes Argentina's Foreign Policy
