Unlocking Spatial Insights at Cellular Level for Developmental Biology Research in Cleft Palate
"Some of these genes are very low expressing, and they're very specific to a single cell layer, and that's really what we needed to see at a high resolution. The level of resolution that we can get with RNAscope, I still haven't seen it matched."
- Jeremie Oliver Piña, Ph.D., M.S., M.B.A., Postdoctoral Fellow, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, NIH
Unlocking Spatial Insights at Cellular Level for Developmental Biology Research in Cleft Palate
At the heart of groundbreaking research lies the quest to answer complex biological questions, often at an unprecedented level of detail. Dr. Jeremie Oliver-Piña, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Institute of Child Health and Human Development, exemplifies this pursuit. His work on novel signaling pathways crucial for palate development has highlighted the pivotal role of RNAscope™ technology in advancing spatial analysis in developmental research.
Precision at the Cellular Level
Dr. Oliver-Piña's research focuses on understanding the intricate signals that govern palate formation. "There's this thin layer of epithelium that overlies this progenitor mesenchyme inside the palate as it develops, and we need to see exactly where those signals are located," he explains. The ability of RNAscope to detect low-expressing genes with unparalleled specificity and at single-cell resolution became a cornerstone for his work. “Some of these genes are very low expressing, and they're very specific to a single cell layer, and that's really what we needed to see at a high resolution. The level of resolution that we can get with RNAscope, I still haven't seen it matched,” says Dr. Oliver-Piña.
A Benchmark for Quality Enabling Deeper Multiomic Insights
In Dr. Oliver-Piña's histology-based lab, RNAscope serves as more than a tool—it is the gold standard for quality control. “We have used RNAscope in particular as a quality control standard for our lab. And when we teach other labs at the NIH about spatial analysis, spatial technologies, we always come back to kind of our tried and true, like, ground truth gene expression,” he shares.
This consistent performance makes RNAscope indispensable, particularly when training others in spatial technologies. For labs seeking reliability and precision, RNAscope provides a foundation for success, whether validating findings or paving the way for new experiments.
As Dr. Oliver-Piña notes, the future of research lies in connecting the dots between different “omics”—RNA, DNA, proteomics, metabolomics, and beyond. “The more that we can bridge different omics together... the more complete of a picture we'll be able to paint. And I believe the more impactful of a clinical translation we can eventually achieve,” he remarks.
RNAscope, with its multiplexing capabilities, serves as a critical bridge in this process. "Primarily, our bread and butter is RNAscope multiplex, because it really answers so many fundamental questions for us at a very high resolution," Dr. Oliver-Piña adds.
Transforming Research, One Layer at a Time
The journey of Dr. Oliver-Piña and his lab is a testament to the transformative power of RNAscope. From interrogating low-expressing genes to enabling cross-disciplinary insights, RNAscope technology has proven to be a trusted partner in tackling some of biology’s most intricate challenges.
By delivering unmatched resolution and reliability, it is not only empowering researchers like Dr. Oliver-Piña to uncover new pathways but also helping bridge the gap between discovery and clinical translation.
For scientists aiming to explore the spatial dimension of biology, RNAscope stands out as the trusted solution to unlock insights at the highest level of precision and impact.