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Updated: May 10, 2026

A Rapid High-throughput Method for Mapping Ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) on Human pre-mRNA
Published on: December 2, 2009
Whole-body scanning PCR; a highly sensitive method to study the biodistribution of mRNAs, noncoding RNAs and
Julien A Boos1, David W Kirk, Mari-Luz Piccolotto
1Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Basel-Stadt CH-4056, Switzerland and NIBR, Novartis Pharma AG, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MA 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Efficient tissue-specific delivery is a crucial factor in the successful development of therapeutic oligonucleotides. Screening for novel delivery methods with unique tissue-homing properties requires a rapid, sensitive, flexible and unbiased technique able to visualize the in vivo biodistribution of these oligonucleotides. Here, we present whole body scanning PCR, a platform that relies on the local extraction of tissues from a mouse whole body section followed by the conversion of target-specific qPCR signals into an image. This platform was designed to be compatible with a novel RT-qPCR assay for the detection of siRNAs and with an assay suitable for the detection of heavily chemically modified oligonucleotides, which we termed Chemical-Ligation qPCR (CL-qPCR). In addition to this, the platform can also be used to investigate the global expression of endogenous mRNAs and non-coding RNAs. Incorporation of other detection systems, such as aptamers, could even further expand the use of this technology.
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