Bio-Techne Awards 40,000 USD Research Grant to Innovative Cancer Researcher

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD), a Bio-Techne brand, has announced the winner of its 'RNAscope ISH Get Hybridized' giveaway, designed to recognize and support groundbreaking research with RNAscope^®in situ hybridization (ISH) technology. The winner, Dr. Andreas Behren, Group Leader in Cancer Immunobiology at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research (ONJCRI) Institute in Melbourne, Australia, received the grand prize—a 40,000 USD research grant—at a well-attended reception at Madame Tussauds in Washington DC on November 13, 2017.

Several thousand researchers from around the world participated in the year-long giveaway by describing their research and its impact, as well as a potential role for RNAscope ISH. In addition to the 40,000 USD grand prize, ACD also gave away eight 2,000 USD grants during the year - donating a total of 56,000 USD to research. Dr. Behren was awarded the grand prize in recognition of his research on the interplay between the immune system and cancer - classifying immune cells and studying their activation status.

Describing the impact of his research, Dr. Behren commented: "The information from our research could be a step forward in understanding why some tumors respond to immunotherapy and others don't. When I heard I'd won the giveaway," he continued, "I immediately thought about the possibilities for RNAscope in our projects. Often there isn't money to develop or adjust novel assays or methods to specific questions, so I am delighted and grateful to now have this opportunity with the ACD research grant."

Dr. Behren went on to explain the utility of RNAscope in his research: "Using RNAscope, we hope to track and visualize antigen-specific T cells in situ and profile their activation status and immune-checkpoint expression pattern. With this information, it would be possible to determine the activation profile of tumor-specific T cells and their location within the tumor-microenvironment in FFPE tissues. Hopefully, this will reveal novel targetable mechanisms that contribute to resistance to immunotherapies."

ACD's revolutionary RNAscope and BaseScope ISH assays provide a much-needed easy-to-use platform capable of detecting and quantifying RNA at single‐molecule sensitivity. Xiao-Jun Ma, Chief Scientific Officer at ACD noted: "RNAscope is on its way to becoming a gold standard for in situ expression analysis, thanks to its wide-ranging utility in many research areas. Dr. Behren's work on the functional characterization of immune cells in the native tumor microenvironment is a great example of groundbreaking research facilitated by the unique advantages of RNAscope. I am confident that RNAscope will prove instrumental in the results of this ongoing work and in advancing this exciting field. We look forward to continue working with this group as they push the limits of our technology."

Reflecting on working with ACD, Dr. Behren said: "Having previously worked with ACD, our experience so far has been very good. ACD's technical support and expertise is great and they are always approachable and interested in listening to our needs."

For further information, please visit www.acdbio.com.

ABOUT ADVANCED CELL DIAGNOSTICS
Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD), a brand of Bio-Techne, is a leader in the field of molecular pathology, developing cell and tissue‐based research assays and diagnostic tests for personalized medicine. The company's products and services are based on its proprietary RNAscope^® technology, the first automated multiplex chromogenic and fluorescent in situ hybridization platform capable of detecting and quantifying RNA biomarkers in situ at single‐molecule sensitivity. RNAscope assays are currently used by thousands of customers, including all of the leading pharmaceutical companies, world leading academic institutions and many cutting edge biotechnology companies to validate biomarkers for the management of cancer and other diseases.  ACD's industrial partnerships provide the foundation for ACD to develop companion diagnostic tests in conjunction with partners' targeted therapeutics. ACD also pursues internal programs to develop and commercialize proprietary diagnostic tests in cancer management. Learn more about ACD and RNAscope technology at www.acdbio.com.

ABOUT BIO-TECHNE CORPORATION:
Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) is a leading developer and manufacturer of high quality purified proteins––notably cytokines and growth factors, antibodies, immunoassays, as well as biologically active small molecule compounds and ACD's in situ hybridization detection products --- which are sold to biomedical researchers and clinical research laboratories; these operations constitute the core Biotechnology Division, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Protein Platforms Division manufactures innovative protein analysis tools under the ProteinSimple brand name that greatly automate western blotting and immunoassay practices. The Diagnostics Division manufactures FDA-regulated controls, calibrators, blood gas and clinical chemistry controls and other reagents for OEM customer and clinical customers. Bio-Techne products are integral components of scientific investigations into biological processes and the nature and progress of specific diseases. They aid in drug discovery efforts and provide the means for accurate clinical tests and diagnoses. With thousands of products in its portfolio, Bio-Techne generated approximately $563 million in net sales in fiscal 2017 and has approximately 1,800 employees worldwide. For more information on Bio-Techne and its brands, please visit www.bio-techne.com

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SOURCE Advanced Cell Diagnostics