Fluorescently Labeled INtracellular Genomics (FLING) and Fluorescent In Situ Amplified (FISA)

Invention Description

Accurately identifying and sequencing rare genotypes within complex cell populations remains a major challenge across biological research. Conventional sequencing approaches often require large amounts of high-quality DNA, struggle with heterogeneous or degraded samples, and fail to retain the spatial or cellular context necessary for studying rare or specialized cell types. As a result, critical genetic variants and rare cellular subpopulations frequently go undetected, hindering scientific discovery and diagnostic accuracy.

Researchers at Arizona State University have developed an advanced intracellular sequencing technology that overcomes these barriers by enriching cells with a genetic marker that enables precise and efficient genomic identification. FLING (Fluorescent In Situ Genomic DNA Amplification) and FISA (Fluorescent In Situ Amplification) combine intracellular genomic DNA amplification with fluorescent labeling, in situ detection, flow cytometry, and whole-genome sequencing to robustly recover genomic information from rare or target cell types. Robust amplification and sequencing of single genes as well as entire genomes is enabled with FISA while false positives are minimized and cellular integrity is preserved.

FLING and FISA are innovative tools that for studying rare genotypes and genetic heterogeneity within complex cell populations.

Potential Applications

• Microbial ecology and evolutionary biology research to identify rare adaptive mutations
• Medical diagnostics and pathogen surveillance
• Medical research on drug resistance and rare genetic disorders
• Genomic studies in bacterial, yeast, and eukaryotic cell populations
• Environmental and ecological monitoring of microbial communities
• Customizable workflows for targeted genomic loci or genome-wide analyses in research and clinical settings

Benefits and Advantages

• Enables detailed haplotype and whole-genome analysis
• Reduces labor and complexity compared to traditional single-cell sequencing methods
• Preserves cellular integrity by avoiding cell lysis prior to amplification
• Compatible with both targeted and genome-wide amplification approaches
• Allows multiple target amplifications within the same cell
• Applicable across a broad range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species
• Does not require genomic regions to be actively expressed
• Reduces bias associated with traditional sequencing methods
• Applicable to fixed cells, expanding experimental flexibility