Speaker: Amin El-Heleiebi, Medical University Graz

The detection of microchimerism remains a significant analytical challenge due to the extreme rarity and low abundance of microchimeric cells in blood and tissue samples. Recent advances in spatial and imaging technologies now enable the simultaneous assessment of multiple molecular markers, thereby substantially improving specificity and sensitivity. Emerging approaches such as open source in situ sequencing further expand these capabilities by allowing not only the characterization of gene expression profiles, but also the detection of single nucleotide variants (SNVs), including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and somatic mutations. In this presentation, I will discuss the application of a novel multicolor imaging workflow based on the VS200 Scanner from Evident. I will highlight how this platform can be utilized for the detection of single nucleotide variants as well as the identification of rare circulating cells in blood samples, providing new opportunities for microchimerism research and diagnostics.