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CosMx mouse whole-transcriptome + 64-protein — Bruker (NanoString)

Bruker's post-acquisition CosMx roadmap extends the platform into mouse whole-transcriptome plus 64-plex co-detected protein, positioning CosMx as the rodent-model counterpart to Xenium RNA+Protein.

At a glance

  • Vendor / launch date / availability: Bruker Spatial Biology (post-NanoString acquisition); roadmap previewed at AGBT 2026 (Marco Island, Feb 22–25); commercial availability TBD per GEN — AGBT 2026 Recap, Feb–Mar 2026.
  • Chemistry / modality: CosMx spatial molecular imager — cyclic in-situ hybridization for RNA, sequential immunofluorescence for protein, single-molecule resolution on FFPE / fresh-frozen sections.
  • Throughput (PR): Mouse whole-transcriptome panel (gene count TBD, vendor has not published a precise plex figure at AGBT) per GEN AGBT recap (vendor PR — no independent benchmark).
  • Multiomic plex: 64-plex protein co-detection on the same section per GenomeWeb — Spatial Omics roadmaps at AGBT (vendor PR — no independent benchmark).
  • Sample type: FFPE and fresh-frozen mouse tissue; specifics TBD pending Bruker's formal datasheet.
  • List price / cost-per-sample: TBD — Bruker has not published reagent kit pricing for the mouse WT panel.

What's new vs prior generation

CosMx's prior human-only 6k / 18k-plex RNA panels and ~64-plex protein panels are extended into a mouse whole-transcriptome panel — the first time CosMx ships a rodent-scale WTA reagent rather than a curated human cancer / neuroscience panel. The 64-protein co-detection on the same section is the multiomic angle, mirroring the messaging 10x is using for Xenium RNA+Protein. This is also the first roadmap announcement under Bruker's post-acquisition ownership; messaging has shifted from NanoString-as-spatial-pureplay to CosMx-as-one-pillar of Bruker's CellScape + PaintScape + CosMx portfolio.

Headline benchmarks

Mouse whole-transcriptome RNA panel + 64-plex protein co-detection on the same FFPE / fresh-frozen section (vendor PR — no independent benchmark) — GEN AGBT 2026 recap, Feb–Mar 2026.

No third-party benchmark dataset has been published for the mouse WTA panel as of mid-May 2026; sensitivity, specificity, and per-cell transcript-detection metrics relative to MERSCOPE-mouse or Visium HD-mouse are TBD.

Reception / competitive context

The mouse WTA panel is Bruker's direct counter to Vizgen's predesigned mouse MERFISH panels and to 10x's Xenium mouse Multi-Tissue v1 / v2 panel set. The 64-protein co-detection re-asserts CosMx's multiomic story against Xenium RNA+Protein (500-plex RNA + 28-plex protein, commercial mid-2026), where CosMx's protein plex is currently higher but Xenium's RNA plex is currently higher. The GenomeWeb roadmap recap frames CosMx-under-Bruker and Xenium as the two principal in-situ multiomic platforms going into H2 2026.

  • Bioconductor stack: SpatialData (CosMx reader), SpatialExperiment, SOSTA — all consume CosMx outputs natively.
  • Direct competitor at AGBT 2026: 10x Xenium RNA+Protein (500-plex RNA + 28-plex protein, mid-2026).
  • Sibling Bruker launches: CellScape, PaintScape — same portfolio narrative.
  • AACR 2026 cross-axis: single-cell-spatial-omics — CosMx mouse WTA opens preclinical-model tumor-microenvironment posters that previously had to rely on Visium / MERFISH mouse panels.

Sources