New additions to the COMET suite aim to improve flexibility and sensitivity in multiplex tissue analysis for research and preclinical development.
Bio-Techne has expanded its COMET solution portfolio with the addition of SPYRE Focus Panels and SPYRE Amplification Kits, tools designed to enhance the platform’s modular, automated spatial biology workflow with greater sensitivity and flexibility for tissue analysis.
The new additions build on the existing SPYRE Antibody Panels lineup, which includes newly introduced Stroma and Vessel Focused Panels. These modular antibody panels are designed to support multiplex assay design while reducing optimization time. The panels use validated antibodies and ready-to-use protocols, while also allowing labs to incorporate markers from their own antibody libraries.
SPYRE Amplification Kits use seqLA technology to improve detection of low-abundance and difficult-to-detect targets. Together, the kits and panels are intended to give researchers a faster, higher-sensitivity workflow for extracting data from complex tissue samples.
To support the expanded portfolio, Bio-Techne has also introduced new features in its HORIZON Image Analysis Software, tailored for COMET hyperplex images generated using the SPYRE tools.
“Researchers need tools that make it easier to extract meaningful answers from complex tissue samples,” says Steve Crouse, president of Bio-Techne’s Diagnostics and Spatial Biology Segment, in a release. “By incorporating these capabilities into the COMET Suite, we are giving researchers a more flexible, faster, and higher sensitivity workflow that enables researchers to achieve deeper insights with greater confidence.”
Clinical Research Applications
Early users of the technology point to practical gains in throughput and protocol efficiency. Prof. Joanne Edwards, professor of Translational Cancer Pathology at the University of Glasgow, says the pre-optimized panels have expanded the capacity of conventional multiplex immunofluorescence while enabling a one-day experimental protocol.
“The COMET workflow is straightforward and flexible, allowing us to easily integrate our own antibodies of interest,” says Edwards in a release. “This technology provides insightful data, facilitating the simultaneous investigation of tumor and microenvironment cells within the same sample.”
Broader Spatial Biology Context
Spatial biology tools have drawn increasing attention in research and preclinical settings for their ability to preserve tissue architecture while generating high-dimensional molecular data—capabilities that are particularly relevant for oncology and drug discovery workflows. The addition of focused panels targeting stromal and vascular markers reflects growing interest in characterizing the tumor microenvironment with greater specificity.
Bio-Techne says the new products are part of its broader effort to deliver a fully integrated, modular, and automated spatial biology ecosystem intended to accelerate research and preclinical therapeutic development.
ID 4384439 © Dave Willman | Dreamstime.com
