Introducing the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe

We're proud that our users have pioneered the use of HCR™ products in over 500 species, ranging from established model organisms, such as mouse and human, to emerging model organisms, such as daddy longlegs and Arabidopsis. One of the most consistent challenges with bringing methods to new sample types is assessing general sample integrity. We're excited to introduce an entirely new reagent, enabled by our recent launch of HCR™ Gold: the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe. In fact, we're so excited about this, we're including it by default in every HCR™ Gold kit order from now forward to help users validate their sample preparation before starting their HCR™ workflows.

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The HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe is a universal control engineered to work with any HCR™ Gold or Pro assay across all systems (X1-X10) in any sample type, giving you a fast and reliable way to assess whether your sample has been properly permeabilized and whether the RNA has been preserved through fixation and handling. Additionally, the incorporation of a novel universal HCR™ initiator enables compatibility with any HCR™ amplifier. The HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe is a simple, effective quality control that can save time, reduce troubleshooting, and help ensure your experimental success.

Why Use the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe? 

Think of this probe as your built-in quality control. Specifically, the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe helps confirm: 

• Successful permeabilization: Checks that HCR™ reagents are effectively diffusing into and through your sample.
• Preserved RNA integrity: Verifies that your sample has not experienced any degradation during fixation, storage, or handling.

If the sample is suitably prepared, you'll see strong, uniform signal throughout. If the signal is weak, it indicates likely issues with fixation, permeabilization, or RNA degradation -- giving you a chance to address those problems before exploring your targets of interest. The HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe acts as a positive control for sample quality and workflow performance, providing a consistent and reliable benchmark.

When and How to Use the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe

You can run the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe as a standalone quality check in pilot studies or in parallel with your experimental probes as an internal control to monitor sample integrity. We especially recommend using this probe when: 

• Working with a new sample type or organism
• Testing a new fixation or permeabilization protocol
• Using archived or otherwise sensitive samples

Because the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe targets abundant RNAs, you should expect bright, widespread signal across the sample. This readout helps you assess both probe access and RNA preservation, a straightforward yet powerful way to add a critical layer of quality assurance to your RNA-ISH workflow.

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By including the HCR™ Sample Readiness Probe in every HCR™ Gold order, we're making it easy to perform routine quality checks -- helping you minimize troubleshooting, validate sample prep, and move forward with confidence.

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If you have any questions about how to incorporate this probe into your experiments or interpret the results, our Support Team is always happy to help.