ModDetect™ Panels
ModDetect™ Panels
ModDetect™ panels (patent pending) are designed to facilitate the detection of specific chemical modifications independent of the sequence or location of the modification and can be used to evaluate a variety of RNA Tx modalities and nucleic acid structures.
Revolutionizing Oligonucleotide Detection
Nucleic acid therapies and vaccines have increased in public interest since the first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was granted EUA approval in 2020. RNA-based therapies, such as RNAi and mRNA, are designed to modulate protein synthesis in patients and have applications in oncology, gene therapy and the prevention of infectious diseases. These oligonucleotides often contain one or more structural modifications that increase their stability, uptake and effectiveness but may increase the likelihood of toxicity. Different modifications may be incorporated, in varying degrees, to the nitrogenous bases or to the sugar-phosphate backbone, with phosphorothioate (PS) replacing the natural phosphodiester bond being among the most common.
Balancing the level of modification with the effectiveness of the therapeutic candidate often results in large oligonucleotide libraries that lead to increased time required for screening and associated reagent expense. Traditionally, ISH-type assays have been the only method of detecting and localizing oligonucleotides in cells and tissues for nucleic acid therapy development. However, with the inability for ISH to bind and detect short oligo therapeutic drug sequences and because it requires unique probes to each oligonucleotide candidate, the process for probe development and candidate triage continues to require significant time and excessive budgets.
Rockland's ModDetect™ panels are ready-to-use, immunoassay-based alternatives that provide robust detection and localization of oligonucleotide therapeutic drug delivery, thereby facilitating the collection of ADME analytical data for regulatory approval. The universal nature and unique specificity and sensitivity of these reagents eliminates the need for unique probes and accelerates candidate triage for a cost-effective, low-risk solution that can save 9-12 months in drug development. The first ModDetect™ panel is specifically designed for the detection of the Phosphorothioate (PS) modification.
ModDetect™ Phosphorothioate (PS) Panel
Figure 1. ELISA of a subset of PS specialty reagents reactive with an FDA-approved gapmer. Streptavidin-coated plates were coated in duplicate with 5 pmol/well of 5’Biotin-MOE-PS Gapmer. The starting dilution was 5 μg/mL and the X-axis represents the Log10 of a 3-fold dilution. This titration is a 4-parameter curve fit where the IC50 is defined as the titer. PS03 IC50: 11 ng/mL, PS04 IC50: 9 ng/mL, PS05 IC50: 10 ng/mL, PS09 IC50: 18 ng/mL. Assay performed using Rabbit Anti-Mouse IgG HRP conjugated at 1:8,000 and TMB substrate.
Figure 2A-B. IF of ModDetect Reagent PS05. Mouse glioma cells derived from C57 black mice were cultured and treated with Oligo Tx drug. After fixation with paraformaldehyde, cells were stained with alpha tubulin (red) and ModDetect reagent PS05 (green). Reagent PS05 was used at a 1:2000 dilution. Punctate cytoplasmic staining is consistent with endosomal storage of ASO within the cell, as expected for this Oligo Tx drug. Vehicle only treated cells showed no staining (not shown).
About the ModDetect™ Phosphorothioate (PS) Panel
- Includes 5 reagents reactive to phosphorothioate to test and select based on performance with client drug
- Designed for use in various immunoassays, such as ELISA, IF, and IHC
- Includes 3 secondary antibodies or 3 streptavidin reporter reagents
- Unconjugated and biotin-conjugated panels available
ModDetect™ Panels as Analytical Tools
Targeted RNA Therapeutic Modalities
ModDetect™ panels are designed to facilitate the detection of specific chemical modifications independent of the sequence or location of the modification and can be used to evaluate a variety of RNA Tx modalities and nucleic acid structures.
Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASO)
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) 
Micro RNA (miRNA)
Aptamers
Single Stranded RNA 
Double Stranded RNA 
DNA-RNA Hybris
RNA-DNA Heterosubstrate (Gapmer)
Hear From Our Customers
“Rockland’s PS03, PS04, and PS05 antibodies work beautifully for detecting 2’MOE or cEt gapmer ASOs in the endocytic pathway, offering a low background and a strong, specific signal. PS05 is probably our first choice for this application because it works well even when diluted >1:1,000. For each of these antibodies, signal strength is proportional to the number of PS nucleotides in the oligo, as would be expected.“
Aimee Edinger, VMD/PhD
Professor, Developmental and Cell Biology, UC Irvine
Versatile Applications Across Diverse Therapeutic Products
Time Saving
Save 9-12 months in drug development with faster candidate triage
Less Risk
Evaluate multiple uniquely-specific reagents simultaneously in various immunoassays
Cost Saving
Eliminate the need for custom antibody development
ModDetect™ Panel Pipeline
2’-O-Methoxyethyl (MOE) panels are now available in the early access program while 2’-O-Methyl (OMe) panels will be coming soon to the ModDetect™ line.
Interested in our ModDetect™ product line?
We can help move your program forward—contact us to find out how.