JNCASR Bengaluru develops CLEAR technology for high-resolution protein mapping

Key facts

• The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), developed the Cleavable Light-Erased Antibody Reporter (CLEAR) technology.
• The CLEAR platform functions as a biological chalkboard, enabling the mapping of an unprecedented number of proteins within a single tissue sample to overcome the spectral limit of conventional imaging.
• The technology utilizes a 365-nanometer (nm) LED ultraviolet light pulse to snap chemical bonds of fluorescent markers, allowing more than 98% of the signal to be washed away in under two minutes.
• A research team led by Prof. Sarit S. Agasti validated the platform in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to study coordinated cellular restructuring in immune systems.
• This imaging method is designed to improve diagnostics for aggressive cancers and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by creating multi-layered molecular maps.