Immuno-SABER enables highly multiplexed and amplified protein imaging in tissues

Spatial mapping of proteins in tissues is hindered by limitations in multiplexing, sensitivity, and throughput. Here we report immunostaining with signal amplification by exchange reaction (Immuno-SABER), which achieves highly multiplexed signal amplification via DNA-barcoded antibodies and orthogonal DNA concatemers generated by primer exchange reactions (PER). SABER offers independently programmable signal amplification without in situ enzymatic reactions, and intrinsic scalability to rapidly amplify and visualize a large number of targets when combined with fast exchange cycles of fluorescent imager strands. We demonstrated 5–180-fold signal amplification in diverse samples (cultured cells, and FFPE, cryosectioned or whole mount tissues), and simultaneous signal amplification for 10 different proteins using standard equipment and workflows. We also combined SABER with expansion microscopy to enable rapid, multiplexed super-resolution tissue imaging. Immuno-SABER presents an effective and accessible platform for multiplexed and amplified imaging of proteins with high sensitivity and throughput.