Immuno-Oncology also known as immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body’s own immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer. Immune-Oncology involves educating the immune system to recognize and attack specific cancer cells, as well as boost immune cells to help them eliminate cancer.
Immuno-Oncology has been widely recognized and is one of the fastest growing fields in biological sciences. American immunologist James Allison and Japanese immunologist and Tasuku Honjo shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2018 for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.
Real Time Cell Analysis (RTCA)
If you are in the field of immunotherapy or starting out, OLS is your partner every step of the way.
Both immune cells and tumor cells have virtually limitless behaviors and profiles. Along with viruses that can be used as oncolytics or gene delivery vectors for immunotherapy xCELLigence® RTCA technology allows detection of minimal cellular changes, involving strength of adhesion, cell number, cell morphology and cell-cell-contacts. xCELLigence® RTCA can also determine viral infections of cells and detect virus titers as well as the determination of neutralizing antibodies.
Whether it is cellular behavior, viral infection or virus-based therapeutics, xCELLigence RTCA provides deep insight into whole kinetics of cellular behaviour with high sensitivity, without any cell-labelling and with only minimal hands-on-time.
Live Cell Analysis with xCELLigence®
Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry has undergone significant advancements over the past few decades, becoming an indispensable tool in immuno-oncological research. It plays a crucial role in various aspects of cancer immunotherapy, from the bioengineering of T lymphocytes and immune checkpoint blockades to monitoring drug distribution to tumor cells and regulating immune cell stimulation.
Agilent’s NovoCyte Flow Cytometers are at the forefront of this technology, known for their rapid and sensitive detection capabilities, with the ability to label up to 30 fluorescent colors. These high-throughput systems enable researchers to swiftly identify key targets, assess their efficacy, and perform precise analyses, whether investigating antibodies, proteins, or small molecules.
Flow Cytometry NovoCyte Instruments
With the introduction of the new spectral flow cytometer, the NovoCyte Opteon, it is now possible to delve even deeper into the diversity of immunological cells. The Opteon features up to 73 fluorescence detectors, allowing the creation of highly dimensional flow cytometry panels. Its high degree of automation and exceptional regulatory features make it the perfect instrument for clinical trials and research in the pharmaceutical industry and biotech sector.
In collaboration with BioLegend, Agilent has also developed a powerful 27-plex cytokine detection kit (a combination of 13-plex and 14-plex kits). This tool allows for a comprehensive assessment of immune status by measuring a broad range of cytokines, providing valuable insights into the immune response in cancer therapy.
The importance of flow cytometry in immuno-oncology extends to its application in clinical studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies. As new cancer immunotherapies move from the lab to clinical trials, flow cytometry is essential for monitoring patient responses, analyzing the effectiveness of treatments, and understanding the underlying mechanisms of action. By accurately quantifying immune cell populations, cytokine levels, and other biomarkers, flow cytometry provides critical data that informs decision-making in the development and approval of new therapies.
Single Cell Dispenser Namocell with computer
Agilent’s NovoCyte Flow Cytometers, including the advanced NovoCyte Opteon, offer user-friendly, affordable, and reliable solutions for both pre-clinical and clinical research. Their minimal training requirement and ease of use make them ideal for researchers at any stage of immuno-oncological studies, ensuring that cutting-edge research can be translated into effective cancer therapies.
Cell Counting & Analysis
High-demand fields like immuno-oncology, necessitate innovative technologies. For this purpose, OLS constructs the intricate CASY technology – CASY uses a sensitive electrode paired with a highly calibrated capillary to capture the distribution of cell volumes in dependance of the individual electrical resistance of each single cell in the sample. The cell volume provides an easy understanding of cell number, viability, cells affected by infection, differentiating stem cells, or cell type. There is no other analysis method providing this much information in such a short amount of time.
Immune cells and tumor cells can be therefore easily examined. Factors like proliferation behavior, developmental stage and even viral infections become quantifiable simultaneously – all the while abstaining from laborious factors such as sample staining and lengthy preparation times.
Cell Counter and Analyzer CASY