immunoSEQ®: The Source-Code for Immune Medicine

Presenter:

  • Kellie Howard, Ph.D., Dr. Research & Business Development Manager

CytoFLEX SRT: The CytoFLEX That Sorts

Presenter:

  • James McCracken


Spatial Profiling Reveals Distinct Immune Microenvironments in Leukemia-Infiltrated Organs and COVID-19-Infected Tissues

Presenters:

  • Kit Fuhrman, Ph.D., Sr. Product Manager, GeoMx RNA Assays,
  • Todd A. Triplett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
  • Joe Poh Sheng Yeong, MBBS, Ph.D. Mmed (Path), Associate Faculty, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR) Singapore


Join NanoString’s Spatial Biology workshop to learn more about GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler. Dr. Triplett will discuss the use of spatial profiling to evaluate T cell multiple organs in a T-ALL mouse model that revealed a striking expansion of chronically activated T cells expressing PD-1, indicative of a fully functional leukemia-specific response in different locations. Dr. Yeong will discuss interesting cases of cancer patients also diagnosed with COVID-19 and the differences between the immune infiltrate in these biopsy samples compared to those taken from COVID-19 decedents.

Flow and Imaging Cytometry Applications in COVID-19 Research

Presenters:

  • Kamala Tyagarajan, Ph.D., Director, Flow Cytometry Assays and Applications,
  • Haley Pugsley, Ph.D., Manager, Senior Scientist


The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive methods to understand the clinical manifestations, mechanisms, and epidemiology of the disease, and advance drug and vaccine development. Simplified solutions that target cellular and protein biomarkers have been critical for managing limitations of both resources and laboratory access. Flow and imaging cytometry methods have offered advantages in these areas of COVID-19 research. These methods have given researchers insight into the mechanisms that underlie COVID-19, the immune response, the role of sub-cellular components and their effects on COVID-19, and more.  

The detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody isotypes has been important in understanding both the immune response to and recovery from the virus and monitoring the vaccine response. The new Guava® SARS-CoV-2 Multi-Antigen Antibody Assay is a multiplex, high-sensitivity bead assay that can detect the presence of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against three SARS-CoV-2 antigens—the receptor binding domain of spike protein, nucleocapsid protein, and the S1 subunit of spike protein. The assay can be analyzed using any flow cytometer and was optimized on the Guava® Muse® Cell Analyzer and Guava® easyCyte Systems.

Cellular analysis provides critical information regarding the immune status of the patient and the determination of immune response mechanisms. The combination of accurate cell counting and multiparametric phenotyping can provide important information in COVID-19 research. This presentation will review strategies for cellular-based assays including accurate count and viability determination of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, characterization of T, B, and NK cell subsets, and dissection of naïve and memory sub-populations. Examples of multiparametric cellular health assays and how they provide insights to the cellular response will also be discussed.

Evaluation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has enabled the study of sub-cellular components and their effects on COVID-19. EVs are membrane-derived structures that include exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. Quantifying and characterizing EVs in a reproducible and reliable manner is challenging due to their small size—exosomes range from 30 to 100 nm in diameter. Here, we describe the use of High Gain mode on the Amnis® ImageStream® Imaging Flow Cytometer to address the challenges of measuring small particles. In the new High Gain mode, the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera is manually adjusted to higher gain settings, increasing the signal obtained from the EVs. Object thresholds and masking have also been adjusted to better identify and detect small particles.

Given that SARS-CoV-2 research studies responses in both cells and serum, the ability to obtain antibody isotype information on flow cytometry platforms that enable analysis of both can benefit many researchers. Further, sensitive small particle analysis provides researchers with deeper insights into subcellular contributions.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Meet xMAP® INTELLIFLEX: Technology You Trust. Versatility You Want.

Presenters:

  • Josh Jenkins, MS, Sales Development Manager, Licensed Technologies Group,
  • Sherry A. Dunbar, Ph.D., MBA, Senior Director, Global Scientific Affairs


Meet xMAP® Technology all over again. Over the past 25 years, Luminex’s xMAP Technology has emerged as the worldwide leader in bead-based multiplexing. The new xMAP® INTELLIFLEX provides all of the benefits of xMAP with additional features and capabilities that will allow users to expand their research even further.

INTELLIFLEX is the only compact, flow-based, multiplex platform that combines the proven performance of xMAP Technology with modern features to enhance performance and empower assay development and innovation while simplifying the user experience. No other multiplex platform combines low- and high-plex capabilities, quick time to reliable results, and the ability to acquire data for two parameters per analyte simultaneously.

In this presentation two Luminex experts will discuss some of the exciting applications made possible by this new xMAP system. They will also provide an overview of the latest research currently using this robust platform, including recent work in immunogenicity where xMAP Technology enabled the simultaneous screening of anti-drug-antibodies and isotyping in a single multiplex assay.

Additionally, our speakers will highlight the innovative features of INTELLIFLEX, including the new second reporter channel, which allows users to acquire double the data for each analyte saving time and precious sample. For more information visit luminexcorp.com/INTELLIFLEX.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Advancing Scientific Discovery with FCS Express™

Presenters:

  • Sean Burke, Director of Research Marketing and Business Development
  • Yasha Talaga, Global Commercialization PM, Flow and Antibody Business


Move from basic to advanced high dimensional data reduction with ease using data from the ZE5 Cell Analyzer and new tools from FCS Express designed to make analysis more efficient. Move into the world of higher dimensional data reduction algorithms without the need of R, scripting, or programming knowledge. Learn how to get most out of your data.

High Resolution Characterization of the Immune System with Single Cell Immune Profiling

Presenter:

  • Rea Dabelic, Ph.D., Manager, Immunology Segment Marketing


The immune system is incredibly dynamic and made up of many complex cell types. It uses innumerable methods to respond to infections, injuries, and inflammation. Single cell transcriptional profiling is a powerful tool for studying the immune system, but to truly understand its complexity we need multiomic approaches that can measure a single cell’s protein expression, antigen specificity, and clonal diversity. With Chromium Single Cell Immune Profiling, you can perform multiomic phenotyping in thousands of cells by assessing cell surface proteins, T and B cell repertoire diversity, antigen specificity, and gene expression at high resolution. Discover new cell types and states of activation and differentiation using whole transcriptome analysis or focus your search with custom or pre-designed gene expression panels.

Join us to hear how you can gain a clear, holistic view of the immune system and tackle complex questions that have not been addressed by traditional technologies. Explore how you can leverage the sensitivity improvements and superior sequencing quality of Single Cell Immune Profiling with Feature Barcode technology for comprehensive immune profiling.

Latest Developments for Enriching and Analyzing Antigen- and Virus-Specific T Cells

Presenter:

  • Lorenz Fuelle


The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an urgent need for the analysis of rare virus-specific T cells. In this workshop you will learn about Miltenyi Biotec's complete workflow for isolation, stimulation, sorting, and analysis of virus-specific T cells. Detailed analysis of these rare cells is vital in determining if long-term protection is gained after infection or vaccination. However, critically low cell frequencies, non-specific labeling, and high background often hamper reliable analysis. Our workflow is optimized at every step to address these key challenges and we are confident that we can assist you and your work on viral threats such as COVID-19, in even the most challenging research projects.