Diverse Approaches in Immuno-Oncology: A Review of the Research & Technology Series
Posted 13th November 2019 by Joshua Sewell
This blog was published on Clarivate’s Cortellis blog. It is reproduced here with their kind permission.
A fascinating range of insights into the ways in which the immune system can be harnessed to fight cancer was provided by Global Engage’s Immuno-Oncology Research & Technology Series meeting held in October in London. The conference comprised five concurrent tracks covering cutting-edge developments in fields such as cell therapies, novel antibodies and neoantigens. Some of the highlights tracked by the Cortellis team are presented below.
Flow Cytometry: A powerful tool in drug discovery
Posted 17th June 2019 by Joshua Sewell
Flow cytometry is a powerful tool in drug discovery because it provides a way to understand the drug’s mechanism of action. In order to stratify a better target for patients, you often need to know where the drug is working, and what kind of pathway it is operating along.
Putting the power of proteomics in the hands of Flow Cytometry
Posted 10th June 2019 by Joshua Sewell
The combination of simplicity and power is turning flow cytometry into the highest throughput protein analysis method yet developed.
Large-scale protein analysis, or proteomics, is still a relatively small discipline where the research front is driven by a few labs with unrestricted access to mass spectrometry (MS). MS is equivalent to a mainframe computer: very big, very sophisticated, and only a few people have the skills to use them.
A 14 colour antibody panel: developing a tool and demonstrating a process
Posted 7th June 2019 by Joshua Sewell
One of the frustrations I have with Flow Cytometry is when companies present their amazing new findings at conferences, and it’s quite often about TMB cells. In my case, I work on these cells perhaps 20% of the time. The rest of the time I work on cells from other parts of the human body – bone marrow, lung, bronchoalveolar lavage, spleen – and in diverse animals such as mice, rats, and even sparrow, chicken, and mosquito.
Determining the fate of cells with Flow Cytometry
Posted 31st May 2019 by Joshua Sewell
The ability to measure multiple forms of cell death simultaneously represents a significant development for such techniques. I have been using antibodies and more specific forms of dyes to identify mitochondrial activity and reactive oxygen in roughly fifty populations, whereas normally it would only be able to measure one at a time. I will be discussing this work at the Flow Cytometry Congress, and it could prove enormously beneficial to drug and immunotherapy development.
Immuno-oncology: A Saving Grace in Cancer Treatment
Posted 10th April 2019 by Joshua Sewell
Technology is constantly changing the healthcare industry. Scientists and physicians are hard at work doing everything they can to enhance treatment options for patients battling many different types of diseases and cancers. Immuno-oncology (I-O) is a subarea of immunotherapy that is uncovering new ways that cancer can be treated. This type of treatment allows patients to participate in less invasive and taxing procedures all while finding newer treatment options on a more niche or case by case level. Immunotherapy treatments and supporting procedures are making their way into everyday cancer care to change the playing field for the better.