ArticlesBio-Plex Multiplex ImmunoassaysResearch Highlights

CAR T-Cell Therapy and the Cytokine Storm: The Balancing Act at the Center of Next-Generation Cancer Therapies

Recent advances in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy have opened exciting new avenues for the treatment of a variety of malignancies. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a powerful immune response to activated CAR T cells, is the primary side effect of CAR T-cell therapy, but existing CRS treatments can make CAR T-cell treatment less effective. In two recent studies, researchers used multiplexed cytokine immunoassays to better understand how CAR T-cell therapy triggers CRS and to identify strategies for early intervention in CRS development.
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ArticlesCell BiologyResearch Highlights

Efficacy of a Novel Treatment for Multiple Myeloma Established by Flow Cytometry

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is an effective treatment strategy for multiple myeloma (MM) but isolating enough hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) for transplantation can be challenging. The selective CXCR4 inhibitor motixafortide has been shown to be a safe and efficacious HSPC mobilization agent in a phase 2 trial when paired with G-CSF. Crees et al. (2023) report the results of the phase 3 trial, in which they used the ZE5 Cell Analyzer to explore motixafortide’s mobilizing effects.
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ArticlesDroplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)General InterestResearch Highlights

Advancing Molecular Diagnostics for Myelodysplastic Syndrome

No patient who has survived cancer wants to hear that they’ve relapsed. But hearing it sooner rather than later can dramatically increase the chances of finding a successful, potentially life-saving treatment. Using next-generation sequencing and Droplet Digital PCR, researchers at the University of Uppsala aim to detect relapse by monitoring patient-specific biomarkers. Read about their ongoing clinical study.
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ArticlesCell BiologyCOVID-19Drug Discovery and DevelopmentFeatured StoriesGeneral InterestResearch Highlights

Immune Surveillance in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development

The ability to characterize the target of cell-mediated immune response is crucial during vaccine development. In studying the characterization of SARS-CoV-2 infection pathogenesis in humans, a research team identified neutralizing antibodies that provided context for vaccine antigen design. Discover how the ZE5 Cell Analyzer was used to detect activation-induced markers, measure intracellular cytokines, and identify spike protein–specific antibodies in a rapid, high-throughput manner.
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ArticlesCell BiologyResearch Highlights

How FACS, Genetic Screens, and the HAP1 Cell Line Uncover the Biological Mechanisms of Cancer

Genetic screens are powerful tools for finding genes associated with a particular phenotype. They play an especially important role in cancer research and are leveraged to identify predictive biomarkers that can be used to improve treatment efficacy or trace the progression of genetic alterations that ultimately lead to disease. The HAP1 cancer cell line model and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) bring efficiency to the development of genetic screens that is making them a force to be reckoned with.
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ArticlesBio-Plex Multiplex AssaysProtocols and TipsResearch Highlights

Inflamed in the Brain: A Protocol for Studying Neuroinflammation in Mouse Brain Tissue

Mice are critical model organisms for the study of neuroinflammation. But tissue quantity is often a limiting factor. In a recent paper, researchers describe a protocol for analysis of 33 cytokines and chemokines using only 50 μl of tissue homogenate. The remaining homogenate can be used for RNA extraction or other analysis.
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ArticlesCell BiologyResearch Highlights

Sorting an Old Problem: Are Cells Stressed by Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting?

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting is a valuable tool for research, but could the physical forces of sorting stress the cells, altering their behavior and confounding experimental results? Recent research found that although cell sorting activated p38 MAPK stress signaling, no functional or structural changes were observable. The results indicate that jet-in-air systems such as the Bio-Rad S3e Cell Sorter do not alter cell behavior.
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ArticlesCell BiologyResearch Highlights

Monocytes — a Mini Review

Monocytes play key roles in mediating innate and adaptive immune responses. Here is an overview of the types, functions, process of recruitment, and the role of monocytes in disease.
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ArticlesCell BiologyResearch Highlights

Macrophage Polarization — An Overview

Macrophages are important players in the phagocytosis process in the immune system. In this detailed review, we provide an overview on the different types of macrophages, the signaling molecules involved in the polarization of M1 and M2 macrophage subsets, and more.
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ArticlesReal-time qPCR/PCRResearch Highlights

So, How Can the Sso7d Fusion Polymerase Technology Help Your PCR?

During a PCR reaction, it is imperative for the DNA polymerase to remain attached to the template while extending the new strand. This association is jeopardized under challenging PCR conditions and when amplifying longer DNA fragments. See how Sso7d, a small protein capable of binding with the polymerase, helps in stabilizing this association and increasing PCR efficiency.
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