The myeloid/monocytic lineage of haematopoietic cells has an enormous functional and phenotypic plasticity.
Monocytes contained in circulating blood are an eminent example for this. After having entered peripheral tissues monocytes develop into tissue macrophages which play various roles under physiological and pathological conditions: removal of pathogens, antigen uptake and presentation, resolution of wound healing and propagation of chronic inflammations.
Moreover, cultured peripheral blood monocytes can be developed into professional antigen-presenting cells, so-called Dendritic Cells, which are used in tumor clinical vaccination protocols.
FOCUS Immunology has implemented state-of-the-art protocols for the in vitro maturation of functional active cell populations from human peripheral blood monocytes. In vitro generated cell populations, like Dendritic Cells or Macrophages are particularly suitable to explore specific aspects of immuno-modulatory and immuno-suppresssive compounds and treatment strategies.
For further information please contact us at immunology@focus-cdd.com or contact directly our Head of FOCUS Immunology Dr. Eddy Bruyns at eddy.bruyns@focus-cdd.com.
In a recent issue of “Nature Biotechnology” (Volume 28, Nr. 4, April 2010) Cormac Sheridan featured the status of biologicals development in 2009. From this and the associated specific articles on monoclonal antibody development it is obvious that biologicals are gaining more and more importance for sustaining the new products pipelines of pharmaceutical companies.
The development of new biologicals is associated with specific challenges. Some relate to the immunogenic and immune-modulatory properties of biologicals. Some keywords are „immunogenicity testing”, “cytokine storm”, “species-specificity of ligand-receptor interactions and down-stream signaling”.
In view of these challenges FOCUS has developed specific testing packages with an emphasis on immuno-modulatory activities of novel drug candidates.
The following testing packages have recently been defined:
- Specific immune system package
- Innate immune system package
- Immune activity screening package for novel and established compounds
- Cytokine modulation package for immuno-modulators, esp. immuno-suppressive compounds
- Immuno-stimulation package for immune-modulators, vaccines and oncology drugs
- Biologicals testing package, esp. for new biological entities (NBEs)
A comprehensive summary can be found in the white paper to be downloaded here.
Source: Cormac Sheridan, „Fresh from the biology pipeline-2009“ Nature Biotechnology Volume 28 Number 4 April 2010
T lymphocytes (T cells) play a central role in the initiation and propagation of physiological and pathological immune responses. To exert their functions, resting T cells are activated, whereby the activation signals and pathways can be manifold and the resulting cellular functions are diverse.
Modern cell biological techniques allow to distinctively address the different activation pathways by specific stimulators and inhibitors, be it by specific antibodies against cell surface receptors (e.g. anti-CD3, or anti-CD28) or be it by chemical reagents (e.g. phorbol myristate acetate or ionomycin).
These sophisticated stimulation protocols can then be combined with appropriate analytical technologies to assess the phenotype and function of the activated cell populations, like expression of cell surface activation markers, secretion of cytokines, or proliferation.
FOCUS Immunology operates these technologies and tailors their use to the specific needs of a study protocol.
To learn more about FOCUS Immunology’s expertise and service offer in T cell biology contact us at immunology@focus-cdd.com or contact directly our Head of FOCUS Immunology Dr. Eddy Bruyns at eddy.bruyns@focus-cdd.com.
FOCUS Immunology laboratory is part of the Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) FOCUS-CDD GmbH. FOCUS Immunology provides immunological biomarker services under GLP and non-GLP conditions for the development of novel medicines.
Modern flow cytometric methods allow the simultaneous detection of more than one fluorescent dye, this is termed “Multicolor flow cytometry”.
Thus, multicolor flow cytometry is a technology platform to gather detailed information on specific cells within a mixed population or on different parameters at the single cell level. This is especially relevant to maximize data generation from small or limited samples.
FOCUS Biomarker offers Multicolor Flow Cytometry to analyse immune cell parameters in clinical trials under GLP conditions. Together with our expertise in standardized cell sample generation and transportation as well as GLP-compliant assay development we offer this interesting technology for biomarker determination. This will enhance the assessment of PD aspects in early and late clinical trials with immuno-modulatory or anti-inflammatory drugs.
FOCUS Immunology laboratory is part of the Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) FOCUS-CDD GmbH. FOCUS Immunology provides immunological biomarker services under GLP and non-GLP conditions for the development of novel medicines.
Natural Killer (NK) cells play an important role in anti-viral and anti-tumor immune responses. NK cells appear to be involved in many pathologies and many therapeutic strategies involve the modulation of NK cell activity.
FOCUS Immunology has established state-of-the art protocols for the phenotypic and functional analysis of NK cells.
For further information on our expertise in NK cell biology please contact us at immunology@focus-cdd.com or contact directly our Head of FOCUS Immunology Dr. Eddy Bruyns at eddy.bruyns@focus-cdd.com.
FOCUS Immunology laboratory is part of the Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) FOCUS-CDD GmbH. FOCUS Immunology provides immunological biomarker services under GLP and non-GLP conditions for the development of novel medicines.
Lamina Propria Lymphocytes (LPL) are a dominant cell population in the gut-associated lymphoid system. Apparently, LPL play an important role in keeping the immunological homeostasis at the large resorptive interface between the gut lumen and the interior of the body. LPL dysfunctions are thought to contribute to the pathology of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
Together with clinical institutions of the Heidelberg Medical Centre FOCUS Immunology has established processes that allow to use purified LPL for cell biological and mode-of-action studies.
For further information on our expertise and service offer in LPL biology please us at immunology@focus-cdd.com or contact directly our Head of FOCUS Immunology Dr. Eddy Bruyns at eddy.bruyns@focus-cdd.com.
FOCUS Immunology laboratory is part of the Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) FOCUS-CDD GmbH. FOCUS Immunology provides immunological biomarker services under GLP and non-GLP conditions for the development of novel medicines.
One of FOCUS Immunology’s key services is immune-monitoring in clinical trials.
In the presentation basic options of this service are outlined.
Please note that this is not a standard procedure, but that the actual procedures and parameters will be tailored to the specific needs of a given clinical trial.
FOCUS Immunology’s experts are looking forward to discuss this in detail with you.
Contact:
Dr. Eddy Bruyns, Ph.D.
Telephone: +49 6221 649 350
Email:eddy.bruyns@focus-cdd.com
Friday, May 14, 2010
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