Immuno-Oncology Cell-Based Assays
Given the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, it is imperative to create in vitro assays that include all major immune cell types a compound may interact with. Investigating with a multicellular phenotypic assay enables us to take various looks at a compound’s responses in platforms specifically designed to mimic the tumor microenvironment. Optimized cell-based assays provide critical information to validate the efficacy of a compound in simple and increasingly complex co-culture assays.
Starting with T cell modulation, we can monitor monitor T cell activation, T cell proliferation, T cell exhaustion, T cell chemotaxis, and cytokine response. We have also developed single cell and co-culture assays to monitor an immunotherapeutic’s interaction with specific cell types such as natural killer cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and fibroblasts. Available as both 2D and 3D, the assays deliver insights that serve as better predictors for the transition to in vivo studies.
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Our immuno-oncology cell based assays include:
- T cell assays
- Tumor killing assays
- Tumor cell assays
- Natural Killer Cell Assays
- Macrophage Assays
- Dendritic Cell Assays
- Neutrophil assays
- Fibroblast assays
Rhiannon Jenkinson, Director of Science at Charles River, discusses the impact of the Tumor Microenvironment on immune-oncology drug development.
A Translational Platform for Immuno-Oncology Drug Discovery
Charles River has developed a translational platform to profile your new agent in in vitro immuno-oncology assays that mimic this complex biology. Our platform is focused on improving translational relevance to support the progression of your compound into in vivo PD studies, confirming immune cell activation, immune cell population changes in the tumor, and cell surface marker changes of immune activation. Your compound can be translated into our in vivo models, including fully validated syngeneic models or humanized mouse models engrafted with human PBMC or CD34+ cells inoculated with tumors from our PDX collection.
Immuno-oncology Discovery and Development FAQs
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What is a translational immuno-oncology drug discovery program?
From hit identification to lead validation and in vivo efficacy, a predictive immune-oncology platform characterizes an immunotherapeutic across the discovery continuum.
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What are T cell assays?
T cell assays are used to observe the impact of an immunotherapeutic on T cell modulation such as T cell activation, T cell proliferation, T cell exhaustion, T cell chemotaxis, and cytokine response.
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Can in vitro immuno-oncology assays help with in vivo model selection?
Yes, in vitro immuno-oncology assays can help with the choice of in vivo model to help mitigate the risk of expensive in vivo pharmacology. For example, PDX-specific tumor killing assays can be used to select the most relevant PDX in vivo model.
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How are checkpoint inhibitors used in combination therapies?
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have led to a paradigm shift in the approach to treating a growing list of cancer types. The problem is only about a fifth of patients respond to checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy. Hence, the race is on to boost the response rates by partnering leading checkpoint inhibitors with established therapies (such as chemotherapy) and those which target novel mechanisms.
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How do you monitor for immunotoxicity?
Immune therapies stimulate the immune system to fight the tumour, however this immune stimulation can have diverse negative immune-mediated side effects. Thus the increase in immune-oncology drugs and the need to be able to predict and measure potential immunotoxicological consequences is becoming more and more important.