Assays

The many immune cell types and their activation states are discriminated one from another by sets of proteins detected by antibodies using high-throughput, state-of-the-art flow cytometry. We have specifically designed our methods to be applicable in many laboratories without requiring particularly sophisticated technologies or equipment.  

From each blood sample of  29.5mls, we obtain approximately 1000 data points, as follows:

  • Flow cytometry – 8 panels of antibodies,  to enumerate defined immune cell subsets; their activation states; their exhaustion state; and their cell cycle status
  • Multiplex – for the analysis of cytokines
  • ELISA – for the analysis of IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike(S) protein, the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of S; and the nuclear capsid protein (N)
  • DNA sequencing – for the analysis of the repertoires of T cell receptors (TCRs) and immunoglobulins that populate the T and B cell responses to SARS-CoV-2
  • NanoString / CAR-T Characterization Panel – for assesment of the expression profile of 780 human genes

Each of these data-sets are then matched to the clinical status of the patients, so that CoPs may be identified.