Series:  iQue^® Poster Presentation Snapshots

Natural Killer (NK) cells are essential components of the innate immune system and play a crucial role in anti-tumor responses. Several types of NK cell-related immunotherapeutics are being developed for the treatment of cancers, including tumor-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to induce NK cell-mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against tumor cells. For example, mAbs targeting CD20, such as rituximab and obinutuzumab, have long been used in the treatment of various B cell malignancies.

Assessing NK cell-mediated ADCC is critical in determining the potential clinical efficacy of newly developed tumor-specific mAbs. However, donor cell variability can affect the degree of NK cell-mediated ADCC. In addition to assessing cytolytic activity, it is necessary to characterize the number and activation state of the donor NK cells utilized. Traditional cytotoxicity assays are time-intensive and require additional downstream assays in the characterization of donor effector cells.

This presentation describes key advantages of the iQue^® Advanced Flow Cytometry Platform, iQue^® Human NK Cell Killing Kit and iQue^® Human NK Cell Companion Kits, to enable rapid assessment of the potency of different mAbs in ADCC mediated by NK cells, and to effectively distinguish differences in mAb efficacy between donors.

Key advantages include:

• One rapid multiplexed, miniaturized, easy to use assay, requiring minimal sample manipulation, which can be performed in either 96 or 384-well plates
• Simultaneous quantification of NK cell surface protein and cytokine expression, in relation to target cell killing
• Real-time data analysis and integrated iQue Forecyt^® Software novel visualization tools
• Low sample volumes