Skip to main content

Video: Gaining New Insights on Cellular Response Using Simple Plex

Video Summary


Dr. Jean Dunne shares key insights from her research on cytokine measurement for evaluating cellular responses in clinical and research settings. She highlights the advantages of the Simple Plex™ Assay on the Ella™ Platform, emphasizing its ability to precisely measure multiple cytokines with minimal sample volume. 

Drawing from her experience, Dr. Dunne discusses transitioning a research-use-only (RUO) product into a clinical setting, underscoring the importance of a large dynamic range, ease of use, and multi-analyte capabilities. 

Her research provides new perspectives on inflammatory cytokine responses, showcasing the value of a scalable and highly translatable cytokine release assay with minimal setup. Additionally, Dr. Dunne compares various measurement methods, offering practical insights into their performance and applications.

 

Meet Ella

00:00:07,654 --> 00:00:09,668 

Hello and welcome to Teach Me in 10. 

 

00:00:09,668 --> 00:00:10,843 

In this discussion, 

 

00:00:10,843 --> 00:00:12,857 

Dr. Jean Dunne shares valuable insights 

 

00:00:12,857 --> 00:00:14,234 

gleaned from her research 

 

00:00:14,234 --> 00:00:15,442 

measuring cytokines 

 

00:00:15,442 --> 00:00:15,879 

to assess 

 

00:00:15,879 --> 00:00:16,987 

cellular responses 

 

00:00:16,987 --> 00:00:19,035 

in clinical and research settings. 

 

00:00:19,035 --> 00:00:19,672 

And we'll be looking 

 

10 

00:00:19,672 --> 00:00:21,351 

at unlocking cellular response 

 

11 

00:00:21,351 --> 00:00:23,265 

with Simple Plex technology. 

 

12 

00:00:23,265 --> 00:00:24,440 

So without further ado, 

 

13 

00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:26,991 

let's get into the episode. 

 

14 

00:00:26,991 --> 00:00:27,595 

Hi Jean, 

 

15 

00:00:27,595 --> 00:00:29,240 

welcome to Teach Me in 10. 

 

16 

00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:30,986 

So as we only have 10 minutes, 

 

17 

00:00:30,986 --> 00:00:32,530 

we best get started. 

 

18 

00:00:32,530 --> 00:00:35,182 

And my first question for you has to be 

 

19 

00:00:35,182 --> 00:00:36,861 

can you briefly outline your research 

 

20 

00:00:36,861 --> 00:00:38,070 

focus: understanding 

 

21 

00:00:38,070 --> 00:00:39,177 

cellular response 

 

22 

00:00:39,177 --> 00:00:40,252 

and its implications 

 

23 

00:00:40,252 --> 00:00:42,467 

for disease-modifying drugs? 

 

24 

00:00:42,467 --> 00:00:43,374 

Hello, Lucy. 

 

25 

00:00:43,374 --> 00:00:44,885 

Yes, absolutely. 

 

26 

00:00:44,885 --> 00:00:46,328 

So we're interested 

 

27 

00:00:46,328 --> 00:00:47,436 

in the cellular response 

 

28 

00:00:47,436 --> 00:00:48,846 

in common viruses 

 

29 

00:00:48,846 --> 00:00:50,457 

and how they relate to diseases 

 

30 

00:00:50,457 --> 00:00:52,170 

such as multiple sclerosis, 

 

31 

00:00:52,170 --> 00:00:54,352 

which is a research focus of ours. 

 

32 

00:00:54,352 --> 00:00:56,131 

So currently, research 

 

33 

00:00:56,131 --> 00:00:58,045 

into viral association 

 

34 

00:00:58,045 --> 00:00:58,850 

in multiple 

 

35 

00:00:58,850 --> 00:01:00,193 

sclerosis has focused 

 

36 

00:01:00,193 --> 00:01:03,080 

on the Epstein–Barr virus, or EBV. 

 

37 

00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:04,927 

And this is a very common virus 

 

38 

00:01:04,927 --> 00:01:06,706 

which most people easily deal 

 

39 

00:01:06,706 --> 00:01:08,821 

with in childhood or adolescence. 

 

40 

00:01:08,821 --> 00:01:11,406 

It's called infectious mononucleosis 

 

41 

00:01:11,406 --> 00:01:13,521 

or kissing disease. 

 

42 

00:01:13,521 --> 00:01:14,092 

Okay, 

 

43 

00:01:14,092 --> 00:01:15,502 

so what happens 

 

44 

00:01:15,502 --> 00:01:17,583 

is that the virus is controlled 

 

45 

00:01:17,583 --> 00:01:18,758 

by immune cells 

 

46 

00:01:18,758 --> 00:01:21,746 

which patrol and deal with any exposures. 

 

47 

00:01:22,283 --> 00:01:23,861 

And a very large study, 

 

48 

00:01:23,861 --> 00:01:25,943 

so I think there were 10 million 

 

49 

00:01:25,943 --> 00:01:27,118 

samples included 

 

50 

00:01:28,259 --> 00:01:29,031 

from US 

 

51 

00:01:29,031 --> 00:01:30,441 

military personnel, 

 

52 

00:01:30,441 --> 00:01:33,463 

identified new adult infection 

 

53 

00:01:33,463 --> 00:01:34,638 

with Epstein–Barr 

 

54 

00:01:34,638 --> 00:01:35,544 

(EBV) 

 

55 

00:01:35,544 --> 00:01:37,088 

as a prerequisite 

 

56 

00:01:37,088 --> 00:01:39,103 

for subsequent development of MS. 

 

57 

00:01:39,103 --> 00:01:40,983 

So that links MS 

 

58 

00:01:40,983 --> 00:01:41,688 

causally 

 

59 

00:01:41,688 --> 00:01:45,011 

with Epstein–Barr disease. 

 

60 

00:01:45,448 --> 00:01:46,623 

And that study measured 

 

61 

00:01:46,623 --> 00:01:48,402 

antibody responses. 

 

62 

00:01:48,402 --> 00:01:49,913 

Now, we've carried out 

 

63 

00:01:49,913 --> 00:01:52,900 

a subsequent study that's been happily 

 

64 

00:01:53,874 --> 00:01:56,459 

published this year, in 2024, 

 

65 

00:01:56,459 --> 00:01:57,600 

and our study looked 

 

66 

00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,212 

at the cellular responses 

 

67 

00:01:59,212 --> 00:02:01,763 

to Epstein–Barr in patients with MS. 

 

68 

00:02:01,763 --> 00:02:04,885 

So, we looked at various 

 

69 

00:02:04,885 --> 00:02:05,691 

therapies 

 

70 

00:02:05,691 --> 00:02:08,209 

that are used to treat patients with MS 

 

71 

00:02:08,209 --> 00:02:09,955 

and we looked at the impact 

 

72 

00:02:09,955 --> 00:02:11,935 

of these therapies on the cytokine 

 

73 

00:02:11,935 --> 00:02:13,748 

responses of immune cells 

 

74 

00:02:13,748 --> 00:02:15,662 

that respond to Epstein–Barr. 

 

75 

00:02:15,662 --> 00:02:16,703 

The piece of Epstein–Barr 

 

76 

00:02:16,703 --> 00:02:18,616 

that we focused on is called 

 

77 

00:02:18,616 --> 00:02:19,556 

EBNA-1 

 

78 

00:02:19,556 --> 00:02:20,664 

or Epstein–Barr 

 

79 

00:02:20,664 --> 00:02:23,921 

nuclear-associated antigen 1. Perfect. 

 

80 

00:02:24,021 --> 00:02:25,398 

So then from that, 

 

81 

00:02:25,398 --> 00:02:26,271 

how have you developed 

 

82 

00:02:26,271 --> 00:02:27,748 

the in-house cytokine release 

 

83 

00:02:27,748 --> 00:02:29,493 

immunoassays? And how are these 

 

84 

00:02:29,493 --> 00:02:31,340 

aiding clinical researchers 

 

85 

00:02:31,340 --> 00:02:33,119 

in studying inflammatory cytokine response? 

 

86 

00:02:34,093 --> 00:02:35,603 

So we based the 

 

87 

00:02:35,603 --> 00:02:36,275 

assays on 

 

88 

00:02:36,275 --> 00:02:38,054 

tests that we routinely use 

 

89 

00:02:38,054 --> 00:02:39,598 

for latent TB. 

 

90 

00:02:39,598 --> 00:02:40,874 

It's called the interferon 

 

91 

00:02:40,874 --> 00:02:42,318 

gamma release assay. 

 

92 

00:02:42,318 --> 00:02:43,191 

And these assays 

 

93 

00:02:43,191 --> 00:02:45,272 

are commercially supplied in a kit 

 

94 

00:02:45,272 --> 00:02:48,495 

with TB antigens. Blood is added, 

 

95 

00:02:48,528 --> 00:02:49,972 

patient blood, it's incubated 

 

96 

00:02:49,972 --> 00:02:50,811 

overnight 

 

97 

00:02:50,811 --> 00:02:51,852 

and an ELISA is 

 

98 

00:02:51,852 --> 00:02:54,135 

used to measure interferon gamma. 

 

99 

00:02:54,135 --> 00:02:56,787 

So the in-house assays that we develop 

 

100 

00:02:56,787 --> 00:02:57,626 

use viral 

 

101 

00:02:57,626 --> 00:02:58,633 

peptides 

 

102 

00:02:58,633 --> 00:03:01,118 

or whole recombinant antigens. 

 

103 

00:03:01,118 --> 00:03:04,206 

Now, they can be from any source 

 

104 

00:03:04,206 --> 00:03:05,717 

but the ones obviously that we used in 

 

105 

00:03:05,717 --> 00:03:06,153 

the MS 

 

106 

00:03:06,153 --> 00:03:07,731 

studies are EBNA-1 

 

107 

00:03:07,731 --> 00:03:09,611 

from Epstein–Barr. 

 

108 

00:03:09,611 --> 00:03:11,793 

So these are added to whole blood 

 

109 

00:03:11,793 --> 00:03:13,573 

and cultured overnight 

 

110 

00:03:13,573 --> 00:03:14,345 

and then the 

 

111 

00:03:14,345 --> 00:03:16,426 

cytokines produced by the blood cells 

 

112 

00:03:16,426 --> 00:03:18,776 

are then measured in the supernatant. 

 

113 

00:03:18,776 --> 00:03:21,429 

And this is a very flexible assay system 

 

114 

00:03:21,429 --> 00:03:22,469 

and Ella provides 

 

115 

00:03:22,469 --> 00:03:24,181 

the great advantage of multiplex 

 

116 

00:03:24,181 --> 00:03:27,203 

cytokine measurement on a single sample. 

 

117 

00:03:27,841 --> 00:03:28,411 

I see. 

 

118 

00:03:28,411 --> 00:03:30,124 

So what were the main challenges 

 

119 

00:03:30,124 --> 00:03:32,373 

in creating these diagnostic tests 

 

120 

00:03:32,373 --> 00:03:33,246 

and what kind of key 

 

121 

00:03:33,246 --> 00:03:34,186 

lessons were learned? 

 

122 

00:03:35,461 --> 00:03:36,334 

Well, for 

 

123 

00:03:36,334 --> 00:03:37,174 

us, the main 

 

124 

00:03:37,174 --> 00:03:39,624 

challenge is optimizing the assay. 

 

125 

00:03:39,624 --> 00:03:41,135 

So that means establishing 

 

126 

00:03:41,135 --> 00:03:42,377 

the amount of antigen 

 

127 

00:03:42,377 --> 00:03:44,962 

that's required to elicit a response 

 

128 

00:03:44,962 --> 00:03:46,842 

and then, after that, deciding 

 

129 

00:03:46,842 --> 00:03:49,394 

on the appropriate cytokines to measure. 

 

130 

00:03:49,394 --> 00:03:50,468 

So it's important 

 

131 

00:03:50,468 --> 00:03:53,456 

to be able to identify a responder group 

 

132 

00:03:53,590 --> 00:03:55,235 

to establish the assay because 

 

133 

00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:56,611 

you have to have a positive 

 

134 

00:03:56,611 --> 00:03:58,726 

and perhaps a negative control. 

 

135 

00:03:58,726 --> 00:04:00,976 

And these can be healthy controls 

 

136 

00:04:00,976 --> 00:04:02,587 

or they may be part of your disease 

 

137 

00:04:02,587 --> 00:04:05,642 

cohort, as in the MS study. 

 

138 

00:04:06,381 --> 00:04:09,436 

So a key lesson for us 

 

139 

00:04:09,436 --> 00:04:11,551 

was to conduct a pilot study, 

 

140 

00:04:11,551 --> 00:04:13,162 

including reasonable numbers 

 

141 

00:04:13,162 --> 00:04:14,874 

of healthy controls, and 

 

142 

00:04:14,874 --> 00:04:16,217 

within the patient cohort 

 

143 

00:04:16,217 --> 00:04:18,701 

to identify subgroups. 

 

144 

00:04:18,701 --> 00:04:20,447 

For example, in the MS study 

 

145 

00:04:20,447 --> 00:04:20,884 

we didn't 

 

146 

00:04:20,884 --> 00:04:22,529 

initially include treatment 

 

147 

00:04:22,529 --> 00:04:24,207 

naive patients, 

 

148 

00:04:24,207 --> 00:04:26,289 

because they were fewer in numbers, 

 

149 

00:04:26,289 --> 00:04:28,874 

but eventually this cohort proved 

 

150 

00:04:28,874 --> 00:04:30,922 

to be essential for comparison. 

 

151 

00:04:30,922 --> 00:04:33,171 

They were our baseline comparator. 

 

152 

00:04:33,171 --> 00:04:35,823 

So another key lesson is to identify 

 

153 

00:04:35,823 --> 00:04:37,233 

the cytokine signature 

 

154 

00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:38,542 

of the cellular response 

 

155 

00:04:38,542 --> 00:04:39,449 

you wish to measure. 

 

156 

00:04:40,624 --> 00:04:42,202 

For T cell responses, 

 

157 

00:04:42,202 --> 00:04:44,149 

we used interferon gamma 

 

158 

00:04:44,149 --> 00:04:46,029 

and IL-2, eventually. 

 

159 

00:04:46,029 --> 00:04:48,144 

But when we conducted pilot studies, 

 

160 

00:04:48,144 --> 00:04:50,024 

we included a number of other  

 

161 

00:04:50,024 --> 00:04:51,232 

T cell-associated 

 

162 

00:04:51,232 --> 00:04:54,254 

and innate-associated cytokines, 

 

163 

00:04:54,254 --> 00:04:55,966 

and in an ideal world, 

 

164 

00:04:55,966 --> 00:04:57,779 

a broad range of cytokines 

 

165 

00:04:57,779 --> 00:04:58,853 

would be measured 

 

166 

00:04:58,853 --> 00:05:00,800 

but cost is a limiting factor, 

 

167 

00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:01,304 

I'm afraid, 

 

168 

00:05:01,304 --> 00:05:03,788 

in reality. Absolutely. 

 

169 

00:05:03,788 --> 00:05:04,795 

So what would you say 

 

170 

00:05:04,795 --> 00:05:06,407 

are the essential capabilities 

 

171 

00:05:06,407 --> 00:05:07,783 

you seek in immunoassay 

 

172 

00:05:07,783 --> 00:05:10,032 

platforms for diagnostic monitoring? 

 

173 

00:05:10,032 --> 00:05:13,154 

Well, reproducibility is essential. 

 

174 

00:05:13,289 --> 00:05:15,807 

We need a low coefficient of variation 

 

175 

00:05:15,807 --> 00:05:18,996 

for inter- and intra-assay comparisons 

 

176 

00:05:19,432 --> 00:05:20,372 

because we need to be able 

 

177 

00:05:20,372 --> 00:05:21,514 

to rely on the results 

 

178 

00:05:21,514 --> 00:05:24,938 

over a period of testing. A wide 

 

179 

00:05:24,938 --> 00:05:26,818 

dynamic range is a great advantage 

 

180 

00:05:26,818 --> 00:05:28,832 

and a wide range of sample types 

 

181 

00:05:28,832 --> 00:05:30,880 

such as plasma, serum, 

 

182 

00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,357 

stimulation supernatants 

 

183 

00:05:32,357 --> 00:05:35,345 

and perhaps cerebrospinal fluid. 

 

184 

00:05:35,479 --> 00:05:37,762 

Also, for our purposes, 

 

185 

00:05:37,762 --> 00:05:40,045 

a wide range of cytokines, chemokines 

 

186 

00:05:40,045 --> 00:05:42,563 

or other biomarkers to be available 

 

187 

00:05:42,563 --> 00:05:44,007 

for testing on that platform, 

 

188 

00:05:44,007 --> 00:05:45,182 

because that gives us 

 

189 

00:05:45,182 --> 00:05:47,062 

a great possibility 

 

190 

00:05:47,062 --> 00:05:48,002 

in what we look for. 

 

191 

00:05:49,512 --> 00:05:51,325 

Ease of use, with minimal 

 

192 

00:05:51,325 --> 00:05:53,272 

requirement for operator intervention 

 

193 

00:05:53,272 --> 00:05:54,951 

during testing, is obviously 

 

194 

00:05:54,951 --> 00:05:56,327 

a great advantage 

 

195 

00:05:56,327 --> 00:05:56,831 

and short 

 

196 

00:05:56,831 --> 00:05:58,442 

setup times and short 

 

197 

00:05:58,442 --> 00:06:00,591 

daily and monthly maintenance. 

 

198 

00:06:00,591 --> 00:06:03,142 

Another 

 

199 

00:06:03,142 --> 00:06:04,183 

capability would be 

 

200 

00:06:04,183 --> 00:06:06,399 

low volume of samples 

 

201 

00:06:06,399 --> 00:06:07,372 

because these are often 

 

202 

00:06:07,372 --> 00:06:08,715 

precious samples, 

 

203 

00:06:08,715 --> 00:06:10,495 

and quick time from initial sample 

 

204 

00:06:10,495 --> 00:06:12,072 

testing to results generation, 

 

205 

00:06:12,072 --> 00:06:14,288 

because we're anxious to gather results 

 

206 

00:06:14,288 --> 00:06:15,799 

and obviously good 

 

207 

00:06:15,799 --> 00:06:17,813 

engineering support and training. 

 

208 

00:06:17,813 --> 00:06:19,022 

Absolutely. 

 

209 

00:06:19,022 --> 00:06:20,264 

And then, from that, 

 

210 

00:06:20,264 --> 00:06:21,305 

how do patients benefit 

 

211 

00:06:21,305 --> 00:06:22,547 

from using the Simple Plex 

 

212 

00:06:22,547 --> 00:06:24,057 

platform on the Ella instrument 

 

213 

00:06:24,057 --> 00:06:26,374 

for cytokine measurement? 

 

214 

00:06:26,374 --> 00:06:30,201 

Well, all care is patient-centered 

 

215 

00:06:30,201 --> 00:06:31,712 

and it should be personalized. 

 

216 

00:06:31,712 --> 00:06:33,525 

And on the Ella platform, 

 

217 

00:06:33,525 --> 00:06:34,095 

the ease, 

 

218 

00:06:34,095 --> 00:06:35,942 

reproducibility and speed 

 

219 

00:06:35,942 --> 00:06:38,057 

of measurement of the cytokines 

 

220 

00:06:38,057 --> 00:06:39,802 

makes it possible to upscale 

 

221 

00:06:39,802 --> 00:06:41,347 

and translate these assays 

 

222 

00:06:41,347 --> 00:06:42,555 

which are essentially 

 

223 

00:06:42,555 --> 00:06:46,148 

a research assay, 

 

224 

00:06:46,383 --> 00:06:47,960 

but then they need to be translated 

 

225 

00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,243 

into use in the clinical laboratory. 

 

226 

00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:52,291 

So the Ella platform has enabled us 

 

227 

00:06:52,291 --> 00:06:52,963 

to develop 

 

228 

00:06:52,963 --> 00:06:54,070 

novel assays 

 

229 

00:06:54,070 --> 00:06:56,958 

to measure these individual responses. 

 

230 

00:06:56,958 --> 00:06:58,770 

We've been able to look at various 

 

231 

00:06:58,770 --> 00:07:00,080 

cytokine responses 

 

232 

00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,792 

in a dynamic system, 

 

233 

00:07:01,792 --> 00:07:03,739 

allowing us to choose the cytokines 

 

234 

00:07:03,739 --> 00:07:05,988 

that best represent the cellular processes 

 

235 

00:07:05,988 --> 00:07:07,432 

we want to measure. 

 

236 

00:07:07,432 --> 00:07:09,043 

And the initial studies 

 

237 

00:07:09,043 --> 00:07:10,856 

pave the way for things 

 

238 

00:07:10,856 --> 00:07:12,669 

like longitudinal studies, 

 

239 

00:07:12,669 --> 00:07:14,381 

looking at response to treatment 

 

240 

00:07:14,381 --> 00:07:14,985 

and possibly 

 

241 

00:07:14,985 --> 00:07:17,570 

predicting changes required in dosage 

 

242 

00:07:17,570 --> 00:07:19,450 

or treatment type. 

 

243 

00:07:19,450 --> 00:07:20,323 

Nice. 

 

244 

00:07:20,323 --> 00:07:21,733 

So what are the strengths 

 

245 

00:07:21,733 --> 00:07:23,076 

and weaknesses of the Ella 

 

246 

00:07:23,076 --> 00:07:23,714 

instrument, 

 

247 

00:07:23,714 --> 00:07:25,728 

particularly regarding its capacity 

 

248 

00:07:25,728 --> 00:07:26,870 

for measuring 

 

249 

00:07:26,870 --> 00:07:27,978 

multiple cytokines 

 

250 

00:07:27,978 --> 00:07:29,153 

on limited samples 

 

251 

00:07:29,153 --> 00:07:30,361 

and its high sensitivity 

 

252 

00:07:30,361 --> 00:07:32,073 

and reproducibility? 

 

253 

00:07:32,073 --> 00:07:32,812 

Well, as you say, 

 

254 

00:07:32,812 --> 00:07:34,490 

there are great advantages in being able 

 

255 

00:07:34,490 --> 00:07:34,927 

to measure 

 

256 

00:07:34,927 --> 00:07:36,471 

a range of cytokines 

 

257 

00:07:36,471 --> 00:07:39,358 

on a small, precious sample, 

 

258 

00:07:39,358 --> 00:07:40,668 

and this is especially true 

 

259 

00:07:40,668 --> 00:07:43,924 

when developing and optimizing assays 

 

260 

00:07:44,293 --> 00:07:45,770 

that we will translate 

 

261 

00:07:45,770 --> 00:07:48,020 

to the diagnostic and monitoring service. 

 

262 

00:07:48,020 --> 00:07:50,001 

So a single-step test 

 

263 

00:07:50,001 --> 00:07:52,552 

for a range of cytokines saves time 

 

264 

00:07:52,552 --> 00:07:53,962 

and human resources 

 

265 

00:07:53,962 --> 00:07:54,633 

and it produces 

 

266 

00:07:54,633 --> 00:07:56,379 

a huge amount of information 

 

267 

00:07:56,379 --> 00:07:56,883 

that we can 

 

268 

00:07:56,883 --> 00:07:57,823 

then analyze 

 

269 

00:07:57,823 --> 00:08:00,811 

to identify the most useful measures, 

 

270 

00:08:00,878 --> 00:08:02,187 

so the most appropriate 

 

271 

00:08:02,187 --> 00:08:04,101 

cytokines in our MS study. 

 

272 

00:08:05,141 --> 00:08:07,458 

So the sensitivity and reproducibility 

 

273 

00:08:07,458 --> 00:08:09,371 

are also essential in order 

 

274 

00:08:09,371 --> 00:08:11,486 

to be able to trust results. 

 

275 

00:08:11,486 --> 00:08:13,568 

You need to be able to trust that 

 

276 

00:08:13,568 --> 00:08:14,676 

if you test it today 

 

277 

00:08:14,676 --> 00:08:16,018 

and if you test it in 10 weeks, 

 

278 

00:08:16,018 --> 00:08:17,395 

it will be the same. 

 

279 

00:08:17,395 --> 00:08:18,301 

And also, 

 

280 

00:08:18,301 --> 00:08:19,141 

we need to trust them 

 

281 

00:08:19,141 --> 00:08:21,323 

because these results will change 

 

282 

00:08:21,323 --> 00:08:23,471 

as we do longitudinal studies 

 

283 

00:08:23,471 --> 00:08:25,553 

in each patient, 

 

284 

00:08:25,553 --> 00:08:27,903 

it may be change in response to disease 

 

285 

00:08:27,903 --> 00:08:30,891 

development or in response to treatment. 

 

286 

00:08:31,461 --> 00:08:33,778 

A disadvantage is the in-house 

 

287 

00:08:33,778 --> 00:08:36,766 

assay should be translatable into an IVD 

 

288 

00:08:36,766 --> 00:08:38,646 

or CE-marked product 

 

289 

00:08:38,646 --> 00:08:39,921 

to enable us to use it 

 

290 

00:08:39,921 --> 00:08:42,204 

in the clinical diagnostics setting. 

 

291 

00:08:42,204 --> 00:08:43,043 

And this is something 

 

292 

00:08:43,043 --> 00:08:44,621 

that needs investment 

 

293 

00:08:44,621 --> 00:08:47,240 

of both time and resources. 

 

294 

00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:48,146 

I see. 

 

295 

00:08:48,146 --> 00:08:49,355 

So I'd love 

 

296 

00:08:49,355 --> 00:08:50,832 

if you could share your experience 

 

297 

00:08:50,832 --> 00:08:51,806 

in creating a novel 

 

298 

00:08:51,806 --> 00:08:53,283 

cytokine release assay 

 

299 

00:08:53,283 --> 00:08:54,122 

and the significance 

 

300 

00:08:54,122 --> 00:08:54,995 

of using a platform 

 

301 

00:08:54,995 --> 00:08:56,271 

that offers this fast, 

 

302 

00:08:56,271 --> 00:08:58,184 

hands-free operation. 

 

303 

00:08:58,184 --> 00:08:58,822 

Absolutely. 

 

304 

00:08:58,822 --> 00:09:01,911 

So, most people with multiple sclerosis 

 

305 

00:09:02,347 --> 00:09:05,201 

have high antibodies to a latent 

 

306 

00:09:05,201 --> 00:09:07,450 

particle of EBV called EBNA-1. 

 

307 

00:09:07,450 --> 00:09:08,155 

And, as I said, 

 

308 

00:09:08,155 --> 00:09:09,934 

previous studies have used this 

 

309 

00:09:09,934 --> 00:09:11,881 

antibody to demonstrate 

 

310 

00:09:11,881 --> 00:09:14,131 

Epstein–Barr reactivation. 

 

311 

00:09:14,131 --> 00:09:14,903 

However, when we looked 

 

312 

00:09:14,903 --> 00:09:16,145 

at these antibodies, 

 

313 

00:09:16,145 --> 00:09:16,649 

we showed that 

 

314 

00:09:16,649 --> 00:09:17,589 

they didn't change 

 

315 

00:09:17,589 --> 00:09:18,797 

in response to therapies 

 

316 

00:09:18,797 --> 00:09:20,174 

that are used for MS, 

 

317 

00:09:20,174 --> 00:09:21,349 

so antibody levels 

 

318 

00:09:21,349 --> 00:09:22,490 

can't be used to monitor 

 

319 

00:09:22,490 --> 00:09:25,243 

treatment responses in patients. 

 

320 

00:09:25,243 --> 00:09:26,451 

In contrast, 

 

321 

00:09:26,451 --> 00:09:27,492 

when we looked at the 

 

322 

00:09:27,492 --> 00:09:29,271 

when we developed the cellular assays 

 

323 

00:09:29,271 --> 00:09:31,219 

and we looked at the cellular responses 

 

324 

00:09:31,219 --> 00:09:32,226 

to EBNA-1 

 

325 

00:09:32,226 --> 00:09:34,643 

using interferon gamma and IL-2 

 

326 

00:09:34,643 --> 00:09:36,657 

multiplexes on the Ella, 

 

327 

00:09:36,657 --> 00:09:37,396 

we showed that 

 

328 

00:09:37,396 --> 00:09:39,242 

the majority of new patients 

 

329 

00:09:39,242 --> 00:09:41,827 

had a cellular response to EBNA-1 

 

330 

00:09:41,827 --> 00:09:44,479 

and these are the treatment naive cohort, 

 

331 

00:09:44,479 --> 00:09:46,527 

so they've never been treated. 

 

332 

00:09:46,527 --> 00:09:49,951 

And this response, this cytokine response 

 

333 

00:09:49,951 --> 00:09:51,160 

to EBNA-1 

 

334 

00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,208 

was significantly decreased in patients 

 

335 

00:09:53,208 --> 00:09:55,054 

treated with immunosuppressive 

 

336 

00:09:55,054 --> 00:09:57,505 

and anti-B cell therapies. 

 

337 

00:09:57,505 --> 00:09:58,445 

And these therapies 

 

338 

00:09:58,445 --> 00:10:00,023 

mostly work by suppressing 

 

339 

00:10:00,023 --> 00:10:01,836 

the inflammatory response or 

 

340 

00:10:01,836 --> 00:10:03,682 

by eliminating immune cells. 

 

341 

00:10:03,682 --> 00:10:06,670 

So they're two types of treatment. 

 

342 

00:10:06,905 --> 00:10:07,879 

And a different 

 

343 

00:10:07,879 --> 00:10:09,389 

therapy, natalizumab or 

 

344 

00:10:09,389 --> 00:10:10,833 

Tysabri, works 

 

345 

00:10:10,833 --> 00:10:12,579 

by preventing the cells 

 

346 

00:10:12,579 --> 00:10:14,694 

from crossing the blood–brain barrier. 

 

347 

00:10:14,694 --> 00:10:16,842 

Okay, so in that case, 

 

348 

00:10:16,842 --> 00:10:18,622 

all of the MS patients were shown 

 

349 

00:10:18,622 --> 00:10:20,334 

to have a high interferon gamma 

 

350 

00:10:20,334 --> 00:10:22,919 

and IL-2 response to EBNA-1 

 

351 

00:10:22,919 --> 00:10:23,792 

and this indicated 

 

352 

00:10:23,792 --> 00:10:25,101 

that the cells were held 

 

353 

00:10:25,101 --> 00:10:26,511 

in the peripheral compartment, 

 

354 

00:10:26,511 --> 00:10:28,626 

so they're held in the bloodstream, 

 

355 

00:10:28,626 --> 00:10:30,439 

and they don't cross over the blood–brain 

 

356 

00:10:30,439 --> 00:10:31,949 

barrier to create damage 

 

357 

00:10:31,949 --> 00:10:34,232 

in the central nervous system. 

 

358 

00:10:34,232 --> 00:10:35,004 

And these are all 

 

359 

00:10:35,004 --> 00:10:37,522 

actually really novel findings that, 

 

360 

00:10:37,522 --> 00:10:38,328 

you know, 

 

361 

00:10:38,328 --> 00:10:39,369 

are enabled 

 

362 

00:10:39,369 --> 00:10:40,376 

by the 

 

363 

00:10:40,376 --> 00:10:42,189 

use of the Ella platform. 

 

364 

00:10:42,189 --> 00:10:43,062 

So we 

 

365 

00:10:43,062 --> 00:10:44,371 

were able to measure 

 

366 

00:10:44,371 --> 00:10:47,090 

a range of cytokines in the pilot study. 

 

367 

00:10:47,090 --> 00:10:49,239 

The supernatants were small, around 

 

368 

00:10:49,239 --> 00:10:50,749 

200 microliters. 

 

369 

00:10:50,749 --> 00:10:52,327 

So the panel design 

 

370 

00:10:52,327 --> 00:10:54,442 

capability and multiplexing, 

 

371 

00:10:54,442 --> 00:10:55,013 

together 

 

372 

00:10:55,013 --> 00:10:56,154 

with the range of available 

 

373 

00:10:56,154 --> 00:10:57,632 

cytokines, was really useful 

 

374 

00:10:57,632 --> 00:10:59,512 

for the initial pilot. 

 

375 

00:10:59,512 --> 00:11:00,653 

And the results identified 

 

376 

00:11:00,653 --> 00:11:01,962 

the relevant cytokines 

 

377 

00:11:01,962 --> 00:11:03,339 

that we went on to test in 

 

378 

00:11:03,339 --> 00:11:04,648 

the full cohort. 

 

379 

00:11:04,648 --> 00:11:07,334 

So the short preparation time 

 

380 

00:11:07,334 --> 00:11:08,609 

and the reliability 

 

381 

00:11:08,609 --> 00:11:10,624 

and the speed of results – for us, 

 

382 

00:11:10,624 --> 00:11:12,537 

we were very happy to get quick results – 

 

383 

00:11:13,847 --> 00:11:15,895 

you know,  makes the Ella 

 

384 

00:11:15,895 --> 00:11:16,835 

a great platform, 

 

385 

00:11:16,835 --> 00:11:17,607 

most especially 

 

386 

00:11:17,607 --> 00:11:21,031 

for the multiplex parameters. In general, 

 

387 

00:11:21,031 --> 00:11:22,978 

there were very few assay failures, 

 

388 

00:11:22,978 --> 00:11:23,750 

and there was very low 

 

389 

00:11:23,750 --> 00:11:25,462 

inter- and intra-assay 

 

390 

00:11:25,462 --> 00:11:27,577 

coefficient of variability. 

 

391 

00:11:27,577 --> 00:11:29,256 

In our hands, less than 2% 

 

392 

00:11:29,256 --> 00:11:31,270 

for interferon gamma and IL-2, 

 

393 

00:11:31,270 --> 00:11:32,110 

which is great. Wow. 

 

394 

00:11:32,110 --> 00:11:34,493 

Yeah, it is very impressive. Incredible. 

 

395 

00:11:34,493 --> 00:11:36,071 

And then, finally, as we're 

 

396 

00:11:36,071 --> 00:11:37,112 

almost out of time, 

 

397 

00:11:37,112 --> 00:11:38,656 

what potential long-term 

 

398 

00:11:38,656 --> 00:11:39,697 

research advantages 

 

399 

00:11:39,697 --> 00:11:40,670 

come with employing 

 

400 

00:11:40,670 --> 00:11:41,677 

fast and efficient 

 

401 

00:11:41,677 --> 00:11:43,893 

analytical techniques like this? 

 

402 

00:11:43,893 --> 00:11:46,512 

Well, the great advantage of the 

 

403 

00:11:46,512 --> 00:11:48,996 

Ella multiplex is that we can quickly 

 

404 

00:11:48,996 --> 00:11:50,037 

and reproducibly, 

 

405 

00:11:50,037 --> 00:11:50,708 

and that's important, 

 

406 

00:11:50,708 --> 00:11:53,461 

test a range of biomarkers, 

 

407 

00:11:53,461 --> 00:11:55,643 

including cytokines and chemokines. 

 

408 

00:11:55,643 --> 00:11:57,490 

And these precious primary samples 

 

409 

00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,000 

are in supernatants. 

 

410 

00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:00,041 

So as I said, 

 

411 

00:12:00,041 --> 00:12:01,451 

we've used these cellular assays 

 

412 

00:12:01,451 --> 00:12:02,592 

in the multiple sclerosis 

 

413 

00:12:02,592 --> 00:12:03,835 

study where we looked at EBNA-1 

 

414 

00:12:03,835 --> 00:12:06,856 

and the changes following treatments. 

 

415 

00:12:06,890 --> 00:12:09,072 

But this work will lead 

 

416 

00:12:09,072 --> 00:12:10,582 

onto longitudinal studies 

 

417 

00:12:10,582 --> 00:12:12,127 

where we'll follow patients 

 

418 

00:12:12,127 --> 00:12:13,570 

through disease flares 

 

419 

00:12:13,570 --> 00:12:15,249 

and treatment changes, 

 

420 

00:12:15,249 --> 00:12:16,122 

and the multiplex 

 

421 

00:12:16,122 --> 00:12:17,129 

capability of 

 

422 

00:12:17,129 --> 00:12:18,539 

Ella will allow us to test 

 

423 

00:12:18,539 --> 00:12:20,117 

large numbers of samples 

 

424 

00:12:20,117 --> 00:12:21,493 

easily and quickly. 

 

425 

00:12:21,493 --> 00:12:24,045 

We only use 5 ml of blood, 

 

426 

00:12:24,045 --> 00:12:25,992 

and this is much easier to take compared 

 

427 

00:12:25,992 --> 00:12:28,073 

to the cerebrospinal fluid 

 

428 

00:12:28,073 --> 00:12:29,550 

which requires a lumbar puncture 

 

429 

00:12:29,550 --> 00:12:31,363 

and an in-hospital procedure, 

 

430 

00:12:31,363 --> 00:12:32,605 

and that's the current 

 

431 

00:12:32,605 --> 00:12:34,553 

diagnostic biomarker 

 

432 

00:12:34,553 --> 00:12:36,567 

in multiple sclerosis. 

 

433 

00:12:36,567 --> 00:12:39,387 

So in other studies, you know, to expand 

 

434 

00:12:39,387 --> 00:12:41,133 

it, we've used SARS-CoV-2 

 

435 

00:12:41,133 --> 00:12:42,442 

peptides and antigens 

 

436 

00:12:42,442 --> 00:12:42,912 

to measure 

 

437 

00:12:42,912 --> 00:12:44,423 

cellular responses 

 

438 

00:12:44,423 --> 00:12:47,713 

pre- and post-vaccination in patients 

 

439 

00:12:48,418 --> 00:12:49,693 

that are immunosuppressed. 

 

440 

00:12:49,693 --> 00:12:51,338 

So these include patients 

 

441 

00:12:51,338 --> 00:12:51,775 

on 

 

442 

00:12:51,775 --> 00:12:53,218 

immunosuppressive therapies 

 

443 

00:12:53,218 --> 00:12:55,535 

and those with inborn errors of immunity, 

 

444 

00:12:55,535 --> 00:12:57,918 

so babies that are born with 

 

445 

00:13:00,772 --> 00:13:01,813 

defects in their immune 

 

446 

00:13:01,813 --> 00:13:04,800 

system. And these are an important group 

 

447 

00:13:04,901 --> 00:13:06,983 

because they may need individualized 

 

448 

00:13:06,983 --> 00:13:08,560 

vaccination regimens 

 

449 

00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:09,735 

to ensure protection. 

 

450 

00:13:09,735 --> 00:13:11,683 

They won't always be protected 

 

451 

00:13:11,683 --> 00:13:14,469 

by the same regime 

 

452 

00:13:14,469 --> 00:13:17,457 

as other cohorts. 

 

453 

00:13:17,692 --> 00:13:20,008 

And we're currently extending the studies 

 

454 

00:13:20,008 --> 00:13:23,298 

from the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination 

 

455 

00:13:23,466 --> 00:13:25,010 

to look at other common vaccine 

 

456 

00:13:25,010 --> 00:13:28,032 

responses in immunosuppressed patients. 

 

457 

00:13:28,032 --> 00:13:31,557 

So that's been the potential 

 

458 

00:13:31,859 --> 00:13:34,881 

long-term research advantages for us. 

 

459 

00:13:35,116 --> 00:13:35,955 

Perfect. 

 

460 

00:13:35,955 --> 00:13:36,123 

Well, 

 

461 

00:13:36,123 --> 00:13:38,036 

thank you so much for joining us here 

 

462 

00:13:38,036 --> 00:13:39,043 

in this episode. 

 

463 

00:13:39,043 --> 00:13:40,923 

It's been absolutely wonderful 

 

464 

00:13:40,923 --> 00:13:43,206 

speaking with you. Well, thank you. 

 

465 

00:13:43,206 --> 00:13:44,180 

It's been lovely 

 

466 

00:13:44,180 --> 00:13:47,201 

to have your support and care. 

 

467 

00:13:47,470 --> 00:13:48,511 

Thanks so much 

 

468 

00:13:48,511 --> 00:13:49,719 

for joining us in this episode, 

 

469 

00:13:49,719 --> 00:13:50,693 

because this episode 

 

470 

00:13:50,693 --> 00:13:52,170 

has been brought to you by Bio-Techne. 

 

471 

00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:54,721 

Bio-Techne is a global developer 

 

472 

00:13:54,721 --> 00:13:56,568 

manufacturer and supplier 

 

473 

00:13:56,568 --> 00:13:57,575 

of high quality 

 

474 

00:13:57,575 --> 00:13:59,421 

reagents, analytical instruments 

 

475 

00:13:59,421 --> 00:14:01,469 

and precision diagnostics. 

 

476 

00:14:01,469 --> 00:14:02,778 

Whether you are at the cutting edge 

 

477 

00:14:02,778 --> 00:14:03,819 

of academic research, 

 

478 

00:14:03,819 --> 00:14:05,431 

translating basic discoveries 

 

479 

00:14:05,431 --> 00:14:06,706 

to therapeutic leads 

 

480 

00:14:06,706 --> 00:14:07,915 

or at a facility 

 

481 

00:14:07,915 --> 00:14:09,392 

that requires the highest level 

 

482 

00:14:09,392 --> 00:14:10,836 

of diagnostic testing, 

 

483 

00:14:10,836 --> 00:14:11,608 

their award-winning 

 

484 

00:14:11,608 --> 00:14:13,152 

tools and solutions 

 

485 

00:14:13,152 --> 00:14:14,092 

empower scientists 

 

486 

00:14:14,092 --> 00:14:15,200 

and clinicians 

 

487 

00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:16,778 

to achieve reproducible 

 

488 

00:14:16,778 --> 00:14:18,591 

and consistent results. 

 

489 

00:14:18,591 --> 00:14:19,698 

Trusting Bio-techne 

 

490 

00:14:19,698 --> 00:14:21,041 

means choosing confidence 

 

491 

00:14:21,041 --> 00:14:22,082 

that every solution 

 

492 

00:14:22,082 --> 00:14:22,686 

you use 

 

493 

00:14:22,686 --> 00:14:24,163 

will help move you towards 

 

494 

00:14:24,163 --> 00:14:25,775 

better answers. 

 

495 

00:14:25,775 --> 00:14:27,353 

We've left some further resources below 

 

496 

00:14:27,353 --> 00:14:28,461 

should you like to learn more. 

 

497 

00:14:28,461 --> 00:14:29,300 

But thanks again 

 

498 

00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:30,576 

for watching this episode 

 

499 

00:14:30,576 --> 00:14:32,892 

and I hope we'll see you again very soon.