Our immune system is in a constant “molecular arms race” to stave off pathogenic invaders that want take up residence in our bodies. This is a battle where the microbes may gain the upper hand for a time, only to be outmaneuvered by our immune cells (Jonas, 2019).  For an immune cell, one strategy and […]

Why pigs?   2019 is the year of the Pig on the Chinese calendar, and pigs have been part of human history for a very long time.  Pigs were domesticated independently in Europe and Asia ~9000 years ago from wild boar (Guiffra, 2000), and have been part of human agricultural practices since then.  Because they […]

American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Flow Cytometry Action Programming Committee – leveraging industry leader experience to expand the field of flow cytometry Founded by Virginia Litwin in 2007, the AAPS Flow Cytometry Action Programming Committee (APC) was formed to create a forum for in depth discussions of the strengths and specific challenges surrounding the […]

The Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity Assay Natural killer cells (NK cells) are a subset of blood lymphocytes that play an essential role in immunosurveillance and the innate immune response.   As a first line of defense, NK cells specifically recognize virally infected and malignantly transformed cells and target them for killing and removal.   And they work […]

Since the first flow cytometers became commercially available 40+ years ago, the field of flow cytometry has grown in leaps and bounds.   The earliest flow cytometers could measure 1-2 cellular parameters, while today, we take for granted that flow cytometers allow us routinely measure up to 20+ fluorescent parameters simultaneously.    Modern flow cytometers are also […]

Silent but Deadly, and Beneficial? – Natural Killer Cells Natural Killer (NK) cells play a major role in targeting and killing both tumor cells and virally infected cells in the body. Although they play a very similar role to cytotoxic T cells, these cells comprise an important component of the host’s innate immune system.  Most […]

Flow Cytometry is considered a high complexity analysis technique that is routinely used during the drug development process to analyze tumor specimens. As a result, the need for a laboratory with highly trained individuals is essential. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies should have the flexibility to choose the most qualified laboratory to perform their testing, even […]

Allergies are one of the fastest growing maladies affecting first world countries. In fact, before 1980 peanut allergies, now so commonly and dangerously found in children, were virtually unheard of in both medical journals and the media. In the USA alone, the CDC reports that between 1997 and 2008, food allergies in children have risen […]

In pharmaceutical drug development, quality is critical.  The FDA relies on quality driven documents to make decisions on the safety and effectiveness of regulated products and the approval of those products.  While Quality Assurance (QA) is a clear regulatory requirement in some instances (i.e., studies required to be compliant with Good Laboratory Practices), it can […]

If you are looking to incorporate flow cytometry into your study or clinical trial, ensuring that precise and uniform data is generated by contract flow labs can seem difficult, or even overwhelming.  In fact, a study conducted by Maecker et al. 2005 revealed that in a protocol conducted across 15 different laboratories, the inter-laboratory coefficient […]