A Real-time Potency Assay for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Targeting Solid and Hematological Cancer Cells.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for cancer has achieved significant clinical benefit for resistant and refractory hematological malignancies such as childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia. Efforts are currently underway to extend this promising therapy to solid tumors in addition to other hematological cancers. Here, we describe the development and production of potent CAR T cells targeting antigens with unique or preferential expression on solid and liquid tumor cells.

In vitro immunotherapy potency assays using real-time cell analysis.

A growing understanding of the molecular interactions between immune effector cells and target tumor cells, coupled with refined gene therapy approaches, are giving rise to novel cancer immunotherapeutics with remarkable efficacy in the clinic against both solid and liquid tumors. While immunotherapy holds tremendous promise for treatment of certain cancers, significant challenges remain in the clinical translation to many other types of cancers and also in minimizing adverse effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need for functional potency assays, in vitro and in vivo, that could model the complex interaction of immune cells with tumor cells and can be used to rapidly test the efficacy of different immunotherapy approaches, whether it is small molecule, biologics, cell therapies or combinations thereof.

Automated tight seal electrophysiology for assessing the potential hERG liability of pharmaceutical compounds.

Unintended inhibition of the cardiac potassium channel human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) is considered the main culprit in drug-induced arrhythmias known as torsades de pointes. Electrophysiology is the most reliable in vitro screening method for identifying potential cardiac hERG liabilities, but only the recent advent of planar electrode-based voltage clamp electrophysiology promises sufficient throughput to support the drug testing needs of most drug discovery programs. We have assessed the reliability of this new format of the voltage clamp technology in measuring the activity of small molecules on the hERG channel.