Webinar Description:

Immune profiling is becoming an important tool to identify predictive markers for the response to immunotherapy. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) Opal™ staining enables a more comprehensive and specific view and analysis of the interaction between tumor and the immune system, at a cellular level, in a single tissue section. Multiplex staining and image analysis are increasingly used for clinical translation to better understand the tumor microenvironment and discover novel predictive biomarkers for targeted immunotherapy.

With the challenges of looking at several biomarkers per slide, the analysis and validation of the process must be robust for implementation in preclinical and clinical trials. Developing a kit that allows robust and reliable data for large-scale testing of 6 markers is a technical achievement.

As part of a long-standing collaboration with Akoya Biosciences, Cerba Research agreed to test their pre-validated 6-plex panel kits, including one suitable for carcinoma immune-contexture investigations (CD8, CD68, FoxP3, PD1, PD-L1, PanCK). They were also able to put into practice Akoya’s pre-set imaging protocol on the Vectra® Polaris™ and related data analysis algorithm with inForm® software. Lastly Cerba Research's image analysis expert will show the results of using Akoya's customized 6-plex solutions in case studies on cancerous tissues. Cerba Research will also present the flexibility they provide in custom multiplex development and validation for clinical trials.

Speakers:

Ivan Masetto Ph.D.
Field Application Scientist South of Europe
Akoya Biosciences, Inc.

Ivan Masetto is a Field Application Scientist at Akoya Biosciences. Through his biology degree at the University of Milan-Bicocca and an internship at Fondazione IRCSS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta” where his research focused on juvenile Parkinson's disease, Ivan developed his skills across a broad range of cell and molecular biology techniques. Having worked in industry for several years, Ivan now applies his specialist knowledge and experience in spatial phenotyping techniques to provide effective solutions for researchers involved in immune profiling projects in discovery as well as translational and clinical research settings.

Maroua Tliba
Image Analyst
Cerba Research

Maroua received a Master’s degree in Imaging Systems from the University of Nice where she acquired advanced knowledge in both the theory of light microscopy methods and image analysis processing. During an internship at the Montpellier Imaging Platform, Maroua participated in the implementation of a new workflow to convert a conventional automated microscope into an intelligent system, expanding her project management and imaging skills. Maroua has been critical in the acquisition and analysis of the multiplex IHC panels from the installation of the technique at Cerbaresearch Montpellier. She continues to work closely with the R&D team in multiplex panel development and with the project management team in the analysis of client’s images.

Sponsoring Organizations:

Cerba Research: Headquartered in Belgium, Cerba Research is a Global Central & Specialist Laboratory. Our footprint includes six harmonized central lab locations in Ghent, New York, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Taipei & Sydney. Moreover, complementary to our Central Lab operation in Johannesburg, we have the largest network of Labs, Staff Pathologists, and supporting Logistics in Africa. Complimentary to these central labs, our network of specialty labs supports our core therapy expertise in three distinct areas - Oncology, Liver Indications & Infectious Disease. From preclinical transition to the clinic and commercialization, supporting emerging and established biotech's through to large global pharma clients, we are known and proud of our close partnering, higher frequency of contact, and general availability at your demand.

Akoya Biosciences: Akoya Biosciences, The Spatial Biology Company™, offers comprehensive solutions for multiplexed immunofluorescence from discovery through clinical research in immuno-oncology. The CODEX® System is the only benchtop platform that quantifies 40+ protein markers in a tissue for biomarker discovery. The Phenoptics™ Platform is the only multiplex IHC solution with the robustness and high throughput necessary for translational research and clinical trials.

Cost: No Cost!