Summary: UCLA researchers from the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine have developed a novel method for the identification of T lymphocytes using live cell interferometry
Background: The identification of T cell receptors (TCRs) that are specific to antigens is crucial for advancing various immunotherapies. Existing methods of characterizing TCRs suffer from several challenges, including the low frequency and low affinity of receptors that target self-antigens and the limited availability of tissue samples from patients. Traditional techniques for characterizing T cell responses rely on bulk assays, which are ineffective at determining T-cell mediated toxicity and are incapable of isolating rare T cells. There remains an unmet need for a precise and effective method of identifying desirable T cell lymphocytes.
Innovation: UCLA researchers in the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine have developed a novel method for identifying, isolating, and characterizing T cell lymphocytes that are specific to desired antigens using live cell interferometry. This technique allows for the direct measurement of changes in the mass of T cells and target cells during T-cell mediated cytotoxicity. By using live cell interferometry, researchers were able to precisely measure changes in cell mass label-free. The innovative method proposed enhances the identification of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by tracking increases in T cell mass during activation and decreases in the mass of target cells. This high throughput approach allows for the identification of individual T cells for cloning, aiding in the development of adoptive immunotherapies. This technique has a wide array of applications, including cancer treatments and personalized medicine.
Patents:
Selecting and isolating desirable t lymphocytes by change in mass responses (US10900956B2)
Identifying desirable t lymphocytes by change in mass responses (US20210215672A1)
Potential Applications: • Cancer immunotherapy • Cloning • Personalized medicine • Autoimmune disease treatment
Advantages: • Direct measurement of cytotoxicity • High throughput • Single cell resolution • Label free quantification
Development-To-Date: The first demonstration of the invention is complete
Reference: UCLA Case No. 2013-183
Lead Inventor: Michael Teitell