Since the human immune system is a large, decentralized army, it is very difficult to figure out which cells are doing what in any given place or situation. CyTOF is an innovative and useful immune cell analysis method for differentiating various immune cell populations from large, heterogeneous samples. To facilitate immunomics projects, CD Genomics offers specialized immune cell protein profiling services based on advanced CyTOF.
Mass cytometry, also named time-of-flight cytometry (CyTOF), is an important method for high-dimensional and high-throughput single-cell assays. CyTOF replaces the fluorescent label used in conventional flow cytometry with a non-biologically available metal isotope with concise mass spectral parameters, thus overcoming the drawbacks associated with overlapping emission spectra and further increasing the number of parameters that can be analyzed simultaneously.
CyTOF uses heavy metal isotopes to label antibodies and then performs single-cell analysis of the labeled cells using high-throughput spectroscopy. This method of cell analysis provides more quantitative parameters than traditional flow cytometry, which is limited by the overlap of individual fluorophore emission spectra.
Fig.1 Overview of CyTOF's working principles. (Zhang, T., et al., 2020)
The ability to study individual cells within tissues has existed for decades. Traditional immunohistochemistry and conventional flow cytometry are robust, validated single-cell methods that rely on light and fluorescence to study individual cells. However, multiparametric detection of heterogeneous cells, including immune cells infiltrating human atherosclerotic plaques, has long been limited to a few cell types or subpopulations due to the spectral overlap of fluorescent probes.
Continued improvements in CyTOF methods continue to open new opportunities to implement a variety of functional assays to address the complexities of cellular immunology.
Phenotype Characterization - CyTOF is well suited for deep phenotyping of cells in complex systems. Cells with similar or even identical genes that play different roles in disease pathogenesis can be distinguished using CyTOF, with important implications for personalized medicine.
Intracellular Cytokine Assay - The higher multiparameter capability in CyTOF allows it to detect intracellular cytokines, providing a new perspective on the state of immune activation.
Intracellular Signaling Status - Using metal chelating antibodies against phosphorylated proteins, CyTOF can interrogate signal propagation within individual cells and explore cellular circuits and signaling networks.
Mass spectrometry, or CyTOF, is a useful technique for highly parametric single-cell phenotyping, particularly from suspended cells such as blood or PBMC. It is particularly attractive for monitoring systemic immune changes that may accompany disease immunotherapy.
To meet the diverse needs of our clients, CD Genomics offers single-cell protein profiling services for many types of immune cells and tissues, which includes but are not limited to the following.
CD Genomics has a professional CyTOF technology platform to provide immune cell protein profiling services for the whole process. Customized experimental panels and data analysis are provided through expert evaluation and design of client projects. Please contact us for more information.
