Agilent Technologies announced their xCELLigence RTCA HT (real-time cell analysis high-throughput) platform now integrates with the BioTek BioSpa 8 Automated Incubator. Developed in response to market needs, this combination enables a higher level of workflow automation that provides novel functionality for the development of label-free high-throughput potency assays for the immuno-oncology space and high-throughput viral cytopathic effects (CPE) assays for the vaccine market.

Faced with fierce competition to fulfill the promise of immuno-oncology therapeutics, pharma researchers are rapidly evolving the approaches used to accelerate clinical success. Similarly, vaccine developers are under unprecedented pressure in light of constantly shifting public health threats. Automated workflows offer the promise of increasing drug candidate screening as a means to more quickly and efficiently translate research into discovery. However, many existing automated workflow solutions still rely on substantial manual intervention steps that hinder throughput and limit the scope of assay development.

The xCELLigence RTCA HT - BioSpa 8 integration offers a label-free, non-invasive, kinetic readout of cell proliferation and cytotoxicity that allows researchers to analyze up to eight 384-well E-Plates, increasing throughput and decreasing sample sizes. The BioSpa 8 incubator provides real-time temperature and CO2/O2 control with humidity monitoring. The xCELLigence instrument is equipped with a heated cradle, so cells are protected against unnecessary perturbances and fluctuation of culture conditions during the automated transfer from the incubator. User-friendly software facilitates automated assays and data analysis, making this a true walk-away system for identifying therapeutics to fight disease and providing a degree of automation that is unique to this combination of technologies.

“This is an innovative solution for immuno-oncology therapeutic and vaccine development, demonstrating Agilent’s ongoing commitment to fight cancer and infectious diseases,” said Todd Christian, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Cell Analysis Division. “Integrating our non-invasive and real-time cell analysis measurement capabilities and physiological incubation provides a simple, automated workflow for increased throughput and screening flexibility under physiological conditions.”

“The xCELLigence RTCA HT technology has been key to facilitating high-throughput, rapid, and quantitative cytopathic effect (CPE) monitoring as a tool to assess neutralizing activity and potency,” said Dr. Robert Carnahan, associate director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “We were able to bypass a multitude of hands-on, multistep processes required by plaque or focus-forming assays to measure viral activity.”