Therapeutic Area
Immune-Oncology in vitro assays
As a pre-clinical Immunology CRO, we provide services to test novel immune-oncology therapeutics that use the immune system to prevent, control or destroy tumours.
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Are you developing the medicines of tomorrow?
Our human relevant in vitro immune oncology assays are designed to evaluate single and combinatorial therapies across all therapeutic modalities. These models enable the assessment of complex therapeutics that engage multiple cellular targets within the tumour microenvironment.
Example assays: Mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) → T cell-mediated killing assays → T-cell exhaustion and suppression assays → T-cell exhaustion and suppression assays → Antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) → Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) → Natural Killer MHC independent tumour killing assays
Key Assays
Example of key assays designed to test novel immune-oncology therapies such as check-point-inhibitors, bi-specifics, ADC’s, cellular therapies and nutraceuticals
CD4+ T cell
Immune-Oncology Assays
- Polyclonal
- MLR
- Antigen specificity
- nTreg suppression assay
- iTreg polarisation assay
- Cytokine release (MOA, predictive toxicology)
CD8+ T cell
Immune-Oncology Assays
- 2D/ 3D Tumour Killing Assay (panel of tumour cells available)
- Antigen-specific CTL-CEFT (phenotype, proliferation, degranulation)
- Antigen-specific Tumour Killing Assay using MART-1 (or other TAA)
- CD8 T cell exhaustion
Macrophage
Immune-Oncology Assays
- ADCP
- MDSC
- M1/M2a-d
- TAM
- Efferocytosis
- Phagocytosis
- Cytokine Release Assay (CRA)-predictive toxicity
Dendritic Cell
Immune-Oncology
- Antigen uptake, tumour efferocytosis, tumour vaccine
- Cross presentation and priming of CD8 T cells
- Neo-antigen immunogenicity
Cancer cell
Immune-Oncology Assays
- Immunogenic Cell Death (Calreticulin, HMGB1, ATP)
- 2D/3D Tumour Killing Assays (panel of tumour cells available)
- On/off target assay
- CDC/ADCC/ADCP
- Mart-1 antigen specific tumour killing assay
- Immune cell tumour infiltration
Natural Killer Cell
Immune-Oncology Assays
- Activation, proliferation and killing (KIR/NKG2D/ ADCC)
- CRA-predictive toxicity
- Tumour infiltration
Neutrophil
Immune-Oncology Assays
- Neutrophil degranulation, NETosis,
- ROS, tumour infiltration
Modalities we support
1
Small Molecules
Small molecules primarily target pro-tumorigenic pathways in cancer cells and the tumour microenvironment; however, many tumour targeted small molecules can also have immunostimulatory effects.
2
Large Molecules (Biologics)
Large molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug-conjugates (ADC), bi/tri-specific antibodies, T cell engagers have revolutionised immuno-oncology (IO) by enabling precise targeting of immune system checkpoints and tumor antigens.
3
Cell Therapies (e.g. CAR-T, TCR-T)
Cell therapy, in immuno-oncology, such as CAR-T or TcR engagers are genetically engineered immune cells that recognise and exert effector function to destroy cancer cells. Enabling precise and sustained depletion of tumour cells.
4
Targeted Protein Degraders (PROTACs)
Targeted protein degraders, such as PROTACs (Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras), harness E3 ligases to selectively remove disease-driving proteins using the cells natural degradation pathway. Offering a precise therapeutic strategy capable of addressing targets beyond the reach of conventional small-molecule inhibitors.
Immune-Oncology FAQ
Do you offer 3D tumour models to study immune cell mediated tumour killing?
Yes, we provide human cell–based 2D and 3D in vitro tumor models to study direct or immune-mediated tumor killing for immuno-oncology research. Our 2D and 3D models are used to test efficacy of mono and combination therapeutics.
What tumour types can you work with in your assays?
We work with a wide range of tumor types, including lung, breast, colorectal, and melanoma. Our immune-mediated tumor killing assays use real-time imaging and key inflammatory cytokines such as IFNγ to assess therapeutic effects. We have a panel of clinically relevant NucLight Red labelled tumour cell lines for screening and can include new tumour types, on request.
What type of therapeutics can be tested in your assays?
Our in vitro immune oncology assays are designed to test therapeutics that target both immune cells and tumour cells including small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, cellular therapies and antibody-drug conjugates.
Do you offer Predictive Immunotoxicology services?
Yes. Our predictive immunotoxicology services help identify immune-related liabilities early, including cytokine release, on-target/off-tumour effects, unwanted FcR-mediated activation, and T-cell fratricide or AICD. Assays include whole-blood and PBMC CRA, ADCP, ADCC and CDC, complemented by advanced NAMs such as our ex vivo Secondary Lymphoid Organ model, which can assess efficacy and potential immune safety risks within the same human-relevant system.
What Our Partners say about Nexus
The team at Nexus are fantastic! Great adaptability at working with highly bespoke requests and difficult experiments to keep the project on track and deliver within aggressive timelines. A highly flexible, friendly and efficient team to work with!
We have been delighted with our interactions with Nexus BioQuest. I first reached out to them after a recommendation from a former colleague. I appreciated their ability to suggest immunoassay options to address the question of interest (as a neurobiologist, the immune system definitely works in mysterious ways!). This was further bolstered by exemplary attention to detail when putting together a work package proposal which was then efficiently executed. The skill set, responsiveness, knowledge base, effort, effectiveness, transparent and regular communication were all outstanding and I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Nexus BioQuest as a partner of choice.
Our work with Nexus BioQuest initially started with developing a novel T cell assay and grew from there into a much larger screening project. Working with Nexus has been a fantastic experience, marked by their deep expertise in immunology and friendly staff. At the onset of the project, Nexus really took the time to understanding of our project needs, setting us up for success throughout. Nexus distinguishes themselves by their enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment to excellence, with contributed significantly to the development of a tailored assay that exceeded our expectations.
I would like to thank the team at Nexus BioQuest for providing an excellent and professional service supporting our R&D development activities. The Nexus team were great to work with from contract signature to delivery of final reporting. I would certainly recommend their contract services to companies seeking immunology expertise and agile research solutions.
Our experience of working with Nexus was excellent, we felt they held the expertise required for the task at hand, working well together as a high performing team and presenting well researched solutions to assay development and the problems encountered. We wanted a fresh outlook for assay development for our project and the team were able to rapidly research the literature and come up with proposals. The team were flexible and dynamic in their approach providing honest feedback and critique to methods and results. We would certainly work with Nexus again and would not hesitate to recommend them as a CRO for immunological assay development.
Working with Nexus BioQuest has been an absolutely wonderful experience. As a smaller biotechnology company that relies heavily on CRO support to execute our lab-based activities, we could not have found a better biological team to partner with. We needed a team to generate our biological package for a new pipeline candidate and we were fortunate to find Nexus and have them deliver a wonderful data package that will help the Bluejay team move our program forward. Working with this group felt like having an internal Bluejay R&D team from ease of execution, to great scientific discussions and troubleshooting, and having the feeling that the Nexus team was truly invested in the success of our program. I cannot recommend the Nexus team enough and will greatly look forward to collaborating with them again on our next programs and projects!
Drug Discovery Tool
Find the right immune assay for your therapeutic area, modality and target using our interactive Drug Discovery Tool.