Neoantigen Identification: A Microfluidics-Assisted Workflow for Fine Needle Biopsies

Tumor antigens presented by MHC molecules on the cell surface can be recognized by T cells. Identification of these antigens—a field known as immunopeptidomics—has revolutionized the development of cancer immunotherapies. For optimal efficacy, these immunotherapies need to target the specific genomic vulnerabilities of each patient’s tumor. However, the amount of required starting material (>50 million cells) utilized by traditional gold-standard methods is not applicable to fine needle-aspirated biopsies (7,000–500,000 cells).

In this GEN webinar, Valo Therapeutics’ Senior Scientist, Dr. Joseph Ndika, will describe a workflow that leverages Valo Therapeutics’ innovative microfluidics-based immunoaffinity platform (PeptiCHIPTM) in combination with Bruker’s ultra-high sensitivity mass spectrometry (timsTOF Ultra), to identify tumor-specific HLA Class I antigens from as few as 10,000 cells. Webinar attendees will learn:

• Best practices in the miniaturized enrichment of MHC-bound peptides

• How to perform HLA class I immunopeptidomics on a TimsTOF Ultra

• The value of immunogenic prioritization of tumor antigens

A live Q&A session followed the presentation, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelist.