X-ZELL breaks new ground for fluorescence microscopy

Basel, June 2018 – Dr Sebastian Bhakdi, CEO of cancer detection start-up X-ZELL Inc., has outlined a ground-breaking new microscopy technique in the June edition of Methods & Protocols.

In a bid to make the benefits of X-ZELL’s new Cryoimmunostaining™ technology accessible in clinical routine, he revealed how to simultaneously visualize seven fluorophores under a conventional, widely available widefield fluorescence microscope.

“Immunofluorescence staining has become an essential tool in pathology and the biomedical sciences, and yet we’re only just starting to leverage the full potential behind it,” Dr Bhakdi explained. “The problem is that visualizing technologies haven’t kept up with progress in the immunostaining field – especially when it comes to moving from a research lab to clinical routine. As a result, many scientists are still unable to tap the technology’s full potential.”

According to Dr Bhakdi, traditional widefield fluorescence microscopy “simply hasn’t been up to the task” until now because it’s usually restricted to imaging three or four fluorophores only. “Cutting-edge technologies like Cryoimmunostaining™, however, allow us to venture into whole new territories in that space.”

Even advanced visualisation technologies such as confocal laser scanning microscopy and imaging flow cytometry often fail to add value, he continued. “While they overcome many shortcomings of traditional microscopy, they not only require extremely expensive equipment, but also sophisticated and slow downstream data processing.

“Even flow cytometry – which is capable of staining 20 or more fluorophores at the same time – doesn’t have all the answers, because it’s unable to reveal cell morphology, thus taking crucial information away from the sample.”

According to Dr Bhakdi, the capabilities of Cryoimmunostaining™ allowed him to develop a new method and filter set-up to routinely employ up to seven fluorophores on a traditional widefield fluorescence microscope equipped with a standard high-pressure mercury light source without cross-talk – thereby “combining the best of both worlds”, as he put it.

“Our solution finally allows us to visualize a sufficient number of fluorophores at the same time without sacrificing cell morphology, causing cross-talk or having to use complex compensation algorithms,” he announced. “This is ideal for imaging of rare-cells, such as tumor-derived Circulating Endothelial Cells, which can only be detected via Cryoimmunostaining™.

“And best of all, it is robust enough for use in a routine clinical setting – a quality other promising multi-parameter approaches to rare cell analysis are yet to demonstrate.”

Sebastian Grote
Head of Marketing & Communications
media@x-zell.com