Microfluidic Approach to Resolve Simultaneous and Sequential Cytokine Secretion of Individual Polyfunctional Cells

In this project, we focus on developing and applying novel analytical strategies, which allow for the direct, quantitative, and deep analysis of cellular functionalities at single-cell resolution. And so by going beyond pure one data point measurement, we aim to better understand and exploit this multi-functionality, which is coming from complex responses in the host and in tissue. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of these functionalities is complex, difficult, and requires interdisciplinary approaches.

And so one challenge in this context is to ensure that the dynamic range of the assay develop is appropriate to capture the quantity and dynamics of a secreted protein, which can vary greatly across samples, preparations, and tissues. Disruption in the regulation of the immune response can induce various disorder, leading to mild fever to potentially life-threatening complication. Moving beyond traditional endpoint measurements, we proposed to directly measure the dysregulation and activation of immune cells dynamically on a single-cell level to gain additional insight.

So cytokine are usually detected at the specific time point as a concentration in the supernatant or concentration of activated cells. Bulk measurement directly to quantify secretion of each individual cells, masking cellular heterogeneity who, as endpoint measurements, do not distinguish between simultaneous and secondary secretion. Overlooking the dynamic aspect of the response Cellular fully functionality refers to an immune cell's ability to secrete multiple cytokines simultaneously.

This allows them to fine tune their response against threats, for instance, and to measure this poly functionality dynamically, meaning over time can give an over insights into the different nuances of an immune response.