Unmasking the true biology behind cancer
Tumors are composed of diverse cell subpopulations with distinct genotypes, phenotypes, and treatment sensitivities. Tumor heterogeneity is further complicated by the formation of microenvironmental niches, such as necrotic regions, which often promote the selection of more aggressive cancer cell clones. This complexity and associated challenges can hinder researchers and clinicians from fully understanding the molecular basis of tumors and developing effective treatments. Advanced tools and techniques are urgently needed to overcome these obstacles and drive scientific breakthroughs.
High-quality data demands high-quality samples
Recent advancements in analytical techniques for research and drug discovery have significantly deepened our understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of tumors. These include a variety of cell-based assays such as growth assays, killing assays, and metabolic profiling, as well as the development of xenograft models and the emergence of advanced single-cell sequencing technologies. These assays are directly linked to the quality of the sample input. Using low-quality input material compromises reproducibility and data validity and can trigger a cascade of adverse events impacting the assay or the entire project.
Overcome hurdles in cancer profiling with Levitation Technology
Levitation Technology™ offers an innovative and efficient alternative to traditional cell separation methods, significantly enhancing the accuracy and reliability of cell-based assays. By employing a paramagnetic solution within a magnetic field, the system levitates viable cells, effectively separating them from dead or dying cells without labels. The streamlined process involves three simple steps and is completed in just 20 minutes, ensuring high cell viability and yield, which are crucial for precise tumor characterization assays.
Unlike conventional methods which use harsh treatments that might result in the loss of cells of interest, Levitation Technology provides a gentle, label-free approach to cell enrichment, minimizing cell stress and preserving cell integrity.
A simple, three-step process for up to 96 samples per run
The result? High-quality, viable cells and data that you can trust!
Sample preparation for consistent and robust oncology workflows
Levitation Technology ensures high-quality cell preparation, providing consistent and reliable results across a wide range of oncology workflows, including:
- Cell culture optimization
- Xenograft models
- Metabolism assays
- Cell growth and cytotoxicity assays
- Drug dosing assays
- Proteomics
- Genomics
- qPCR
- Immuno-phenotyping
- Mixed lymphocyte reaction assays
Transform cancer research workflows and results
Levitation Technology offers a revolutionary solution for cell separation, addressing the limitations of traditional techniques. There are numerous key advantages of using Levitation Technology in cancer profiling workflows, including:
High viability and yield
Levitation Technology ensures high cell viability and yield by gently separating viable cells from dead or dying cells without labels, preserving cell integrity. In a collaboration with Discovery Life Sciences on 45 complex human samples spanning 14 cancer types, the LeviCell® system achieved an average viability of 80%, boosting sample viability by 25%.
Improved signal-to-noise ratio
Removing dead cells and debris results in a higher signal-to-noise ratio, which is crucial for precision applications like single-cell RNA sequencing, cell therapy development, and drug dosing assays. With a starting viability of 49%, cryopreserved DTCs from a sarcomatoid lung carcinoma improved to 80% viability after levitation. After targeting 5,000 cells, scRNA-seq data is markedly improved in several defining sequencing QC metrics.
Tumor representation
The LeviCell systems preserve all cell types at representative ratios due to their broad cell size compatibility and focus on maintaining integrity. Through LeviSelect™ negative selection and viability enrichment, cancer researchers can achieve a 6x representation of relevant cancer cells and 99.9% depletion of unwanted contaminants like CD45+ cells.
Enhanced model development
By improving the quality and viability of cells, Levitation Technology supports better engraftment efficiency and disease progression in xenograft models. The LeviCell workflow reduced the cells needed for cell-derived xenograft models from 1-2 million at mixed viability to 100,000 at 95% viability. Moreover, it improved engraftment and disease progression rates from 80% and 50%, respectively, to 100%.
A revolutionary solution for cell separation
Time efficiency
The cell separation process is streamlined into three simple steps, and the LeviCell 96 enriches a full 96-well plate in 45 minutes, significantly reducing timelines and increasing lab productivity.
Cost-effectiveness
Higher-quality starting material reduces the need for repeat experiments, extensive data filtering, or corrections, optimizing resource use while aligning with ethical standards by minimizing animal use.
Consistency and reproducibility
Consistent, high-quality cell populations lead to more reproducible results in assays and model development, improving overall research outcomes.
Reliable assay outcomes
High-viability cells reduce variability in assay results, which is particularly important for drug efficacy evaluations and single-cell analyses, ensuring accurate and meaningful data.
Related Documentation
- Tumor profiling at scale
From one tumor to a screening campaign
Large tumor studies, from dissociated tumor and PDX cohorts to primary cell dose-response screens, only produce reliable data when every sample is prepared the same way. On the LeviCell® 96 System, label-free Levitation Technology™ runs in a standard 96-well SBS plate on the robot deck, so tumor samples can be cleaned up, washed and plated in parallel without the stress of centrifugation or sorting.
Enrich
Recover viable tumor and immune cells from necrotic, debris-heavy samples.
Wash
Exchange buffers in place for staining and cytometry workflows.
Plate
Deliver clean samples to plates for killing, dose-response and cell-cell interaction assays.
Image
Integrate imaging to follow response and cell death well by well.
Because levitation needs no labels or markers, subpopulation representation is preserved. That makes the resulting datasets comparable across patients, sites and time points, which is essential for large-scale tumor atlases and the large models built on them.