Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is participating in the ONE Study, an international collaboration of scientists across Europe and the USA − and holding its annual general meeting in Regensburg, Germany from 19-21 November 2014. Beckman Coulter is contributing its flow cytometry expertise in cell therapy and diagnostic technologies to support the study’s specific translational research into organ transplantation and immune deficiency diseases such as HIV.
Prof. Edward Geissler, the founder of the ONE Study and head of Experimental Surgery at the University Hospital in Regensburg, Germany, said:
Collaborating with Beckman Coulter scientists has furthered our ability to conduct clinical research studies in the field of organ transplantation. In the case of the ONE Study, this will permit us to more accurately assess the effects of various different cell therapies as potential advanced, therapeutic products.
To make this possible, Beckman Coulter donated a substantial quantity of flow cytometry instruments and reagents, as well as providing scientific consultation and flow cytometry technical expertise. The donation also includes the DuraClone IM premixed dry reagent cocktails* which are designed to simplify workflow to minimize labour and reduce variability and errors when characterizing alterations of immune status through detection of human blood-cell subpopulations.
Image credit: Beckman Coulter
The ONE study consortium won a European Union 7th framework-funded grant to initiate its work. Beckman Coulter was invited to join at a later stage, after the grant had been awarded (therefore, it does not benefit directly) to enable ONE Study scientists to access its flow cytometry innovation.
Professor Birgit Sawitzki, of the Charité Hospital, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie Transplantationstoleranz, in Germany, and the leader of the immune monitoring work package of the ONE Study, confirmed: “Reliable, reproducible results across participating sites are a necessity in multi-institution clinical research studies aiming to characterize changes in immune cell composition.”
Mario Koksch, Vice President and General Manager of Beckman Coulter’s Cytometry Business Unit, explained: “As a company we are increasingly working with clinical research scientists to enable them to standardize and streamline workflow for high content flow cytometry. This is particularly valuable for translational research being carried out across multiple sites where results must be reproducible.
Our contribution to the ONE Study is already facilitating the consistent identification of cellular sub-populations of the human immune systems, which is vital to immunodeficiency research.
About the ONE Study
The ONE Study applies the novel concept of cell therapy to human clinical organ transplantation. This cooperative project aims at developing and trialing various immunoregulatory cell products in organ transplantation recipients, allowing a direct comparison of the safety, clinical practicality and therapeutic efficacy of each cell type.
The consortium is made up of thirteen partners: eight are academic institutions and five are companies that support research. Five countries are represented: France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The participating groups have been chosen for their scientific excellence, technical expertise, experience in translational research, and for their managerial skills. Participants are scientists of the highest standing in the disciplines of immunology, cellular immunotherapy and organ transplantation in Europe and US, and are internationally recognized for their outstanding achievements.
About Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is dedicated to improving the health of people around the world. The company’s global leadership and world-class service and support delivers sophisticated instrument systems, reagents and services to life science researchers in academic and commercial laboratories, enabling new discoveries in biology-based research and development. A leader in centrifugation and flow cytometry, Beckman Coulter has long been an innovator in life sciences instruments and solutions used at the forefront of important areas of investigation, including genomics and proteomics. For more information, please visit www.beckmancoulter.com
* DuraClone IM panels are for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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