MAC-CCD system: a novel lymphocyte microwell-array chip system equipped with CCD scanner to generate human monoclonal

T Ozawa1, K Kinoshita, S Kadowaki

  • 1Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.

Lab on a Chip
|February 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

A new MAC-CCD system enables real-time monitoring of intracellular calcium mobilization in over 15,000 B-cells. This advanced system can detect rare antigen-specific B-cells, aiding in antibody discovery.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Biotechnology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Previous lymphocyte microwell-array systems detect antigen-specific B-cells via Ca(2+) mobilization but lack time-lapse capabilities.
  • Monitoring intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization is crucial for identifying antigen-specific B-cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel lymphocyte microwell-array chip system with a charge-coupled device (CCD) time-lapse scanner (MAC-CCD system) for enhanced B-cell monitoring.
  • To improve the detection sensitivity for rare antigen-specific B-cells.

Main Methods:

  • Development of the MAC-CCD system for time-lapse monitoring of intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization in individual B-cells.
  • Utilizing a correlation method within the MAC-CCD system to enhance detection sensitivity.
  • Analyzing Ca(2+) mobilization in over 15,000 live B-cells every 10 seconds.

Main Results:

  • The MAC-CCD system successfully monitored intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization in a large number of B-cells with high temporal resolution.
  • The correlation method enabled the detection of B-cells at a low frequency of 0.046%.
  • Six influenza nucleoprotein-specific human monoclonal antibodies were successfully obtained from vaccinated volunteers.

Conclusions:

  • The MAC-CCD system provides a powerful tool for high-throughput, time-lapse monitoring of single B-cell responses.
  • The integration of a correlation method significantly enhances the ability to detect rare antigen-specific B-cells.
  • This technology facilitates the discovery of rare B-cells and the development of targeted antibody therapies.

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