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Immune monitoring using mass cytometry and related high-dimensional imaging approaches
Felix J Hartmann1, Sean C Bendall2
1Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Insights
High-dimensional single-cell proteomic tools like mass cytometry are crucial for understanding immune system complexity in rheumatic diseases. Further research can unlock their full potential for biomarker discovery and therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Proteomics
- Rheumatology
Background:
- The human immune system's complexity requires advanced single-cell analysis for studying diseases like rheumatic conditions.
- Existing tools like flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry have limitations in capturing this complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review high-dimensional proteomic technologies for immune monitoring in rheumatology.
- To discuss the implementation of these technologies for biomarker and therapeutic target discovery in rheumatic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Mass cytometry (CyTOF)
- Multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI)
- Imaging mass cytometry (IMC)
Main Results:
- These high-dimensional proteomic technologies offer enhanced capabilities over traditional methods.
- A growing body of research utilizes these tools to identify functional biomarkers and therapeutic targets in rheumatic diseases.
Conclusions:
- High-dimensional immune monitoring technologies hold significant, yet unfulfilled, potential for rheumatology research.
- Successful implementation requires careful consideration of study design, analytical tools, and future technological developments.
Abstract:
The cellular complexity and functional diversity of the human immune system necessitate the use of high-dimensional single-cell tools to uncover its role in multifaceted diseases such as rheumatic diseases, as well as other autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Proteomic technologies that use elemental (heavy metal) reporter ions, such as mass cytometry (also known as CyTOF) and analogous high-dimensional imaging approaches (including multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI) and imaging mass cytometry (IMC)), have been developed from their low-dimensional counterparts, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, to meet this need. A growing number of studies have been published that use these technologies to identify functional biomarkers and therapeutic targets in rheumatic diseases, but the full potential of their application to rheumatic disease research has yet to be fulfilled. This Review introduces the underlying technologies for high-dimensional immune monitoring and discusses aspects necessary for their successful implementation, including study design principles, analytical tools and future developments for the field of rheumatology.
