Using Flow Cytometry as an In Vivo Study Endpoint

In vivo models for numerous diseases and conditions have endpoints that have involved animals being gravely ill or dying. As researchers have sought to utilize animal models in more humane and practical ways, surrogate endpoints have been developed that prevent animals from suffering and provide critical research data. Flow cytometry has been instrumental to these advances. Consider these aspects of preclinical flow cytometry endpoint analysis as you develop new protocols.

1. What are the immune system features of your disease state? 

Flow cytometry provides the most useful data when the cell subsets of interest are well-defined and robust. You may need to analyze existing research literature or do pilot studies to define the immune cell subsets of interest for a particular disease state, be it changes in regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment, or the proliferation of plasmablasts in different leukemias. You must identify which profound changes in different cell populations are most closely correlated with morbidity and mortality in your animal model.

2. What is the desired treatment outcome?

Preclinical studies with surrogate endpoints are valuable for screening potential therapeutic candidates. These drugs or biologics may have undesirable off target effects as well. In designing a flow cytometry assay for alternative endpoints, it is critical to identify the changes in immune cell subsets that reflect therapeutic improvements or indicate potential toxicity or off target effects.

3. Can this be translated into a clinical flow cytometry protocol?

Flow cytometry endpoint analysis not only advances the humane use of animal models but can be translated into informative clinical protocols that are critical for the evaluation of potential therapies.