High-Throughput Process

Jump To: Time Savings Via Automation | Control Over PMBCs | Reproducibility

A key feature of the MIMIC™ model is its well-based format. The MIMIC™ model consists of a 96-well or 24-well plate that contains the two main MIMIC™ components: the Peripheral Tissue module and the Lymphoid Tissue Equivalent module. Each of the wells is equivalent to one immune system that can be used for testing. This well-based format is what gives the MIMIC™ System much of its advantage over current drug discovery and testing processes. With each plate holding multiple immune systems, the MIMIC™ models enable testing of vaccines, drugs, cosmetics, and other products against different human immune systems in an automated, high-throughput fashion. The well-based format gives scientists and researchers a great amount of control over their tests, especially when compared with animal testing methods. Essentially, the MIMIC™ System provides researchers with a “clinical trial in a test tube” for effects of a product on the immune system.

The entire process is high throughput, from blood process to fabrication of the MIMIC™ modules to characterization of the biomolecules and immunocytes that are produced by the modules:

Control Over PBMCs

The MIMIC modules are constructed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from human donors. We maintain strict control over the donated PBMCs by extensive phenotypic analysis of each donor examining CD3, CD19, CD4, CD8, CD56, platelets, and red blood cells counts. We have established freeze/thaw protocols as shown below so that we can store donor PBMCs for later use.

Key components for MIMIC™ models include microtiter plates, collagen, cell media, endothelial cell lines and other cell lines, human PBMCs, and reagents needed to select cells and measure responses. All of these components are commercially available at reasonable cost. Human PBMCs are collected from donors via standard methods. VaxDesign currently uses local blood banks as a source of PBMCs, but we plan to source PBMCs from multiple blood banks in the near future. For PBMCs, we will collect standard information about donors to enable demographic variation in our models.

Time Savings Via Automation

Reproducibility

Besides the time savings in automation, the reproducibility of the datasets has increased significantly for our customers. The charts below show the intra- and inter-plate ELISA reproducibility.