ProImmune has launched MHC Class II Ultimers for evaluating and characterising CD4+ single antigen-specific T cells, enabling in-depth evaluation of the T cell immune response
Class II Ultimers, the result of several years of intensive research at ProImmune, are the next generation of MHC Class II multimers, with a superior peptide-linked planar design to improve the interaction between the MHC-peptide complexes and the T cell receptors, for consistent, reliable detection of CD4+ single antigen-specific T cells.
Traditional functional assays, such as proliferation or cytokine secretion, for studying antigen-specific CD4+ T cells are not truly antigen-specific.
The MHC tetramer, a more recently available tool, has been difficult to reproduce with a high level of consistency, which has meant that these reagents have not been widely accessible.
The detection of CD4+ T cells using MHC tetramers has also been difficult due to the low frequency of these T cells (down to one in 100,000 white blood cells) and the low avidity of binding between the MHC-peptide binding complex and the T cell receptor.
The peptide-linked planar design of Class II Ultimers addresses these issues by improving reproducibility and sensitivity of CD4+ T cell detection.
The Class II Ultimer fluorescent detection label has been optimised to maximize the signal to noise ratio of this assay.
ProImmune provides Class II Ultimers with responsive, expert technical support and customer service.
Contrary to ordering Class II tetramers from in-house or non-commercial facilities, customers do not need to apply and wait for reagents or supply any peptide.
Class II Ultimers are delivered quickly with stringent quality control and low batch-to-batch variability.
The newly launched Class II Ultimers complement ProImmune's existing Pro5 Class I Pentamer technology, which was introduced in 2003, for detecting antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.
Commenting on the launch of Class II Ultimers, Nikolai Schwabe, CEO of ProImmune said: "The launch of our new Class II Ultimers underlines our strategy to provide innovative, affordable solutions to improve analysis of the T cell immune response.
"The combined use of Class II Ultimers with our Pro5 Class I Pentamer technology will enable investigators to gain a more complete understanding of the specificity of immune responses, and aid the development of novel immunotherapies to combat many life threatening diseases."
