ImmunoSite Technologies and MéCour have partnered to advance the automation of difficult and variable processes for cell handling by improving the quantity and quality of the PBMC yields and viability through automation.  The capability of freezing and thawing PBMC using the precisely controlled freezing rate in the MéCour system, coupled with an automated liquid handler,  facilitates the complete automation of  isolating cells, counting cells, loading the cells into cryovials, and freezing cells with automated precision. The enhanced throughput of cell isolation and handling processes allow larger and more diverse clinical studies.  DOWNLOAD the whitepaper now for all the details.

ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC (IST), a provider of automation, design and customization of complex biological assays to biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries worldwide, announced its relocation to a newly expanded facility at 2831 Corporate Way in Miramar.  With the expansion, the company will be retaining its current employees, making a capital investment of $150,000 and adding 5 new jobs that will focus on product development.

CEO and President of ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC, Carlos Aparicio, Ph.D., who has almost 20 years experience in technical and scientific leadership in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, said, “ImmunoSite is perfectly positioned to support our clients’ increasing needs for worldwide automation and standardization of biological assays.  As a result, we committed to expand our headquarters to a new location in the Miramar Park of Commerce, Miramar, FL, in December 2012, where we could accommodate the increased scientific and administrative staff and the large robotic systems.”

City of Miramar Mayor Lori Moseley stated, “The city is pleased to welcome ImmunoSite Technologies to our community and is excited that their biotechnology expertise further diversifies our corporate base. It is our pleasure to have provided an expedited permitting process for the company which allowed it to become operational within a month’s time.”

“The expansion of ImmunoSite Technologies and other life science firms are the real success stories of Broward County,” said Mason Jackson, president and CEO of WorkForce One Employment Solutions.   “WorkForce One looks forward to growing this business sector by continuing to work with ImmunoSite through the recruitment and training process of their employees.”

“Floridian Community Bank partnered with ImmunoSite Technologies on their move to Miramar and expansion efforts by providing working capital financing to the company.  We are impressed with the quality of management and excited about future opportunities to continue funding the growth of ImmunoSite,” commented Scott Toth, commercial market manager for Floridian Community Bank.

Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance president and CEO Bob Swindell added, “We are very happy that ImmunoSite Technologies is expanding in Miramar. The company’s decision to expand in Miramar is a good indicator that our efforts in growing South Florida’s strong life science cluster continue to pay off. We thank the Alliance’s Business Retention and Visitation Outreach (B.R.A.V.O) action team for working with the company through one-on-one meetings.”

For more information on ImmunoSite Technologies, please visit http://immunositetechnologies.com/

Call IST to discuss your automation needs at (888) 770-4478

Utility of lyophilized PMA and ionomycin to stimulate lymphocytes in whole blood for immunological assays

Belouski, S. S.*, Wilkinson, J.^, Thomas, J.*, Kelley, K.*, Wang, S.-W.*, Suggs, S.* and Ferbas, J.* (2010), . Cytometry, 78B: 59–64.

doi: 10.1002/cyto.b.20492

The need to implement robust biomarkers in clinical trials has never been greater, and such efforts can be easily compromised by reagent instability or simple human error during assay set-up. Many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are introducing efforts to conduct biomarker studies under more rigorous settings, and the use of plates or tubes pre-loaded with stimulation or staining reagents could be of value for studies that involve flow cytometry.

Author Information:

* Amgen Inc., Department of Medical Sciences

^ Beckman Coulter Inc., Custom BioPharma Group, Miami, Florida (author Julie Wilkinson current address is ImmunoSite Technologies, Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Email: John Ferbas (jferbas@amgen.com)

*One Amgen Center Drive, Mailstop 30E-3-C, Thousand Oaks 91320-1799, CA

To download, please fill in the form below:

[email-download download_id="2" contact_form_id="3"]

What Do You Seek In A Contract Research Partnership?

In a time of tight budgets and careful examination of the cost/benefit of partnering with a contract research service provider, ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC (IST) offers a rare combination of experience, knowledge, responsiveness, and trustworthiness.  IST knows what clients need to be successful, and how to provide the highest quality in service.  Clients can depend on ImmunoSite Technologies to be the ideal partner that helps accelerate their success without encumbering their resources.

Cost efficiency – As R&D costs escalate, you need a CRO partner that fits well with your business from a cost/value point-of-view, as well as a shared values point-of-view.  IST understands this and is ready to work with you to craft a partnership that works for you from a time, resource, and cost perspective, all the while delivering the results you need.  IST demonstrates value in the services they provide, by getting the work done quickly and on budget without sacrificing quality.

Knowledge and experience – Backed by years in pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostics product development, IST knows the challenges of developing the right assay to get the accuracy, precision and reproducibility needed to succeed.

Compatibility and communication – Essential to a great partnership, is a high level of compatibility and great communications.  IST’s professionals understand this.  You need a team that understands your company and your goals, your particular research objectives and challenges.  You need professionals that will work with you to plan, implement and work through all challenges along the way.  The team at IST has partnered with organizations from around the globe so they know the value of accurate communications and a shared vision to bring creative solutions to fruition, while fostering long-term and productive relationships.

Quality – Outsourcing your assay automation project to a qualified partner like IST is a key strategy for ensuring quality.  In a business where service, precision, accuracy, and timeliness are the key deliverables, IST stands apart by putting the “service” back into the service provider partnership.  Quality is central to their work and the unique value they deliver.  The IST quality system is in compliance with GxP guidelines and international safety and regulatory requirements.

Specialization in assay automation – This is IST’s niche and they provide the unique service that validates the automated assay performance with the client’s samples before the system ever leaves the ImmunoSite Technologies facility.  This offers great peace of mind to their clients who are investing significantly in automation to enhance their productivity, but don’t have the time or people to dedicate to implementing a new automated assay project.  IST has designed and developed automated systems for handling biological specimens from live cells to protein to nucleic acids.  Automation doesn’t have to fill a room to meet your needs.  Engineers at IST are cognizant of space and budget requirements when designing the best system for a client so the solution can be a simple benchtop or hood-sized system.

Explore a Partnership With ImmunoSite Technologies

If great service from a dependable, trustworthy, and experienced partner is what you are seeking for your assay automation project, then contact IST now. The technical experts and management team at ImmunoSite Technologies will meet with you to explore the fit between your company, your project needs and IST capabilities.  When it is a great fit, everybody knows.  IST assay automation services

IST quite literally helped “write the book” on cell analysis testing.  They were asked to contribute a chapter of a book titled Validation of Cell-Based Assays in the GLP Setting: A Practical Guide, by authors/editors Uma Prabhakar and Marian Kelley (Publisher John Wiley and Sons, 2008, ISBN 0470028769, 9780470028766).  Chapter 8 of this book entitled “Intracellular cytokine detection by flow cytometry” was authored by IST scientists Julie G. Wilkinson, Carlos L. Aparicio, and Wade E. Bolton.

Readers gain an understanding of the details and the high level considerations of assay qualification for difficult cell-based assays.  The level of optimization described for cell-based assays lends itself to biomarker assay automation which can be used for biomarker qualification and validation studies to the satisfaction of the FDA, EMEA, and other regulatory agencies.   Cell-based assay platforms covered are flow cytometry, intracellular cytokine ICS, immunophenotyping, elispot, IHC, cylex, neutralization bioassays, and endpoint assays.