Functional Immune Assays

Characterizing T cell activation, responsiveness, and modulation

Our T cell activation assays assess how T cells respond to stimuli such as CD3/CD28 engagement, antigen presentation, or drug treatment. These assays provide critical insights for immunomodulators, biologics, checkpoint inhibitors, and vaccine candidates.

What we measure

• Expression of activation markers (CD69, CD25, CD71)

• Cytokine release (IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α)

• T cell proliferation

• Effector vs memory phenotype shifts

Readouts

• Flow cytometry

• Cytokine profiling (Luminex, ELISA)

• CellTrace™ proliferation tracking

Applications

• Immunotherapy and checkpoint inhibitor research

• Autoimmunity and tolerance studies

• Mechanism-of-action analysis

• Assessing potency and functional changes

Profiling innate immune activation and inflammatory responses

Macrophage activation is central to innate immunity, inflammation, and tissue repair. These assays help determine how compounds affect macrophage function, polarization, and cytokine profiles.

What we measure

• M1 vs M2 activation states

• Cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10)

• Surface marker expression (HLA-DR, CD80, CD86, CD206, CD163)

• Intracellular signaling responses

Readouts

• Flow cytometry

• Luminex, ELISA

• Phospho-protein analysis (optional)

Applications

• Anti-inflammatory drug development

• Mechanistic studies of innate immune activation

• Toxicity and safety profiling

• CNS or systemic inflammation models

Measuring innate immune uptake and clearance functions

Phagocytosis assays quantify the ability of macrophages or other phagocytic cells to engulf particles, pathogens, or apoptotic cells.

What we measure

• Phagocytic rate and efficiency

• Target internalization

• Activation following phagocytosis

Readouts

• Flow cytometry-based uptake assays

• Live-cell imaging (optional)

• Cytokine responses associated with phagocytosis

Applications

• Evaluation of anti-inflammatory or pro-resolving therapies

• Study of innate immune dysfunction

• Mechanistic insights into macrophage-driven diseases

Assessing direct or immune-mediated killing of target cells

Cytotoxicity assays evaluate how effectively immune cells (e.g., NK cells, CD8⁺ T cells) kill target cells such as tumor or infected cells.

What we measure

• Target cell death (apoptosis and necrosis)

• Immune effector activation

• Granzyme B / perforin induction (optional)

Readouts

• Flow cytometry live/dead discrimination

• Imaging-based killing assays

• Cytokine release profiling

Applications

• Immuno-oncology drug screening

• Biologics (bispecifics, antibodies)

• CAR-T surrogate assessments

• Mechanism-of-action exploration

Quantifying immune cell expansion and activation

Proliferation is a core measure of immune responsiveness. Redoxis provides high-resolution proliferation assays for T cells, B cells, or mixed immune populations.

What we measure

• Division rate

• Degree of activation

• Impact of drug candidates on proliferation

Readouts

• CellTrace™ dye dilution using flow cytometry

• Cytokine secretion associated with proliferation

• Activation markers

Applications

• Evaluation of immunomodulators

• Autoimmune mechanisms

• T cell–dependent activation models

• Vaccine and adjuvant research

Quantifying immune mediator secretion in response to stimuli

These assays measure soluble factors produced after stimulation or treatment.

What we measure

• Cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α)

• Chemokines (CXCL10, CCL2, etc.)

• Pro-inflammatory vs anti-inflammatory balance

Technologies

• Luminex multiplexing

• ELISA

• FluoroSpot / ELISpot

Applications

• Mechanistic profiling

• Biomarker discovery

• Toxicity assessment (including cytokine storm indicators)