Preprint available on bioRxiv

A live tumor fragment platform to assess immunotherapy response in core needle biopsies while addressing challenges of tumor heterogeneity

We describe our ex vivo platform for assessing immune checkpoint inhibitor response using live tumor tissue while preserving large areas of the contiguous native tumor microenvironment.  Using a sequential treatment strategy, we mitigate tumor heterogeneity challenges exacerbated when tissue amount is scarce.

Poster presented at ASCO 2025, Chicago

ELEPHAS-01, ELEPHAS-02 and ELEPHAS-04: Multi-institutional observational prospective clinical trials to assess the accuracy of an ex vivo live tumor fragment platform for predicting immunotherapy response

Poster presented at AACR 2025, Chicago

A sequential treatment strategy for ex vivo profiling of LTFs that mitigates tumor heterogeneity and tissue scarcity from core needle biopsies to characterize response to immunotherapies

Poster presented at AACR 2025, Chicago

A method for preparing tumor tissues for ex vivo culture that retains T cells within live tumor fragments while preserving tissue viability and T cell function

Poster presented at SITC 2024, Houston

Label-free dynamic optical coherence microscopy assesses cytotoxicity in response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in ex vivo live tumor tissue

Poster presented at SITC 2024, Houston

Comparison of the clinical biomarkers dMMR, MSI-H and PD-L1 with cytokines secreted from anti-PD-1 treated human live tumor fragments on an ex vivo platform

Consistent with clinical studies and real-world data, the Elephas platform detects an enrichment in cytokine response to αPD-1 treatment in human LTFs from biomarker-positive specimens.

Paper published in Journal of Biomedical Optics

Label-free fluorescence lifetime imaging for the assessment of cell viability in living tumor fragments

We have developed and fully characterized a label-free imaging assay of cell viability based on multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy that leaves tissues intact and viable for repeated assessment of specimens over time, as well as downstream evaluation with other Elephas platform assays.

Paper published in Biomedical Optics Express

Assessing cell viability with dynamic optical coherence microscopy

We demonstrate that dynamic optical coherence microscopy, a technical component of the Elephas platform, can distinguish live cells from dead cells in murine syngeneic tumors.

Poster presented at AACR 2024, San Diego

Assessing cytotoxic T cell responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in murine and human tumor samples using metabolic imaging

The Elephas platform can be used to assess immune checkpoint inhibitor response in clinically relevant core needle biopsies.

Poster presented at SITC 2023, San Diego

Assessing cytotoxic T cell responses in live tumor fragments with multiphoton microscopy

The Elephas platform can simultaneously assess activation of T cells and cytotoxic killing of tumor cells in response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Poster presented at AACR 2023, Orlando

Label-free imaging for rapid assessment of tumor viability in live tumor fragments

Using nondestructive, label-free multiphoton microscopy, the Elephas platform accurately predicts live/dead status of live tumor fragments (LTFs) and can assess tumors longitudinally.

Poster presented at SITC 2022, Boston

Murine live tumor fragments can be used to assess immunotherapy response

The Elephas platform addresses heterogeneity of tumors and creates homogenous treatment groups which can receive adoptive T cells, indicating CAR T-cell therapy can be assessed on the platform.

Poster presented at AACR 2022, New Orleans

A live tumor fragment platform with imaging for immune response assays

LTFs are viable, maintain motility of T cells and respond to checkpoint inhibitors by increasing cell surface marker expression and cytokine production, supporting the maintenance of the tumor microenvironment in our platform.

Poster presented at AACR 2022, New Orleans

Tumor/normal and live/dead classification in live tumor fragments using label-free multiphoton microscopy

The Elephas platform leverages nondestructive multiphoton label-free imaging to differentiate between live and dead cells in LTFs.

Poster presented at AACR 2022, New Orleans

Dynamic imaging of T cell surveillance in live tumor fragments using camelid nanobodies

The Elephas platform can track the motility of T cells and can distinguish T cells from tumor associated macrophages.