Study Utilizing Imaging Mass Cytometry Details Changes in Lung Tissue Architecture at the Single-Cell Level in Patients with COVID-19

Weill Cornell Medicine Researchers Utilize Fluidigm Hyperion Imaging System to Identify a Phenotype of Immune Cell Activity Distinct from Other Lung Infections

A Framework for Data-Driven Spatial Understanding of Lung Pathology to Inform New Treatment Approaches for COVID-19

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluidigm Corporation (Nasdaq:FLDM), an innovative biotechnology tools provider with a vision to improve life through comprehensive health insight, today announced that researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified a phenotype of immune cell activity in the lungs of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that is distinct from activity observed with other respiratory infections. This phenotype has been identified based on spatial analysis of lung tissue at the single-cell level throughout the disease continuum. The analysis was conducted using Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) on the Fluidigm Hyperion Imaging System.

Results of the study, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, are available online through the medRxiv pre-print service.

“The unique spatial aspects of Imaging Mass Cytometry enabled us to view not only the structure of the tissue but also the interplay between infected cells and the immune system in COVID-19 patients,” said Olivier Elemento, PhD, Director of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine and Cornell University Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, a lead researcher of the study. “The diverse range of tissue samples offered incredible insight into the mechanisms of disease progression in these patients, and the rich dataset provided our computational biologists with an opportunity to interpret changes in tissue architecture as well as detect and understand patterns that may provide insights into future approaches to therapies.”

This study utilized the Fluidigm reagents portfolio to label antibodies in a custom-designed panel of 36 biomarkers to capture different immune and stromal compartments of the lung. These antibodies were then used to label lung tissue sections obtained from patients who had died with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) following influenza, bacterial pneumonia, or COVID-19 respiratory distress syndrome, and also from healthy individuals for whom lung tissue was available.