Biobank samples with vital frozen MNCs have been collected from 21 healthy and around 50 SM patients. Biobanking will proceed until August and Emer will take part in biobanking with MNC preparation, DMSO freezning of peripheral blood MNCs from patients and healthy.
Flow cytometry panels have been designed, however due to covid 19 we have not ordered any antibodies but are awaitening further information on the possibility of delivery of antibodies. If we obtain antibodies, Emer will participate in titration of antibody amounts and setting up flow cytometry panels and starting to run the samples. This whole procedure will take around 2 months and depending on the covid 19 situation, we can start sometime in April at earliest.
As a contingency plan, if no antibodies can be ordered until after summer, we will in stead work on functional assays of NK and T cells. For this, we already have most equipment and methods available and we can work with this during April-June if flow experiments cannot be executed. Here, Emer will learn how to independently stimulate MNCs and use flow cytometry for readout of T and NK cell activation, and compare SM patient MNC with healthy age matched MNC. In all, we will test 20 healthy donors and 40 SM patients for functional assays, and 40 healthy donors and 60 SM patients for flow cytometry immune profiling panels. However, if flow cytometry immune profiling is not possible, Emer will have hands full with the T and NK cell activation assays and patient sample biobanking.