Analyzing functional heterogeneity of effector cells for enhanced adoptive cell therapy applications

Cellular effector function assays traditionally rely on bulk cell populations that mask complex heterogeneity and rare subpopulations. The Xdrop® droplet technology facilitates high-throughput compartmentalization of viable single cells or single-cell pairs in double-emulsion droplets, enabling the study of single cells or cell–cell interactions at an individual level. Effector cell molecule secretion and target cell killing can be evaluated independently or in combination. Compatibility with a wide range of commercial assay reagents allows for single-cell level readouts using common laboratory techniques such as flow cytometry or microscopy. Moreover, individual cells of interest can be viably isolated for further investigation or expansion. Here we demonstrate the application of the double-emulsion droplet technology with a range of cell types commonly utilized for adoptive cell therapy of cancer: natural killer cells, blood-derived T cells, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Single-cell compartmentalization offers unparalleled resolution, serving as a valuable tool for advancing the development and understanding of cellular therapy products.