Fluidigm Corporation (Nasdaq:FLDM), an innovative
biotechnology tools provider with a vision to improve life through
comprehensive health insight, today announced that Fluidigm® mass
cytometry technology and the Maxpar® Direct™ Immune Profiling
Assay™ are being utilized in a prospective observational cohort
surveillance study of up to 2,000 adult participants hospitalized
with COVID-19.
Ten leading U.S. medical institutions are engaging in the study,
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and entitled
Immunophenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort (IMPACC). The
study could help inform recommendations for COVID-19 care and
potentially identify new strategies and optimal timing for
experimental treatments.
Investigators at the NIH National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, in collaboration with the Human Immunology
Project Consortium and the Asthma and Allergic Diseases
Clinical Research Consortium, are exploring how certain
immunological responses correspond to, or may even predict, the
clinical severity of COVID-19.
“Characterizing immune responses in COVID-19 patients is
critical to better understand the immunological mechanisms
underlying disease progression and severity and the development of
protective immunity to better guide the development of effective
therapeutics and vaccines,” said Adeeb Rahman, PhD, a core lab
director for the study and Associate Professor and Director of
Technology Development at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai’s Human Immune Monitoring Center. “Mass cytometry has been
our assay of choice for high-dimensional single-cell
characterization across diverse disease conditions, and we chose
the Maxpar Direct Immune Profiling Assay for this study because it
provides a robust and standardized solution for comprehensive
immune monitoring that is technically easy to execute and harmonize
across multiple study sites.”
COVID-19 patients age 18 and older are enrolled in the study
within 36 hours after admission to a hospital. Samples are
collected from nasal swabs, blood and tracheal fluid at 10 time
points from hospital admission to up to one year after discharge.
When possible, researchers will also examine lower airway
secretions collected from patients requiring a ventilator for
breathing support.
“Mass cytometry has been integral in studying various aspects of
immune responses to infectious disease,” said Ruth Montgomery, PhD,
Professor of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Director
of the Yale CyTOF® Facility and a principal investigator for the
IMPACC study. “We have unique expertise at Yale utilizing this
technology to analyze the immune cells in lung aspirates. As part
of this study, we will perform analysis of peripheral blood and DNA
sequencing, but we will also focus on lung airway cells from
COVID-19 patients enrolled at all 10 sites. These studies may help
us better understand the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the
severe pneumonia often seen with COVID-19.”
As IMPACC study patients recover, investigators will continue to
evaluate their immune responses to identify factors that may relate
to long-term protection against re-infection.
“There are many unanswered questions about the diversity of the
COVID-19 patient journey, why some experience only mild symptoms
while others face life-threatening complications,” said Chris
Linthwaite, President and CEO of Fluidigm. “A deep and meaningful
understanding of the immune system during the course of infection
and in response to therapies is of critical importance in fighting
this pandemic.
“Fluidigm is at the forefront of cutting-edge research into the
complex immune response to this virus, and we are proud that our
technology will potentially offer insights into those most at risk,
interventions during infection, the aftermath of the disease and
which vaccine candidates may be most effective. A unique advantage
of mass cytometry in the context of the IMPACC study is its
remarkable sample stability, enabling researchers to collect and
process a sample at one location and analyze it at a different
site.
“Fluidigm is battling this pandemic on multiple fronts, having
filed for Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for an extraction-free saliva-based test to detect
the COVID-19 virus,” Linthwaite said. “We are gratified for
inclusion of our technology in the IMPACC study, and we look
forward to new discoveries that can potentially have an impact on
patient lives.”
Institutions participating in the study are Brigham and Women's
Hospital; University Hospitals Case Medical Center; University of
California, Los Angeles Department of Medicine; University of
California, San Francisco School of Medicine; Drexel University
College of Medicine; Emory University School of Medicine; Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Oregon Health & Science
University; Stanford Medicine’s Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy
& Asthma Research; and Yale School of Medicine.
About Fluidigm Fluidigm (Nasdaq:FLDM)
focuses on the most pressing needs in translational and clinical
research, including cancer, immunology, and immunotherapy. Using
proprietary CyTOF and microfluidics technologies, we develop,
manufacture, and market multi-omic solutions to drive meaningful
insights in health and disease, identify biomarkers to inform
decisions, and accelerate the development of more effective
therapies. Our customers are leading academic, government,
pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research
laboratories worldwide. Together with them, we strive to increase
the quality of life for all. For more information,
visit fluidigm.com. Fluidigm, the Fluidigm logo,
CyTOF, Direct, Immune Profiling Assay and Maxpar, are trademarks
and/or registered trademarks of Fluidigm
Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. All other trademarks are the sole property of their
respective owners. Fluidigm products are provided for Research Use
Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Available Information We use our website
(fluidigm.com), investor site (investors.fluidigm.com), corporate
Twitter account (@fluidigm), Facebook page (facebook.com/Fluidigm),
and LinkedIn page (linkedin.com/company/fluidigm-corporation) as
channels of distribution of information about our products, our
planned financial and other announcements, our attendance at
upcoming investor and industry conferences, and other matters. Such
information may be deemed material information, and we may use
these channels to comply with our disclosure obligations under
Regulation FD. Therefore, investors should monitor our website and
our social media accounts in addition to following our press
releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, and
webcasts.
Forward-Looking Statements for Fluidigm This
press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including, among others, statements regarding plans and timelines
for a prospective research study, the anticipated contributions of
Fluidigm technology and products to the study, and the expected
benefits of such research. Forward-looking statements are subject
to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from currently anticipated results, including
but not limited to risks relating to the potential adverse effects
of the coronavirus pandemic on our business and operating results
during 2020; our ability and/or the ability of the research
institutions utilizing our products and technology to obtain
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) FDA and any other requisite
approvals to use our products and technology for diagnostic testing
purposes; challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing,
launching, marketing, and selling new products; risks relating to
company research and development and distribution plans and
capabilities; interruptions or delays in the supply of components
or materials for, or manufacturing of, Fluidigm products; potential
product performance and quality issues; intellectual property
risks; and competition. Information on these and additional risks
and uncertainties and other information affecting Fluidigm business
and operating results is contained in Fluidigm’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and in its other
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof.
Fluidigm disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking
statements except as may be required by law.
Media: Mark Spearman Senior Director, Corporate
Communications 650 243 6621 mark.spearman@fluidigm.com
Investors: Agnes Lee Vice President, Investor
Relations 650 416 7423 agnes.lee@fluidigm.com
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