Profiling how immune cells interact with tumor cells
Official title: LF-TIMING: Large-scale label-free profiling of cell-cell interactions
Funded at Cellchorus INC. · NIH-11008612 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new way to look at how immune cells and tumor cells interact, which could help us understand cancer better and improve treatments for patients like you.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cellchorus INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 8, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $349,171 |
| NIH project number | 1R42TR005299-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11008612 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients with cancer who may benefit from enhanced immunotherapy treatments.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-cancerous conditions or those not receiving immunotherapy may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a new technology to quantitatively analyze the interactions between immune cells and tumor cells on a large scale. By using a novel assay called TIMING™, the researchers aim to measure various aspects of these interactions, including how often cells come into contact, how long they stay in contact, and the behaviors that lead to cell death. This approach allows for the simultaneous study of multiple investigational probes, enhancing our understanding of cell communication and behavior in cancer. Patients may benefit from insights gained that could lead to improved immunotherapy strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective immunotherapies for cancer patients by improving our understanding of how immune cells interact with tumors.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown success in using advanced imaging techniques to study cell interactions, suggesting that this approach has the potential for significant breakthroughs.
Where this research is happening
-
Cellchorus INC.
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berdeaux, Rebecca L — Cellchorus INC.
- Study coordinator: Berdeaux, Rebecca L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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LF-TIMING: Large-scale profiling of cell-cell interactions with label-free imaging
A new high-throughput method to map how immune cells talk to tumor cells and how they move, contact, and kill targets without using labels.
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A new instrument to understand how immune cells work
This project is developing a special instrument that uses advanced imaging and AI to watch individual immune cells in action, helping us understand how they fight diseases like cancer.
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TIMING: AI-powered single-cell analysis to improve cell therapies
A patient-facing platform using AI to understand how individual immune cells behave in real time during cell therapy manufacturing, helping create safer and more effective treatments.
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Dynamic single-cell analysis instrument ready to help labs map how individual cells behave
Aimed at bringing Chronos™—a specialized single-cell timing instrument—into broader use so researchers can watch thousands of live cells and link their behavior to molecular data.
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Understanding how immune cells behave to improve cell therapies
This study is working on a new way to closely watch and understand immune cells used in treatments, so we can see how they behave and grow, helping doctors predict how well these therapies might work for patients before they start.
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Advanced Technology to Understand Immune Cell Behavior
This project is creating a new technology that uses advanced imaging and artificial intelligence to better understand how individual immune cells work and interact, which can help develop new treatments.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.