CEO of Akoya Biosciences, Brian McKelligon, discusses how technology can improve and advance research in the field of immuno-oncology.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How the therapies in immuno-oncology use the immune system to shut down the pathways responsible for unchecked tumor growth, which leads to metastases
• How the identification of more predictive biomarkers will improve overall health economics
• Why Akoya's technology is first being applied to the neurological space and therapies for breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanomas  

In essence, immuno-oncology is the study of how to treat cancer by unlocking the power of the immune system and leveraging it against metastatic processes.

In recent years, therapeutic modalities in this field have been exploding, and the goal at Akoya is to provide technology to scientists in academic, biopharmaceutical, and government institutions who are developing these therapies. The cornerstone of Akoya's technology is the identification of biomarkers predictive of the success of immuno-oncology therapy for individual patients.

Instead of merely detecting whether or not a biomarker is present, McKelligon emphasizes the importance of locating where in the tissues they are present, determining how many are present, and obtaining proximal measurements between biomarkers.

Standard technologies are only able to detect up to three biomarkers at a time, whereas the Akoya technology allows for the detection of 30 to 50 at a time, making it an excellent and much-needed tool for next generation tissue analysis. This technology will allow scientists to locate more predictive biomarkers, which will in turn benefit health economics and patient care.  

Learn more at https://akoyabio.com/.