NK cell ADCC assays: Leveraging flow cytometry and reporter cell lines for enhanced biological relevance and throughput

AACR 2024 -- Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target tumor antigen have transformed cancer immunotherapy. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is an indispensable therapeutic mechanism for mAbs, including antibody-drug conjugates, because they trigger immune-mediated antitumor activity in vivo. Labcorp has adopted two ADCC analytic platforms that balance biological relevance and high throughput analysis for robust functional characterization of candidate mAbs. A flow cytometry-based assay for primary NK cell analysis and a ADCC Reporter Bioassay (Promega) for high-throughput antibody screening are demonstrated herein using two breast carcinoma models with varying levels of HER2 target expression.