“With Techstart, we are inviting researchers to explore a new layer of spatial biology,” says Olle Ericsson, CEO of Moleculent. “By mapping how cells actually talk to each other in tissue, we can better understand the interplay between cancer and immune cells in tumors.”

A version of the Proximity Ligation Assay

The technology is based on the company’s version of the well-established Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA), a method that visualizes interactions between cells in their natural environment. At the same time, researchers can identify cell types and proteins in the same sample, providing essential context. To make the technology easy to use in laboratories worldwide, Moleculent is developing an automated instrument, they state.

Moleculent is initially focusing on immuno-oncology, with a T-cell–oriented panel that includes antigen presentation and immune checkpoints. This enables direct measurement of interactions between cancer and immune cells in clinical samples, according to the company.