BD Launches AbSeq Immune Discovery Panel: A 30-antibody Cocktail Enabling High-dimensional Single-cell Multiomics

With over 40 years of expertise in cell biology, BD has established a dominant position in the fields of flow cytometry and antibodies. As one of the most widely used technologies in current single-cell research, the Rhapsody™ Single-Cell Analysis Platform, launched by BD in 2018, overcomes the limitations of traditional assays. It enables simultaneous quantitative detection of thousands of expressed genes across tens of thousands of single cells, facilitating the identification and characterization of novel and rare cell types, thereby advancing the understanding of biological processes in diverse fields ranging from immunology to oncology.

Building on this foundation, BD leverages its strengths in the antibody field to continuously develop single-cell proteomics analysis products for immunology research. To date, nearly 500 AbSeq antibodies (individual antibodies for the Rhapsody™ single-cell platform) have been launched, allowing customers to select appropriate antibody types and quantities based on their research needs. However, determining which antibodies to select often requires researchers to conduct extensive literature reviews and data searches, while the subsequent ordering and experimental procedures involving dozens of antibodies constitute a complex and challenging task.

To effectively streamline these cumbersome processes, recently,BD Launches AbSeq Immune Discovery Panel (IDP) Antibody Panel: This antibody panel, based on major human-specific immune markers, enables the simultaneous detection of up to 30 cell surface proteins at the single-cell level, covering most human immune cell populations; meanwhile, this product is used for BD The Rhapsody™ Single-Cell Analysis Platform enables not only the analysis of single-cell surface proteins but also simultaneous detection with transcriptomics, achieving comprehensive multi-omics analysis. This maximally simplifies experimental workflows and accelerates scientific research progress.。

User-Friendly Operation — Hands-Free for Researchers

BD IDP: Convenience and Efficiency from 30 to 1.A single small vial contains 30 different specific antibodies targeting major human immune marker proteins, sufficient for five experiments. There is no longer a need to handle dozens of antibodies individually. The IDP lyophilized powder can be reconstituted according to the instructions and then added to samples for incubation.Extremely convenient to use,Not only does it shorten the experimental time and procedures, but it also effectively avoids experimental errors caused by numerous operations.。

Figure 1. Details of the 30 antibodies included in IDP

Superior Performance — Ensuring Reliable Experimental Results

IDP can detect the expression and abundance of up to 30 surface proteins in a single experiment. While offering high convenience for researchers, the reliability of the experimental results remains the primary concern. To address this, BD’s R&D engineers have thoroughly validated the specificity of each antibody used in IDP and compared IDP with the corresponding 30 individual BD™ Comparison of Experimental Results for AbSeq Antibodies.

The specificity of the 30 antibodies included in IDP was validated, as shown in the figure below.The surface proteins labeled by each antibody are highly matched to the corresponding immune cell phenotypes.。

Figure 2. Specificity analysis of the 30 antibodies included in IDP

Through analysis, it was found thatIDP can be integrated with 30 types ofSingle BD^™ The data generated by AbSeq antibodies (freshly prepared mixture) are comparable, with a very high consistency and a correlation coefficient of up to 0.984., further demonstrating the reliability of IDP.

Figure 3. Testing procedure for IDP performance

Figure 4. IDP shows highly consistent performance with single-antibody multiplex labeling

High Flexibility — Facilitating the Exploration of More Scientific Questions

The IDP, which includes 30 antibodies, aims to cover most immunological cell research needs. However, due to the complexity of scientific research, researchers often need to expand upon these 30 antibodies in many cases. In such situations, can the IDP still be used?

The answer is yes, primarily due to the high flexibility of IDP, namelyDetection of 30 cell surface proteins serves as the foundation, upon which additional antibody panels can be incorporated based on the specific scientific questions under investigation. Furthermore, the addition of extra antibodies does not compromise the high-performance characteristics of IDP.As shown in the figure below, after the addition of three individual antibodies, the pre- and post-analysis results were nearly identical in terms of cell clustering distribution, and the average number of molecules detected per gene was also nearly consistent (R = 0.996).

Figure 5. Detection scheme for evaluating the impact of additional antibodies on IDP performance

Figure 6. Additional antibodies have no effect on IDP performance

Excellent Compatibility — Facilitating Multi-Omics Data Analysis

Currently, single-cell transcriptomics research is flourishing and has become an essential tool for publishing high-impact papers. Single-cell-related studies offer unique advantages in elucidating cellular heterogeneity and identifying novel cell subpopulations, and have been successfully applied in biomedical research.

However, during single-cell transcriptome data analysis, we often encounter a significant challenge: RNA expression levels frequently do not align with protein-level detection. This discrepancy introduces considerable uncertainty when identifying cell subpopulations or investigating cellular mechanisms. Simultaneous acquisition of cellular protein expression data, integrated with transcriptomic data for multi-omics analysis, enables a more comprehensive interpretation of single-cell expression profiles and yields more robust research findings.

Experimental data indicate that, without compromising any performance,IDP and BD Rhapsody™RNA Detection KitCan be achievedSeamless Integration。

Figure 7. Consistency analysis of IDP with transcriptome sequencing data

Meanwhile, single-cell transcriptomics combined withProteomic expression information significantly optimizes cell clustering performance.。

Figure 8. IDP information improves clustering based solely on transcriptome sequencing data

Meanwhile, performing multi-omics analysis on multiple samples within a single experiment can reduce experimental costs and, most importantly, avoid batch effects between different experiments (for instance, analyzing and comparing tumor tissues, adjacent non-tumor tissues, and healthy tissues from cancer studies in the same experiment helps minimize the impact of batch effects on the results).BD Rhapsody™ Single-cell platform enables simultaneous transcriptome and proteome (IDP/AbSeq) + Multiplex sample detection performed in a single assay, truly enabling efficient and reliable support for single-cell multi-omics research.

Conclusion

Flow cytometry-based proteomic analysis has become one of the most widely used techniques in basic research and clinical diagnostics. With the continuous advancement of single-cell technologies, integrating proteomics with gene expression at the single-cell level is highly likely to become the next catalyst driving progress in life sciences and translational medicine. Building on the transcriptomic capabilities of its Rhapsody™ Single-Cell Platform, BD leverages its strength in antibody technology to launch the IDP kit, designed to help researchers rapidly enter the field of single-cell multi-omics research and significantly accelerate scientific advancements in immunology, oncology, and other areas. Upholding its commitment to continuous innovation, BD will continue to develop additional AbSeq antibody panels for its single-cell platform, aiming to maximize support for scientific research by providing researchers with more convenient and efficient products and services.

About BD

BD is a global medical technology company dedicated to advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics, and the quality of patient care. BD supports and advocates for every frontline healthcare worker, striving to enhance clinical outcomes for patients and streamline clinical workflows for providers through the development of innovative technologies, services, and solutions. Guided by deep passion and conviction, BD’s 65,000 employees worldwide enable safe and efficient medication administration for clinicians, empower laboratory scientists to diagnose diseases more effectively, and bolster researchers’ capabilities in developing next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics. With a presence in nearly every country, BD actively collaborates with organizations around the globe to address the most challenging global health issues. By working closely with customers, BD is committed to improving treatment outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, enhancing diagnostic efficiency, strengthening safety for both patients and healthcare providers, and expanding access to care. In 2017, BD welcomed C. R. Bard and its products into the BD family.

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