Cyclic multiplex immunofluorescence-microscopy platform with integrated microfluidics

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 559178177

The device system applied for is intended to provide the necessary instrumental equipment for the applicant's research program on the topic of morphofunctional diagnostics/pathology. Multiplex immunofluorescence microscopy is a versatile technique for the detailed spatial characterization and annotation of tissue samples (spatial biology), which allows new conclusions to be drawn about underlying pathomechanisms. Applicants include established research groups as well as the institute's own core facility for histopathology and digital pathology. As a Heisenberg Professor for Morphofunctional Diagnostics and board-certified pathologist, the main applicant has the necessary expertise to integrate the methodology of multiplex immunofluorescence in basic and translational research. Selected research projects focus on the characterization of cell-matrix interactions in hereditary as well as acquired renal diseases, the analysis of the tumor microenvironment in oncological diseases (such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma) as well as the phenotyping of immunological systemic diseases (e.g. graft-versus-host disease). The productivity and expertise in the aforementioned research areas is proven by exemplary and published data. The unique selling point of the multiplex immunofluorescence microscopy platform applied for here compared to other spatially-resolved multimodal analysis platforms is the high local resolution capacity, non-destructive analysis of the tissue sample, cost-effective and unrestricted use of antibodies (no conjugation of antibodies required), as well as high throughput capacity. Other research groups at the institute (in particular the Translational Proteomics research group) will correlate spatial mapping obtained by multiplex immunofluorescence with spatially resolved proteomics as well as lipidomics/metabolomics. This complementary use will provide new insights into complex pathomechanisms and contribute to the possible stratification of patient groups based on identified patterns. The Core Facility for Histopathology and Digital Pathology (CFHDP) already supports numerous research groups in tissue analysis of human patient samples and model organisms. By integrating a multiplex immunofluorescence microscopy platform, the complex analysis of spatial biology will be made possible for a wider range of users.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Serielle Multiplex-Immunfluoreszenzmikroskopie-Plattform mit integrierter Mikrofluidik
• Instrumentation Group: 5042 Mikroskope für Hochdurchsatz und Screening
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Christoph B. Schell