US-based PerkinElmer has introduced a new multi-modal tissue automated quantitative pathology imaging system called Vectra Polaris to identify and understand the disease mechanisms of new cancer immunotherapy approaches.

Vectra Polaris is equipped with a seven-colour multispectral imaging whole-slide scanning system in a simplified digital pathology workflow, to enable quantification and analysis of tissue sections treated with multiple immunohistochemical stains.

The system allows evaluation of biomarkers to study the biology of the immune system and cancer, by identifying different cell types and their functional states, as well as establishing their spatial distributions.

PerkinElmer Discovery & Analytical Solutions executive vice-president and president Jim Corbett said: “From basic research to clinical research studies, scientists continue to seek advanced imaging technologies to better analyze and understand disease mechanisms.

"The system allows evaluation of biomarkers to study the biology of the immune system and cancer, by identifying different cell types and their functional states, as well as establishing their spatial distributions."

The new system is part of the firm’s Phenoptics workflow solution for quantitative pathology research, which allows detection of the interaction between tumours and immune cells to understand disease mechanisms.

PerkinElmer multiplex IHC platform is designed for immuno-oncology research, aimed to identify the cell-level biology of the tumour and its microenvironment which is involved in the disease progression, as well as the response to immunotherapy.

With recorded revenue of about $2.3bn in 2015, PerkinElmer employs around 8,000 people and operates in more than 150 countries.


Image: PerkinElmer headquarters in Waltham, US. Photo: courtesy of Coolcaesar / Wikipedia.