Revolutionizing Functional Live Single-Cell Insights with the Beacon® Technology
Traditional single cell tools focus on static snapshots from one moment in a cell’s life, telling us what a cell expresses, what genes and proteins are turned on, and what surface markers are present. But they do not show how a cell behaves – they miss the dynamic functional responses critical to understanding immune cell behavior, biomolecule secretion, and cell-cell interactions.
The Beacon platform transforms single cell research by enabling multimodal and temporal live-cell functional analysis and seamlessly linking functional data to sequencing from the same single cell for deeper scientific breakthroughs.
Leveraging the proprietary Opto-Electrical Positioning (OEP®) technology known as optofluidics, combined with OptoSelect® microfluidic chips, the Beacon systems isolate and analyze thousands of single cells, delivering deep functional insights from live cells and enabling unparalleled insights into immune profiling, cell therapy, cell line development, antibody discovery, antibody profiling, and CAR/TCR discovery. Trusted by 150+ leading academic, pharma, biotech, and CRO researchers, Beacon’s impact is validated by 40+ peer-reviewed publications in immuno-oncology, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and regenerative medicine.
Beacon Discovery™: Bringing Functional Single-Cell Biology to More Labs
While the flagship Beacon systems support pharma, CROs, and large-scale discovery teams, the introduction of Beacon Discovery, announced at the recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting, brings the platform’s core optofluidic technology into a more accessible, compact form.
What sets Beacon Discovery apart?
- Accessible: Lower cost of ownership, reduced running costs, and intuitive interface for easy adoption
- Compact: Benchtop size maximizes lab space without sacrificing functionality
- Flexible: Deliver end-to-end workflows for immune profiling, antibody discovery, and custom functional assays
- Proven: Built on widely published and validated optofluidic technology
And designing complex single-cell functional analysis experiments has never been easier. As part of the Cell Analysis Software (CAS) Suite, Beacon Discovery includes a new easy-to-use wizard-based interface for designing multistep experimental workflows – set up and execute sophisticated pre-defined and customized workflows in just a few clicks. The CAS Suite also enables real-time data exploration with automated and manual image analysis, allowing researchers to make informed decisions based on biomolecule secretion, target killing, and cell-cell interactions over time.
Researchers can perform multiple sequential assays on the same live cells, capturing cytokine release, cytotoxic behavior, and surface marker expression, while integrating downstream analyses like TCR-seq and mRNA-seq. Antibody campaigns can assess affinity, antigen specificity, cross-reactivity, ligand blocking, membrane-bound antigen binding, and antibody sequences.
Experience Beacon Discovery for Yourself
Interested in generating cutting-edge live single-cell functional analysis data? You can send us your samples to run in our state-of-the-art lab via the Beacon Discovery Technology Access Program (TAP). Our scientists provide support at every step of your project, including free consultations, real-time updates, and post data delivery assistance, all to help generate data that can support grants and other funding opportunities.