Beacon
Discovery™
Live Single Cell. Deepest Functional Insights.
Redefining Functional Live Single Cell Analysis With Flexible, Multimodal, Multiomic, Real-Time Insights
Experience the full potential of live single cell functional analysis with Beacon Discovery™. Powered by optofluidic technology, it enables researchers to explore multimodal and temporal cellular responses in real time, seamlessly linking functional data to sequencing from the same single cell for deeper scientific breakthroughs. This compact, affordable platform delivers unparalleled insights into immune profiling, cell therapy, and antibody discovery.
- Core Beacon Technology – Perform multiple sequential assays and multi-timepoint data collection on the same live single cells
- Affordable Innovation – Bring high parameter real-time functional cellular analysis to your lab with a cost-effective platform
- Ease-of-Use – Intuitive interface and automated workflows streamline experimental setup and enables running complex experiments
- Multiomics Connectivity – Recover high-value cells for downstream sequencing (TCR-seq, BCR-seq, mRNA-seq) to link cellular function with molecular mechanisms
- Optimized for Translational Research – Advance immune profiling adaptive cell therapy, and antibody discovery with actionable single cell data
- Trusted Technology – Powered by validated optofluidic technology, relied on by top pharmaceutical companies and leading research
Experience Beacon in Action
Discover how the Beacon platform delivers precise control over single cell experiments in this technology video. See how it enables customized cell selection, real-time high-parameter characterization with multiplexed bead-based assay, and advanced cell-cell interaction assay. Watch live cell retrieval in action and explore how functional single cell analysis integrate with downstream sequencing data (BCR-seq) to empower better and faster antibody lead optimization.
Your Benchtop, Affordable, Trusted Platform to the Next Generation of Functional Cellular Analysis
The Beacon Discovery system brings the precision and versatility of optofluidics to a broader range of laboratories, redefining single-cell analysis through its revolutionary OptoSelect® Chip technology. Replacing traditional well plates or droplets, each OptoSelect chip features thousands of NanoPen® chambers that enable precise single-cell isolation, culture, and characterization. Researchers can effortlessly study cell proliferation, biomolecule secretion, cell-cell interactions, targeted killing, and more—all within a fully automated, intuitive workflow. Real-time brightfield and fluorescence live-cell imaging at multiple time points captures dynamic cellular responses with minimal hands-on intervention.
The system also offers precise control for recovering single cells with desired functions, enabling downstream sequencing to connect functional characterization with transcriptomic or genomic data from the same individual cells. With its compact benchtop design, affordability, and user-friendly interface, Beacon Discovery makes advanced single-cell research more attainable than ever. Its flexibility enables versatile applications including T-cell profiling, antibody discovery and profiling, infectious and autoimmune diseases, and cell therapy—empowering researchers across academia, translational research centers, medical institutions, biotech, and biopharma to iterate, analyze, and accelerate discoveries seamlessly.
Beacon Discovery provides comprehensive, end-to-end solution to answer complex scientific questions
Key Product Features
- Ease-of-Use, intuitive interface and automated workflows streamline experimental setup and enables running complex experiments
- Benchtop design with its accessibility and affordability, making advanced single-cell research available to more labs
- Live cell recovery for downstream sequencing and multiomic integration
- Expert support team to guide scientific applications and workflow optimization
Powerful Software for Functional Single-Cell Analysis
The Beacon platform includes the Cell Analysis Software (CAS) Suite, a robust toolset that allows researchers to design, execute, and analyze single cell experiments in real time. CAS enables fully customized and automated workflows, delivering high-dimensional insights into single cell heterogeneity, cell function, phenotype, and behavior.
Researcher Spotlight
Applications
Understand the Life of Single Cells
with the Beacon Discovery
The Beacon Discovery is a flexible platform and a versatile solution for researchers in academia, translational research centers, and industry exploring high-precision functional cellular analysis. It enables T cell profiling for immunotherapy, antibody discovery, antibody profiling, vaccine development, and immune repertoire analysis by linking cellular function with molecular signatures through seamless downstream sequencing (TCR-seq or BCR-seq) integration.
T Cell Profiling
Interrogate T cell function to discover effective TCR/CAR sequences , validate the performance of T cells , translate cellular functionality to clinical biomarkers , and recover cells of interest for multi-omic insights.
Assays available: Cytokine analysis, Surface marker staining, Cytotoxicity, Phenotyping
Antigen Specificity Assays
Find antibody hits against any soluble or membrane-bound targets
Affinity Assay
Relatively rank antibody hits against soluble targets on binding affinity to recover the best antibodies
Cross-reactivity Assay
Easily assess specificity against multiple antigens for cross-species and/or cross-target reactivity
Ligand-Blocking Assay
Identify functional antibodies to drive therapeutic mechanisms of action
Cross-reactivity Assay
Discover better antibodies to deliver therapeutic payloads
Technology
Unique Features of the Beacon Technology
At the core of the Beacon technology is the OptoSelect® chip, which combines nanofluidics and Opto-Electro Positioning (OPE) technology, referred to as optofluidics. Optofluidics leverages light and millions of light-actuated pixels to manipulate cells and beads with precision, empowering precise isolation, and characterization of single cells at scale. Single cells with phenotypes of interest can then be recovered for further downstream analyses, including sequencing.
Opto-Electrical Positioning (OEP) Technology
Provides Exquisite Control of Cells and Beads
- Uses light to move cells around and into the NanoPens
- Allows for thousands of parallel single cell experiments at once
NanoPen Horizontal Design
Allows Continuous Media Perfusion
- Provides minimal disruption of the contents in the NanoPens
- Allows for exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste in and out of the NanoPens in a matter of seconds
- Keeps cells alive and healthy for days to weeks
Flexible to Run Chips with Flexible Chip Formats
Tailor experiments to specific research needs with flexible chip formats. The Beacon Discovery system supports multiple chip configurations, seamlessly adapting to diverse workflows and applications.
OptoSelect 1750b Chip
This chip has ~1,750 1.7 nL NanoPens that are ideal for longer term culture experiments including adherent cell cloning.
OptoSelect 3500 Chip
This chip has ~3,500 chambers with 0.75 nL NanoPens that enable some cell division and higher clone throughput.
OptoSelect 11k Chip
This chip has ~11,000 chambers with 0.32 nL NanoPens that are designed for scaling up your throughput of single cell screening.
OptoSelect 20k Chip
This chip has ~20,000 chambers with 0.32 nL NanoPens that are designed for the highest throughput of single cell screening.
Screen the Right Cells Automatically and Precisely
4 Simple Steps to Find the Best Cells
The Beacon Discovery platform automates single cell profiling using optofluidic technology, Optofluidics is able to move single cells or beads in large numbers so they can be isolated, cultured, assayed, and exported.
1. Sort
Software detects individual cells and precisely positions them into NanoPen® chambers using patterned light.
2. Culture
Cells grow in a continuously perfused environment, while real-time imaging enables dynamic data collection.
3. Assay
Functionally profile cells through multi-step and multi-assay experiments.
4. Export
Recover high-value cells for sequencing or live-cell applications.
Research & Datasheets
Beacon Discovery
Unleash the Full Potential of
Your Single Cell Research
Complete the form to connect with us and discover how the Beacon Discovery system can enhance your research adventure.
Our expert team will be able to answer your questions, show you how the Beacon Discovery system works, and share the most relevant datasheets & case studies for your research.