Beacon Quest™
Optofluidic System
Flexible Functional Single Cell Analysis for Every Lab
Redefining Functional Live Single Cell Analysis With Flexible, Multimodal, Multiomic, Real-Time Insights
The Beacon Quest™ optofluidic system is a tunable-throughput live single-cell analysis system that combines the exquisite control of optofluidics with a flexible, cost-effective design. Suitable for labs of all sizes, it enables real-time, multimodal functional profiling of single cells while linking phenotypic insights to downstream transcriptomic and genomic sequencing from the same cell. This makes it an ideal solution for immune profiling, TCR/CAR discovery, adoptive cell therapy, antibody discovery, and vaccine research. With a two chip configuration, the Beacon Quest supports both high- and low-throughput workflows, allowing researchers to maximize efficiency without compromising experimental depth.
- 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
- Customizable Throughput - Choose between high- and low-throughput workflows with two chip configurations
- 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, adoptive cell therapy, and antibody discovery with actionable single cell data
Your Gateway to the Next Generation of Functional Cellular Analysis
The Beacon Quest brings the precision and versatility of optofluidics to a broader range of labs, replacing traditional well plates or droplets with revolutionary OptoSelect® chips featuring NanoPen® chambers. These enable controlled single cell isolation, culture, and characterization for applications across biopharma and academia. Study proliferation, biomolecule secretion, cell-cell interactions, targeted killing, and more—effortlessly. The system enables real-time brightfield and fluorescence live cell imaging at multiple time points, capturing dynamic cellular responses with minimal hands-on intervention. Its fully automated workflow enables researchers to iterate, analyze, and accelerate discoveries seamlessly.
Key Product Features
- Exquisite Control: Precisely manipulate cell and bead movements for custom assays
- Live Cell Imaging: Leverage live cell imaging and real-time data for dynamic analysis
- Comprehensive Sequential Assays: Conduct multiple assays on the same live cells on-chip
- Integrated Multiomics: Connect on-chip functional analysis with off-chip transcriptomic & genomic profiling from the same single cells
- Scalable Sample Handling: Adapt to high-throughput screening and analyze precious samples with scalable input
Applications
Understand the Life of Single Cells
with the Beacon Quest
The Beacon Quest is a versatile solution for researchers exploring high-precision functional cellular analysis for immunology and biopharma. It enables T cell profiling for immunotherapy, antibody discovery, 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
Dynamic Cytotoxicity
Co-culture a T cell with a target cell in NanoPens
Caspase-3 fluoresces imaging across thousands of NanoPens
Multiplexed Cytokine Secretion
Add cytokine capture beads of interest in NanoPens
Characterize cellular heterogeneity and polyfunctionality
Surface Marker Phenotype
Add antibodies targeted toward surface marker of interest in NanoPens
Link behaviors (activation, exhaustion, persistence) with cytotoxicity & cytokine secretion
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
Researcher Spotlight
Technology
Unique Features of the Beacon Technology
At the core of the Beacon technology is the OptoSelect® chip, which combines nanofluidics and Opto-Electrical Positioning (OEP) 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
Adaptable High-Throughput Chips
Tailor experiments to specific research needs with flexible chip formats. The Beacon Quest system supports multiple chip configurations, running up to 2 chips simultaneously. Whether running high-throughput immune profiling or focused cell therapy studies, the system offers the right balance of efficiency and precision.
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 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.
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.
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.
Beacon Quest
Unleash the Full Potential of
Your Single Cell Research
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