Immunology at Work Resource Center

Immunology at Work is here for you, whether you want to review the basics, gain more in-depth knowledge, or discover the latest research tools. This resource hub contains rich and reliable technical content designed for new and experienced life scientists alike exploring the field of immunology.

Scientists in a lab discuss Immunophenotyping Flow cytometry panel design

Blaze new trails through immunology

With passion, innovation, and impact, we offer insights and perspectives for breakthroughs in immunology research, inspiring scientists to advance science.

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Spectral Flow Cytometry Fundamentals

The demand for spectral flow cytometry is rising. High-dimensional and high-parameter analysis is crucial for comprehending complex immune cell phenotyping.

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Biomarker discovery solutions

Biomarker research in immunology offers crucial insights for disease diagnosis, prognosis, treatment response, mechanistic understanding, drug development, and predictive/preventive medicine.

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Foundational Immunology

Discover the different immune cells and their role in immunology. For each cell category, you can find information on its development, differentiation, effector function, and role in disease, as well as common methods used for its study and cellular markers that are relevant for phenotyping. Click on the cell type below to learn more.

Graphical illustration of the cells involved in the innate and adaptive immune response and how they relate to each other.

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Natural Killer cells

NK cells kill pathogen infected cells and cancer cells. They also release cytokines, which alert and attract other immune cells.

T Helper 1 cells

Lineage of CD4⁺ T helper cells that promote immune response required for host defense against intracellular viral and bacterial pathogens.

T Follicular Helper cells

Subset of CD4⁺ T helper cells that trigger germinal center B cells into antibody-secreting plasma and memory B cells.

Monocytes

Circulating immune cells that engulfs (phagocytosis) and activates other immune cells.

T Helper 2 cells

Lineage of CD4⁺ T helper cells that promote humoral immunity critical for host defense against extracellular pathogens.

Cytotoxic T cells

T cells, also know as CD8⁺ cells, that kill virus infected cells and cancer cells by releasing toxic chemicals.

Macrophages

Professional phagocytic tissue resident cells that destroy foreign antigens/cells by phagocytosis. They release cytokines that attract and activates other immune cells.

Regulatory T cells

T cells critical to the maintenance of self-tolerance and immune cell homeostasis.

Dendritic cells

Phagocytic antigen presenting cells with an important role in alerting T cells to new pathogens. They act as key mediators between the innate and adaptive immune systems.

T Helper 17 cells

CD4⁺ T helper cells that play a critical role in the activation of other immune cells such as B cells and cytotoxic T cells, as well as in the regulation of immune responses.

B Cells

B cells play a critical role in the adaptive immune response, producing high-affinity antibodies, acting as antigen-presenting cells, and secreting cytokines.

Granulocytes

Granulocytes are a heterogenous category of leukocytes, comprising neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells.

iNKT cells

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells display properties of both T cells and natural killer (NK) cells and help to bridge the innate and adaptive immune responses.

Immunology of Inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is an organism’s protective response to pathogens, infection, or tissue damage and involves the coordinated communication of a variety of immune cells and blood vessels. Understand the general phenomenon of inflammation and triggers to the process.

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Cytokine storm

Learn about cell types, cytokines, and markers involved with uncontrolled inflammation.

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Pattern recognition receptors

Find information on pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) including pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecules patterns (DAMPs).

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Viral life cycle

Find information on viral attachment and entry, replication, maturation, and release.

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Interferons

Interferon (IFN) proteins are a family of cytokines secreted by host cells to modulate the immune response. Find information on interferon types and induction.

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Pro-inflammatory cytokines

Cytokines are small secreted proteins that are key modulators of inflammation. Discover how pro-inflammatory cytokines play a role in the immune response.

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Protocols for Immunology

Apply the background information provided throughout this resource center with practical and relevant application protocols. Browse by application or technique:

Cell preparation and immune cell stimulation

Find detailed protocols on the isolation of the different immune cells starting from whole blood or lymphoid tissue and various methods to stimulate them.

Sample preparation

Protocols covering isolation of RNA from immune cells to sample preparation for immunoassays.

Flow cytometry

Detailed protocols on staining, compensation, and validated antibody panels.

Immunoassays

Find general protocols for ELISA, western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry.

Western blotting

A collection of general western blotting protocols for chemiluminescent and fluorescent detection.

Featured eBooks

Flow Cytometry Protocols Handbook

Protocols in flow cytometry ranging from sample preparation to numerous cell stimulation conditions, staining, immunophenotyping and data analysis strategies.

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Flow Cytometry Capability Guide

Learn about our comprehensive suite of flow cytometry solutions to deliver you high-performance results and save you time.

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Flow Cytometry Reagent Selection Guide

A handy reference poster featuring the broad range of Invitrogen labeling reagents available for flow cytometry.

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Biomarker Quantitation Guide

Let us help you navigate the different tools available for protein and RNA quantitation with valuable technical and product information.

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Article collection and posters

Flow and Sorting Article Collection

Get the latest in flow cytometry and cell sorting innovation in these collections of articles.

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Informative poster with human CD antigens

Human CD marker poster

An extensive selection of Invitrogen eBioscience antibody conjugates of human CD markers.

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Informative poster with mouse CD antigens

Mouse CD marker poster

View the many options for multicolor flow cytometry research in one place.

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Immune cell guide

Discover immune cell markers for humans and mice. CD and non-CD markers, alternate antigen names, distribution, and function.

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Video Tutorials for Immunology Research

Find on-demand tutorials and register for upcoming webinars to get firsthand knowledge of the latest technologies to accelerate your immunology research.

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Featured webinar

Cell-based assays to functionally characterize immunotherapy and the immune response to viral infection.

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Research tools for Immunology

Digital tools to make your experimental planning easier.

Flow Cytometry Panel Design Service and Panel Builder Tool

Design your flow cytometry panels effortlessly with our FREE Panel Design Service by our scientists, or use our Panel Builder Tool for a DIY approach.

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Fluorescence SpectraViewer

Assess the spectral compatibility of dyes and probes for experiments that utilize fluorescence detection techniques.

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ProcartaPlex Panel Configurator

Design your own multiplex immunoassay for protein detection using a Luminex instrument.

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ELISA Builder

Find the best solution for developing your own ELISA assay.

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Meet the Scientists

Learn about the scientists who helped put this resource center together.

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Inspiring scientists making a difference

We asked scientists in immunology research about the challenges they face, how they overcome them and what keeps them motivated. What we learned was so inspiring that we created this space to share their stories with you.

Be the spark story – Martin Pelletier

“I feel blessed that I have a family that I love, that I can do what I love to do. Knowing that some people are restrained, they have disease that doesn't allow them to have a similar life as me, that drives me.”

Be the spark story – Pratip Chattopadhyay

“I was a cancer patient and a cancer survivor 25 years ago. I had these questions about how my disease would go. And that's exactly the work that we do here at Talon.”

Be the spark story – Lisa Ng

“It's not just about publishing in high impact journals, but also ensuring that the outcome has very practical use, to change lives.”

“Immuno-oncology has changed the world in terms of cancer therapies. I really like to be at this point in research, translating science from the lab to the clinic.”Diving deep into immuno-oncology mechanisms with multi-parametric research
Read Sylvain Thierry’s story
“You have to put the pieces together, look at the whole picture, and try to figure out the next steps.”Developing assays for identifying biomarkers in infectious diseases and immuno-oncology research
Read Pratik Vikhe’s story
“The explosion of data in high dimensional flow cytometry has also given rise to the challenge of data analysis in immunology….” Making flow cytometry approachable—one instrument at a time
Read Katheryn Fox’s story

Unraveling different ways of tackling common research challenges

An idea is like a spark in the dark. It makes everything brighter. This blog series uncovers common challenges in immunology research experiments and spark different ways of thinking to discover solutions.