Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42155445›Full record

ArticleCell reports methods2026

Reproducible detection of antigen-specific T cells and Tregs via standardized and automated activation-induced marker assay workflows.

Torin Halvorson, Gabrielle Boucher, Daniel Yokosawa, Jessica Qing Huang, Rosa Garcia, Lieke Sanderink, Lan Chen, Lorraine Liu, J Ernesto Fajardo-Despaigne, Jasper Halvorson and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports methods, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Torin HalvorsonBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Gabrielle BoucherResearch Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Daniel YokosawaDepartment of Basic and Translational Research, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Jessica Qing HuangBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Rosa GarciaBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Lieke SanderinkBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Lan ChenHuman Immune Testing Suite, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Lorraine LiuBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
J Ernesto Fajardo-DespaigneImmunology-Oncology, Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jasper HalvorsonDepartment of Software Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Ryan BrinkmanDepartment of Basic and Translational Research, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Suzanne VercauterenBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Sylvie LesageImmunology-Oncology, Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada; Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jonathan BramsonHuman Immune Testing Suite, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
John D RiouxResearch Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Sabine IvisonBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Megan K LevingsBC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address: mlevings@bcchr.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Activation-induced marker (AIM) assays are a promising tool to track antigen-specific T cells, but methodological heterogeneity between research groups hinders their clinical utility. To evaluate AIM assay reproducibility, we conducted a multi-site study of SARS-CoV-2 and cytomegalovirus AIMs. We found inherent variability in AIM assays and optimized approaches to enhance reproducibility, including a standardized workflow to minimize technical variability and a generalizable Box-Cox transformation-based statistical method to optimize calculation of AIM stimulation responses. We further standardized AIM data analysis through the development of automated flow cytometric gating software and demonstrated its superior reproducibility compared to manual analysis. We also characterized antigen-responsive regulatory T cells (Tregs) as CD134

Indexed as

COVID-19T-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryBiomarkersCytomegalovirusFlow CytometryHumansLymphocyte ActivationReproducibility of ResultsSARS-CoV-2WorkflowBiomarkersactivation-induced markerantigen-specific T cellautomated gatingBox-Cox transformationCP: immunologycytomegalovirusflow cytometryregulatory T cellresearch reproducibilitySARS-CoV-2T cell

Identifiers

PMID42155445
PMCPMC13390085

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.