Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42865717›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Standardizing a human TBMNK cell assay across instrument platforms: a new framework for producing high-quality, AI-ready reference dataset.

Yu-Fen Wang, Huan-Yu Chen, Bor-Sheng Ko, Ningchun Xu, Nathan Dwarshuis, James Wood, Paul DeRose, Santosh Putta, Yu Qian, John Quinn and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

16 authors.

Yu-Fen WangAHEAD Medicine Corporation, San Jose, CA, United States.
Huan-Yu ChenAHEAD Medicine Corporation, San Jose, CA, United States.
Bor-Sheng KoAHEAD Medicine Corporation, San Jose, CA, United States.
Ningchun XuBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
Nathan DwarshuisBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
James WoodCytometry and Biophotonics Consultant, Galax, VA, United States.
Paul DeRoseBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
Santosh PuttaBioLegend/Revvity, San Mateo, CA, United States.
Yu QianJ. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, CA, United States.
John QuinnBD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, United States.
John T ElliottBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
Virginia LitwinInternational Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC), Bethesda, MD, United States.
Robert HoffmanIndependent Consultant, Livermore, CA, United States.
Sheng Lin-GibsonBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
Lili WangBiosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States.
Flow Cytometry Standards Consortium Working Group 2

Funding

The Development and Evaluation of Pan-Coronavirus VaccinesP01AI168347 · NIAID · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Michael S Diamond · 2022 to 2026
$15.9M
Integrated analysis of HBV-specific CD4 T cell and B cell responses to define their role in chronic hepatitis B and HBV functional cure.R01AI184931 · NIAID · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI GEORG Michael LAUER, Mansun Law · 2024 to 2026
$3.6M
Influenza Modeling of Correlates of Protection for Optimal Immune Dynamics and Evolution.U01AI187057 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Rafael A. Medina Silva, Gene Brian Tan · 2025 to 2026
$2.3M
NIAID NIH HHS P01 AI168347NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI184931NIAID NIH HHS U01 AI187057
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Recent advances in regenerative medicine advanced therapies (RMAT) are revolutionizing health care by providing curative treatments for previously untreatable diseases. Flow cytometry assays have been used to measure critical quality attributes, including viability, identity, purity, strength, and potency of the RMAT. However, the lack of reproducibility, comparability, and measurement confidence of results across various flow cytometry platforms, sites, and over time remain a major challenge. Method: Through a large-scale interlaboratory study (ILS), coordinated by the NIST Flow Cytometry Standards Consortium, a public-private partnership, we carried out study to identify T/B/Monocyte/Natural Killer (TBMNK) cells and to measure cell viability and health status. This ILS used common study samples, associated instrument control- and assay-reagents, and four standard operating procedures (SOPs) to enable end-to-end assay standardization across 42 cytometers from 7 manufacturers across 21 sites. Results: We present the first demonstration for achieving standardized cytometric assays across a wide range of instrument platforms. The results of the ILS were reported in quantitative units with metrological traceability to the SI (International System of Units): number of cells per µL for cell count and Equivalent Reference Fluorophore (ERF) units for expression levels of CD markers. The standardization approach puts flow cytometric data from different instrument platforms on the standardized ERF scale. Discussion: To overcome the challenge of instrument-driven variability, this ILS utilizes a human TBMNK cell assay to establish and validate a new standardization framework. By reporting results in SI-traceable units, this work demonstrates that comparable measurements of viable, non-apoptotic TBMNK subsets are achievable across different cytometers. The resulting high-quality, artificial intelligence (AI)-ready reference dataset provides a critical foundation for the validation of AI/Machine Learning (ML) technologies in translational immunology. Additionally, this study underscores that the integration of automated sample preparation is a necessary next step to further minimize assay uncertainty and enhance cross-platform reproducibility.

Indexed as

Flow CytometryKiller Cells, NaturalMonocytesCell SurvivalHumansReference StandardsRegenerative MedicineReproducibility of Resultsantigen expressioncalibration and standardizationcell subset percentage and countcytometer detection sensitivityequivalent reference fluorophores (ERF)manual and automated data analysisstandard operating procedure (SOP)TBMNK cell assay

Identifiers

PMID42865717
PMCPMC13655140

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Registered trials

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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.