A joint NUS–Cambridge Centre for Deep Cell & Molecular Immune Phenotyping

Immunologists from the University of Cambridge and the LSI Immunology Programme at NUS have established a joint centre dedicated to high-resolution cell and molecular phenotyping. Decades of epidemiological studies have revealed clear differences in the prevalence and presentation of inflammatory, infectious, and malignant diseases across populations.

For example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is consistently more common and severe among Asian patients—with earlier onset and higher rates of renal involvement—whereas multiple sclerosis (MS) has historically been less common in Asia but is rising in parts of East Asia. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs in both groups but can differ in seropositivity and erosive patterns; diseases such as Behçet’s and Takayasu arteritis show marked geographic clustering. These observations underscore the interplay of genetic background with environmental and lifestyle exposures, including infections, diet, and the microbiota.

To interrogate these drivers rigorously, we operate mirrored analytical platforms with cross-calibrated SOPs at the Centre for Life Sciences (NUS, Singapore) and a companion laboratory at Addenbrooke’s, University of Cambridge. Volunteer and patient samples from both sites are collected, harmonised and jointly analysed to enable matched comparisons.

The platform manager is Dr Karishma Sachaphibulkij (Senior Research Fellow, LSI), with 10 years of immunology experience; she curates collaborations with clinicians, organises workshops and training, and oversees day-to-day operations, SOPs/cross-site calibration, scheduling, and QC.

In Singapore, we are building deep cell- and molecular-level phenotypes across several programme areas—cardiovascular–metabolic disease; critical care & sepsis; infection/vaccinology/TB; cancer immuno-oncology; autoimmunity; paediatrics & maternal health; and ageing. In parallel, we are advancing industry collaborations, with negotiations underway with Novartis and GSK.

We deliver end-to-end immune profiling on mirrored, cross-calibrated platforms in Singapore and Cambridge, combining high-dimensional flow cytometry (Cytek Aurora; BD Symphony) and cell sorting (BD FACSAria) with 10x Genomics 5′ gene expression and TCR/BCR repertoire, multiplex cytokine quantification (Luminex) and functional ELISpot/FluoroSpot, plus metabolic readouts via Seahorse. Standardised SOPs, shared controls and rigorous QC ensure like-for-like data across sites, and our reproducible analysis pipelines produce integrated, decision-ready reports for discovery, biomarkers and clinical studies.