KCAS Bio has embarked on a global initiative to harmonize its spectral flow cytometry services across four labs in three countries, collaborating with Crux Biolabs and Cytek Biosciences. This effort ensures standardized flow cytometry services across sites in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. As trials increasingly span multiple regions, global harmonization is essential for consistent data and successful drug development. This collaboration strengthens KCAS Bio’s global reach in delivering advanced flow cytometry services.
A Collaborative Effort Across Labs and Continents
Recently, KCAS Bio sent one of our specialists on a trip around the world; her mission was to harmonize four labs in three countries between two companies with one harmonized service. This has been a worldwide effort between KCAS Bio, Crux Biolabs, and Cytek Biosciences to create a reliable, standardized harmonization of customer experience around the globe.
Natalie Carroll, Scientist III located in KCAS Bio’s Philadelphia, PA facility, traveled to Lyon, France, and Melbourne, Australia to conduct specialized training local to Cytek. The idea is that customers from KCAS Bio and Crux Biolabs have the same analyst on all three instruments, conducting the same validation.
Undeniably, this is a non-traditional way of doing something like this, but it is – without a doubt – the best way to ensure absolute harmonization between all the sites involved. Natalie was chosen for this unique task because she is a subject matter expert with Cytek equipment and has demonstrated strong proficiency with this specific set of instrumentation. Customers across the U.S., Europe, and Australia will benefit from her work.
The Importance of Global Harmonization
With so many trials now going global, there are often difficulties related to finding and enrolling patients for trials in one location, and sponsors are being forced to go wherever they can to find the patients, often resulting in studies being conducted within more than one site, located throughout multiple regions. The ability for this work to see a universal control on standards and technique can be the difference between having the right data and being forced to start your studies over.
KCAS Bio’s History with Flow Cytometry
For decades, KCAS Bio had a location in Kansas City, but within the last seven years, the organization has grown its U.S. footprint to include a strategic location in Pennsylvania, and a specialty laboratory in Lyon, France. It was also always a goal to expand the reach of our services to include options for our customers in the APAC region, and with the addition of a recent global partnership with Crux Biolabs, KCAS Bio can now confidently offer support around the world. Our current CEO, John Bucksath, has been with the organization for over eight years and has prioritized the growth of the organization to expand locally, then regionally, and now globally.
Most of the growth and expansion has revolved around flow cytometry and the incredible developmental impacts this platform has had on drug development. The complexities and the challenges in handling these types of samples require very specific skill sets and highly trained scientists. KCAS Bio has offered flow cytometry services at our Philadelphia location, which has specialized almost exclusively in offering world-class flow cytometry services.
Where Australia Fits in…
KCAS Bio’s one missing piece was a presence in Australia’s thriving clinical research landscape. We were excited to connect with Stefan Cross, CEO of Crux Biolabs in Melbourne, and learn more about his team’s expertise and professionalism. Their capabilities aligned perfectly with our goals, and we hoped they would join us on our spectral flow cytometry journey. Fortunately, after meeting with our flow specialists, they agreed to collaborate. This partnership not only enhances our global reach but also provides stronger support for our clients’ drug development needs using spectral flow.
The partnership between KCAS Bio and Crux Biolabs will support our clients around the world and offer a more robust environment for their studies from Phase I through Phase III.
Looking to the Future of Flow Cytometry
We recently conducted an in-depth study on what the current bioanalytical market is looking for. Given all the rapid changes and advancements in technology throughout the industry, we wanted to hear from our clients about where they felt their studies might be taking them. A significant number of responses stated there has been a quantum shift moving toward spectral flow needs and expectations. Spectral flow is a powerful platform that enables a variety of exciting study possibilities; however, it also requires the right resources, technology, and skilled expertise to manage its complexity.
Offering spectral flow for drug development requires significant commitment. While having expertise at one site is challenging, standardizing it across multiple locations is far more demanding. KCAS Bio recognized this unmet need and leveraged its expertise, capabilities, and decades of experience in flow cytometry to deliver a superior global solution.
KCAS Bio now stands shoulder to shoulder with even the largest organizations around the world in offering the level of flow services we have.
Check out our blog, Identifying Your CRO-Partner for Flow Cytometry Services – KCAS Bio, for more information on the qualifications required in a CRO for flow cytometry. This blog was based on our podcast, (The Conversational Flow) Eps #11: “Going Global with Spectral Flow Cytometry – US, France, and Now Australia”. Click here to listen now.