The presentation by Lilia Draganova, Instrument Sales Specialist - UK North & Ireland at Miltenyi Biotec introduced the MACSima platform, a spatial biology instrument developed by Miltenyi. The talk began by highlighting the importance of both 2D and 3D imaging in spatial biology. The MACSima platform is designed for deep phenotyping in 2D, while the Blaze instrument enables 3D imaging of whole organs or even entire organisms. She emphasised that combining these technologies allows researchers to select and analyse specific tissue sections with greater precision.
Spatial biology is crucial for applications such as cell phenotyping, neighbourhood analysis, and understanding cell interactions and functional states. These applications are relevant across research, translational, and clinical settings, particularly in biomarker discovery. However, Draganova acknowledged the challenges faced in this field, including complex instrumentation, sample and reagent compatibility issues, the difficulty of multiplexing many markers, and the need to manage and analyse large datasets. She stressed that Miltenyi aims to support users throughout the entire workflow, from experiment setup to data analysis.
The MACSima platform stands out for its user-friendly, automated design. It uses cyclical immunofluorescent staining, imaging, and erasing, enabling technically unlimited multiplexing. Over 200 markers can be analysed, though practical limits exist. The system is flexible, accommodating various sample types and fixation methods, and uses MACSwell sample carriers to reduce reagent use. It is also compatible with both custom and predefined antibody panels, and can combine protein and RNA detection on the same tissue section using the “RNA Sky” workflow. The technology is non-destructive and allows for further downstream analysis.
Integrated software supports end-to-end data analysis, from image visualisation to cell segmentation, gating, clustering, and data export. The software is designed to be accessible for non-specialists and is continually improved based on user feedback. Miltenyi also offers comprehensive technical support, training, and fosters a user community to share experiences and best practices. Overall, the MACSima platform aims to make high-parameter spatial biology accessible, efficient, and well-supported for researchers.
