IMU Biosciences, a UK-based techbio company focused on immune system analysis, has selected Curiox Biosystems' Pluto Workstation to support its role in the MANIFEST consortium, a £21.9 million UK government-backed initiative representing the largest immune profiling project ever established in the country.
The partnership positions IMU to lead precision analyses of immune responses to cancer immunotherapies within the four-year national research program. IMU is specifically responsible for large-scale immune phenotyping involving blood samples from UK patients, requiring high-throughput automation capabilities that the Pluto platform provides.
Addressing Critical Automation Needs
Curiox's Pluto Workstation addresses fundamental challenges in immune profiling research by eliminating human error and enhancing reproducibility in sample preparation workflows. According to Dr. Nori Ueno, Vice President of Sales at Curiox, "As the only automation solution capable of replacing manual, centrifuge-based workflows in cell analysis, Pluto is well-positioned to meet unmet market needs and expand its global footprint."
The automation platform enables consistent and quantitative sample preparation, which is critical for IMU's AI and machine learning-based immune profiling analytics. IMU's decision to adopt Pluto followed a successful demonstration conducted by Curiox, leading to an initial sales order with expectations for expanded deployment.
MANIFEST Consortium's Ambitious Scope
The MANIFEST consortium (Multiomic ANalysis of Immunotherapy Features Evidencing Success and Toxicity) represents a comprehensive approach to understanding cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Led by the Francis Crick Institute and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the initiative brings together 15 academic institutions, including the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, six NHS Trusts, and 11 industry partners.
The project receives £9 million in funding from the UK Medical Research Council and the Office for Life Sciences, with an additional £12.9 million in matching industry contributions. The consortium's primary objective is to uncover predictive biomarkers linked to treatment response, resistance, and immune-related adverse events in cancer immunotherapy.
Advanced Immune Profiling Capabilities
IMU Biosciences has developed what it describes as the world's largest and highest-resolution immune dataset, built through proprietary immune analysis and machine learning technologies. The company's platform maps immune systems at molecular, cellular, and system levels, aggregating immune profiles from tens of thousands of individuals to generate population-level insights.
Starting with blood samples, IMU creates comprehensive human immune profiles extending from molecular to population levels. This approach enables the company to decode immune variation and disease associations at unprecedented depth and scale, translating findings into clinically actionable insights for precision medicine applications.
Technology Integration and Future Impact
The integration of Pluto's automation capabilities into IMU's workflow represents a critical enabler for scalable, high-throughput immune profiling. By ensuring AI-based insights are powered by high-quality input data, the partnership establishes automation as a foundation for biomedical innovation in immune system research.
As AI and machine learning-powered precision analysis becomes increasingly vital across biomedical and healthcare sectors, the demand for automation solutions ensuring data quality and standardization has become essential. IMU's selection of Pluto reflects this growing trend and positions both companies at the forefront of next-generation immune profiling technologies.
The collaboration builds on IMU's foundation of a decade of research conducted at King's College London and the Francis Crick Institute, combining immune system expertise with advanced technological capabilities to advance understanding of immune-driven health and disease.
