Immunology Drug Discovery

Generate translationally relevant data, reduce risk, and accelerate confident decisions

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Why is immunology drug discovery so challenging, and how do you generate clear, functional evidence from complex immune biology?

Immunology drug discovery is inherently complex. Highly interconnected signaling pathways, cellular heterogeneity, and context-dependent immune responses make it difficult to generate data that reliably predicts clinical outcomes. Many programs fail because early studies rely on oversimplified systems that do not adequately reflect disease biology or demonstrate meaningful immune modulation.

At Concept Life Sciences, we help biopharma teams overcome these challenges through disease-relevant immunology models, functional pharmacology assays, and integrated scientific expertise. Our approach generates decision-grade evidence from target validation through to candidate selection, helping reduce uncertainty and improve progression decisions.

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Beyond screening: Designed for decision-making

Common challenges in immunology drug discovery

Immunology and inflammation programs are complex, multi-pathway, and highly context dependent. Many candidates fail due to poor model relevance, oversimplified readouts, or limited understanding of mechanism and patient biology.

Many CROs focus on assay execution. We focus on answering the biological questions that determine whether your program progresses, pivots, or stops.

A clear path from question to data

Mechanism-led immunology models and translational endpoints reduce uncertainty and accelerate confident decisions.

Mechanism-Led Approach	Scientific Advantages	Program Impact
Starts with your biological question and development decision Focuses on generating decision-grade evidence Uses disease-relevant and mechanism-aligned models Evaluates functional biological outcomes	Confirms target engagement and downstream pathway effects Tailored study design aligned to target biology and therapeutic hypothesis Scientific interpretation and progression recommendations included	Greater confidence in target validation Stronger mechanism-of-action evidence Improved translational relevance Better alignment between preclinical and clinical strategy Reduced development risk Faster progression decisions

Have trust in your next critical immunology development decision.

Immunology capabilities

From primary cell isolation to functional readouts, we deliver mechanism-led immunology solutions that generate decision-grade evidence for your program.

Specialist human in vitro and ex vivo models.
Collaborative and tailored experimental design.
Advice on cell types, mono- or co-culture assays.
Customization and development of novel assays.

Translational immunology assays provide insight on inflammation and tumor microenvironment, explore our immunology capabilities by cell type and study objective:

T cell activation assay | NK cell activation assay | Monocyte activation assay | B cell activation assay

Assays

Th1, Th2, Th17	Dendritic cell (mo-DC)
iTreg	Activating Macrophage (M1)
Effector T cell	Suppressive Macrophage (M2)
Exhausted T cell	Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell (MDSC)

Comprehensive immune profiling to unlock mechanism of action

Generate the evidence you need to understand how your therapeutic modulates the immune system and make confident progression decisions.

By combining phenotypic, molecular, and functional immune profiling, we provide a multidimensional view of compound activity in a single, biologically relevant, decision-focused dataset. This enables you to confirm mechanism of action, differentiate candidates, and reduce development risk.

Rather than relying on a single endpoint, we tailor an integrated profiling strategy around your target biology, therapeutic modality, and research objectives.

Using technologies including multiparameter flow cytometry, ELISA, Luminex® and MSD multiplex immunoassays, Cell-to-CT™ and TaqMan® qPCR, and bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, we generate the data needed to answer your most important scientific questions.

Our functional immunology platform enables comprehensive characterization of compound activity across diverse immune cell populations that include: Cell activation, cell proliferation, cell death, migration, phagocytosis and cytotoxicity.

InterK case study

“The Concept Life Sciences team consistently tailored its services to our goals while delivering quality results. But it’s not just about results. Concept Life Sciences detailed analysis and interpretation helped us confidently choose the most apposite next study to strengthen the case for our candidates.”

Michael Agrez, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, InterK Peptide Therapeutics

Challenge

InterK Peptide Therapeutics required a comprehensive exploration of two novel peptides’ immunomodulatory effects.

Approach

Using diverse model systems and a flexible study design approach to refine research questions and enhance result interpretation, a number of custom assays were developed.

Outcome

By providing cutting-edge immunology expertise, InterK were able to accelerate its research, strengthen its intellectual property and attract critical funding and collaborations. Our role as a collaborative contract research organization, ensured InterK received not just data, but strategic insights to advance its immunotherapy program with confidence.

Why biopharma teams choose us for immunology programs

Scientific Expertise

With a flexible and consultative approach, we work closely with you to provide custom-built solutions that are led by your goals, timelines and internal processes, to deliver the insight needed to drive your project to the next stage.

With a legacy spanning over 15 years, a full range of biology and we support you with:

Extensive experience in immunology and inflammation programs.
Broad range of immune cell and pathway-focused assay systems.
Expertise spanning autoimmune, inflammatory, and immune-mediated diseases.
Integrated pharmacology, biomarker, and mechanism-of-action capabilities.

Discover how human iPSC-derived neural systems, advanced 3D models, and AI-supported workflows are helping improve translational relevance, accelerate neuroscience drug discovery, and enable smarter decision-making for neurological and neurodegenerative disease research in our latest article with Drug Discovery & Development.

‍Optimized assays for clinically relevant insight

PBMC Assays

Versatile assay for broad immune profiling

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) assays provide a practical and informative approach for studying the effects of compounds across multiple immune cell types in a biologically relevant context. Widely used throughout the drug discovery process, from early-stage research to target validation and lead optimization, these assays help characterize both stimulatory and inhibitory responses.

Capture compound activity across a diverse mix of immune cells, including T cells, B cells, monocytes, and NK cells.
Maintain a physiologically relevant environment, preserving natural cell-cell interactions.
Suitable for screening, profiling, and mechanistic studies, offering flexibility across research stages.
Useful as a cost-effective first-line assay to prioritize compounds and guide further investigation.

PBMC assays are a valuable tool for researchers aiming to understand immune modulation in a complex cellular setting, supporting both exploratory and hypothesis-driven studies.

Isolated Immune Cell Assays

Focused analysis for cell-type-specific investigations

Monoculture assays using isolated or differentiated immune cells, such as T cells, B cells, NK cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, and macrophages, offer a valuable approach for studying the activity of compounds on specific cell types. These assays allow researchers to assess target engagement, cell-specific effects, and begin to explore the mechanism of action in a controlled setting.

Enable detailed analysis of signaling pathway activation and gene expression changes.
Help confirm whether observed effects are cell-type specific or more broadly distributed.
Provide insight into off-target activity and secondary effects, supporting a more comprehensive understanding of compound behavior.
Useful for refining hypotheses, validating targets, and informing the direction of therapeutic development.

This assay format supports deeper mechanistic studies and can complement broader immune profiling approaches, helping researchers build a clearer picture of how a compound interacts with the immune system.

Co-Culture Assays

Modeling cellular interactions for mechanistic and translational insights

Co-culture assays provide a valuable platform for studying interactions between immune and non-immune cells, offering a more physiologically relevant model to investigate target biology, compound effects, and potential biomarker discovery. These assays can be performed in 2D or 3D formats, using direct or indirect contact setups, depending on the research question.

Enable investigation of cell-cell communication and cross-talk in a controlled environment.
Capture complex immune responses and their influence on other cell types, such as epithelial or cancer cells.
Support mechanistic studies and help identify net effects of target modulation across multiple cell types.
Useful for exploring system-level responses that are not apparent in monoculture assays.

Examples of established co-culture models include:

Macrophage–T cell interactions
Macrophage–epithelial cell systems
PBMC–cancer cell co-cultures
Fibroblast–T cell models

These assays require careful design and a high level of technical expertise, but they offer a more integrated view of immune function, often better reflecting in vivo-like conditions. They are particularly useful for researchers aiming to understand multicellular dynamics and refine translational strategies.

‍Inflammasome pathway assays

We offer a suite of assays using THP-1 cells and primary macrophages to assess compound activity on the inflammasome pathway. Readouts include ASC speck formation, IL-1β release, and other markers of inflammasome activation, enabling detailed profiling of anti-inflammatory potential. Watch our new webinar: Translational Success in Inflammasome Drug Discovery - How advanced models and integrated assays can reduce attrition.

Discuss your immunology program with our scientists

Whether you are validating an immune target, profiling an immunomodulator, or building a translational package to support progression, we can help generate functional evidence that reduces risk and improves decision confidence.

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Explore other therapeutic areas

Autoimmunity
Fibrosis
Metabolic disease
Inflammation
Immuno-oncology

Immunology FAQs

Q: What immunology models do you use?

A: We specialize in human primary immune cell models derived from PBMCs of healthy donors. These cells (e.g. monocytes, T cells) can be differentiated, polarized, and activated to recreate functionally relevant disease-like states in vitro. This enables us to model a wide range of immune cell types and activation states, far beyond the original sample, covering diverse immunological pathways and disease scenarios.

Q: Can you support autoimmune and inflammatory disease programs?

A: Yes. We support autoimmune and inflammatory programs using targeted functional assays that capture key immune pathways, including Th1/Th17 T cells, pro inflammatory macrophages, and B cells. We also run advanced co-culture systems to assess how immune modulation impacts tissue cells (epithelial, endothelial, fibroblasts), providing insight into disease-relevant inflammation and tissue pathology.

Q: How do I choose the right immune cell model for my study?

A: We understand that every project is unique, with its own scientific, technical, and strategic needs. While we specialize in human primary immune cell assays delivering high physiological relevance and translational values, also available are:

In vitro murine models to bridge in vivo proof of concept studies
Immortalized cell line assays for high-throughput applications
Patient-derived immune cell models for disease-specific or personalized studies

We provide guidance to select the best option for the study, ensuring the right model is chosen to answer the research question.

Q: What throughput do your assays support?

A: Most of our assays are run in 96 well plate formats, allowing multiple plates to be processed in parallel and enabling efficient screening across conditions. Where higher throughput is needed, we can adapt to 384 well formats (e.g. PBMC-based assays). Importantly, experiments are performed using multiple donors to capture donor-to-donor variability and ensure robust, translatable results.

Q: How do you measure immune modulation?

A: We measure immune modulation using clear functional readouts such as cytokine release, cell activation, and proliferation. We can provide single, robust endpoints, but more often deliver multiparametric analysis to capture the full cellular response, combining:

Flow cytometry
Multiplex cytokines
Gene expression
Functional assays (e.g. migration, phagocytosis)

This gives a more complete picture of immune activity, not just a single marker.

Q: Can you develop bespoke immune assays?

A: Yes. We routinely develop fit-for-purpose assays for novel targets, emerging pathways, and complex immune mechanisms.

Q: How do you ensure translational relevance?

A: We align immune biology, functional endpoints, and biomarker strategies to strengthen the connection between preclinical findings and clinical hypotheses.

Q: Can you support integrated study packages?

A: Yes. We combine pharmacology, immune profiling, biomarker strategy, bioanalysis, and supporting disciplines to deliver cohesive decision-grade datasets.

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