# A Universal Tool for Unravelling the Requirements for Clinically Relevant Cell-Cell Interactions via In Situ Phenotyping and Tagging of Live Cells

> **NIH NIH R43** · NARWHAL BIO, INC. · 2024 · $349,816

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY - ABSTRACT
Cell-cell interactions drive many of today’s most challenging diseases like cancer, autoimmunity, and
neurological disease. Studying cell-cell interactions is challenging because the cells are alive and remain motile,
and the complexity of downstream analysis increases with every observed interaction event. Today, researchers
study cell-cell interactions using invasive perturbation methods (e.g. CRISPR) or commercial spatial approaches
on FFPE or FF dead tissue samples. While these approaches have their merits, the field would benefit from a
non-invasive, easy-to-use method for live cell identification and on-demand tagging at scale. This proposal aims
to derisk the core elements of a prototype instrument, software, and consumable developed for on-the-fly cell
identification, tagging, and downstream characterization. The live-cell-in, live-cell-out process allows applications
like live cell assays, further cell engineering, and new depths of multiomics discovery not possible with today’s
spatial approaches. The platform will be tested in an end-user’s hands toward the clinically relevant study of the
effects of antigen presentation on T-cell activation. At the core of the proposed application is the tenet that a
better understanding of cell-cell interactions will expose important underlying biological pathways, thereby
increasing targets for therapeutic intervention.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11007110
- **Project number:** 1R43GM154584-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NARWHAL BIO, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Behrad Azimi
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $349,816
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2025-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11007110

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11007110, A Universal Tool for Unravelling the Requirements for Clinically Relevant Cell-Cell Interactions via In Situ Phenotyping and Tagging of Live Cells (1R43GM154584-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11007110. Licensed CC0.

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