German cytology conference marks historic milestone for multiplex immunostaining

Prof. Dr. Veronika Kloboves-Prevodnik lecturing in Halle, Germany

Halle, November 2024 — A forward-looking panel discussion on the future of multiplex immunostaining took centre stage at the 2024 Seminar on Clinical Cytology in Pulmonology in Halle, Germany, marking a pivotal moment for Cryoimmunostaining™ and its role in routine cytopathology. For the first time, the technology featured in the official scientific programme, signalling growing recognition of multiplexed immunostaining as a key innovation in minimally invasive diagnostics.

Co-hosted by the German Respiratory Society (DGP) and the German Society of Cytopathology (DGZ), the session brought together early adopters and experts from Germany and Slovenia to review real-world experience with Cryoimmunostaining™ and to discuss the design of standardized multiplex antibody panels for routine clinical use. The panel highlighted the increasing diagnostic demands placed on cytology samples and the need for solutions capable of extracting more information from limited material.

As part of the scientific programme, Prof. Dr. Veronika Kloboves-Prevodnik and Dr. Simona Miceska from the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana presented interim results from a new comparative study evaluating X-ZELL’s Cryoimmunostaining™ technology against conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC). The data indicated significant potential for Cryoimmunostaining™ to serve as a more data-rich, time- and resource-efficient alternative to current cytology workflows.

Early routine experience from Germany was shared by Dr. Ralf Heine, Vice President of the DGZ and Chief Physician for Pulmonology, Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Medicine at St. Elisabeth & St. Barbara Hospital Halle, together with Dr. Antje Hölsken, Lead Pathologist at Martha-Maria Hospital Halle. They described their joint evaluation of Cryoimmunostaining™ in a routine laboratory setting, highlighting the simplicity, robustness, and time efficiency of the protocol.

Further real-world data came from Dr. Achim Battmann, who pioneered the clinical use of Cryoimmunostaining™ in Europe. Drawing on his experience as Chief Pathologist at MVZ Frankfurt, Dr. Battmann shared insights from more than 400 Cryoimmunostaining™ cases and presented preliminary results from a blinded 213-patient study conducted in collaboration with Northwest Hospital Frankfurt. The study showed a marked reduction in inconclusive diagnoses, with the potential to reduce repeat testing, shorten diagnostic turnaround times, and ease patient uncertainty. Final results are scheduled for publication in 2025 and were previously previewed at the European Congress of Cytology 2024 in Leipzig.

The session concluded with an in-depth panel discussion on the development of standardized multiplex antibody panels for routine cytopathology. Participants identified key challenges in current immunohistochemistry practice, including limited standardization, poor inter-laboratory comparability, high failure rates, and restricted data output. In response, an international expert group was formed at the meeting to independently define and recommend standardized multiplex panels for routine cytology applications. The first official panel recommendations are planned to be unveiled at the International Congress of Cytology (ICC) in May 2025.

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Media Contact
Sebastian Grote
sebastian.g@x-zell.com

About X-ZELL
X-ZELL is an award-winning medical technology company pioneering the field of next-generation cytology. The company’s mission is to transform cancer diagnostics by fusing novel laboratory technology with digital imaging to detect and visualise individual atypical cells in minimally invasive body liquids and digitize them for instant on-screen analysis. Founded by Y Combinator finalist, Dr Sebastian C.P. Bhakdi, X-ZELL was ranked second-most innovative healthcare start-up in the world in 2020 and has since won the coveted MedTech Innovator APAC competition as well as the Abstract Award at the 2021 European Conference of Cytology.