The Conversational Flow - An Official Podcast of KCAS

Episode 31 of The Conversational Flow Podcast dives deep into some of the most exciting developments currently shaping the future of cell therapy, flow cytometry, and AI-driven drug development. Our hosts, Brian and Adam, discuss major advances in allogeneic and in vivo CAR-T therapies, including how new manufacturing platforms and delivery methods could dramatically reduce treatment costs while e...

The main discussion of this 30th episode of “The Conversational Flow” centers on automation in flow cytometry, focusing on a recent paper comparing three major sample preparation systems and their impact on efficiency, standardization, and error reduction. Our hosts, Adam and Brian, explore how automation can significantly reduce hands-on time and variability, while also noting that real-world rel...

In episode #29 of “The Conversational Flow” podcast, our hosts, Brian and Adam, are joined by guests from Accelerating Cancer Immunotherapy Research (ACIR), a nonprofit dedicated to sharing important advances in cancer immunotherapy with the scientific community and the public. Ute Burkhardt discusses her background in cancer vaccines and neoantigen-driven T-cell responses, while Ed Fritsch shares...

In episode 28 of “The Conversational Flow”, our hosts, Adam and Brian, discuss why standardization is essential for credible flow cytometry data at scale. They walk through the biggest sources of variability - reagents and lots, sample handling and shipping time, anticoagulants and processing choices (whole blood vs. PBMCs, fresh vs. cryopreserved), instrument setup, and downstream analysis - and...

This episode dives into how scientific understanding evolves over time, using immunology as a case study to highlight how often researchers underestimate what they don’t yet know. Adam and Brian reflect on historical quotes from medicine and science that confidently declared fields “complete,” only to be proven wrong by later discoveries. From there, they discuss how the way scientists name and ca...

In this most recent episode of “The Conversational Flow”, Adam and Brian dive into the flow-based Basophil Activation Test (BAT), explaining how it works, why it matters, and how it has evolved since basophils were first identified. They describe how BAT uses markers to assess basophil activation from a simple blood sample - offering a safer, more controlled alternative to in-vivo allergen challen...

In episode 25 of "The Conversational Flow" podcast, guest David Leclerc, Director of the Cytometry and Antibody Technology (CAT) Facility at the University of Chicago, joins Dom and John to share his professional journey and insights into the evolving world of flow cytometry. Leclerc reflects on his early struggles during his master’s program in Montreal and how those challenges ultimate...

In this episode, Adam and Brian explored recent advances in cell sorting technology , focusing on image-activated approaches. Unlike traditional flow cytometry, which relies on voltage signals, these systems capture and analyze cell images in real time to guide sorting decisions, enabling new insights such as subcellular localization and cell-to-cell signaling. The hosts emphasized trade-offs betw...

In episode #23 of The Conversational Flow , Adam and Brian tackle the question: When can flow cytometry be applied to non-blood matrices, and what must be considered? Using sputum analysis as a case study, they outline the challenges of clinical trial sample collection, emphasizing the importance of pre-analytical factors like consistency, bias, logistics, and handling. They discuss how panel desi...

In this episode, the hosts introduce Karla Moncada, who shares her professional journey from Flowcore management to her current role at KCAS, and unveils her new KCAS video series, Karla’s Corner , aimed at fostering year-round conversations within the flow cytometry community. Karla emphasizes the value of personal connections in scientific collaboration and how her career has blended customer se...

In episode 21 of “The Conversational Flow” podcast, our hosts, Adam and Brian, explore the transformative power of gene therapy, starting things off by highlighting a compelling case involving CRISPR with milestones that once seemed impossible. They dive into the science behind CRISPR’s precise gene-editing capabilities and its potential for rapid, customizable treatments targeting rare and comple...

In this milestone 20th episode of The Conversational Flow, hosts Adam and Brian dive into impactful developments across oncology, regulatory science, and bioanalytical innovation. The episode highlig4                                               hts a major Keytruda study showing the first significant improvement in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma outcomes in over two decades, the FDA’s pil...

In the 19th episode of “The Conversational Flow”, our hosts, Brian and Adam, dive into the utility and innovation behind backbone panels in spectral flow cytometry, spotlighting a recent paper from BMS that presents a robust, flexible assay designed for immune monitoring using the Aurora platform. They discuss how backbone panels streamline assay development, enhance reproducibility, and are well-...

In this engaging episode of the podcast, hosts Brian Wile and Adam Cotty welcome special guests Michael Naso, Hillary Quinn, and Barry Morse from The Therapeutic Innovations Group—a powerhouse team of scientists and biotech veterans with decades of experience across biologics, small molecules, and cell therapy. The conversation dives deep into the guests’ unique career journeys, and their own cons...

Episode 17 of The Conversational Flow podcast, hosted by Brian Wile and Adam Cotty, dives into the evolving landscape of flow cytometry networking and regulatory guidance, where they analyze recent FDA biomarker validation guidance, comparing it to existing industry standards like CLSI H62. Our hosts explore the challenges of harmonizing flow cytometry reporting, the role of regulatory clarity, an...

In episode 16 of The Conversational Flow podcast, hosts Brian Wile and Adam Cotty are joined by Allie Greenplate and Ayman Rezk to explore “The Role of Flow in Drug Autoimmune Indication Research.” The discussion delves into the surge in pharmaceutical R&D for immune and autoimmune indications, highlighting the influence of oncology treatments in shaping this trend. The guests shed light on ho...

In this exciting 15th episode of The Conversational Flow podcast, titled "Fantastic Fluorophores and Where to Find Them," hosts Brian Wile and Adam Cotty from KCAS Bio are joined by special guest Kelly Lundsten from FluoroFinder. Together, they dive into the fascinating world of spectral flow cytometry, exploring key questions such as whether spectra or brightness is more critical for co...

A flow cytometry backbone panel is a set of antibodies that can be used as a starting point for identifying cell types, and then supplemented with additional markers. On the most recent episode of “The Conversational Flow”, our hosts, Brian and Adam, spend some time together as they answer the questions of “What is a backbone panel?”, “What type of changes should be considered for a backbone panel...

During the most recent episode of “The Conversational Flow” podcast, our hosts Brian and Adam talk about those times when a smaller panel might be desirable over a larger panel. To dive deep into this discussion and really analyze all the angles of these questions, the guys have invited a special guest to join them – Amrutesh Puranik, PhD. Amrutesh is the founder of Bespoke MultiOmics Consultants,...

In the 12th episode of “The Conversational Flow” podcast, Brian and Adam welcome two special guests – Sean Burke of Denovo Software and Ryan Brinkman of Dotmatics – who join them to discuss the answers to a number of specific questions about High Content Analysis: How can we manage and derive insight from higher complexity panels? How can this be standardized? Once standardized, how can the proces...

During this special episode of "The Conversational Flow" our hosts, Brian and Adam, welcome two guests: John Bucksath, CEO of KCAS Bio, and Stefan Cross, CEO of Crux Laboratories. These two guests discuss the elements and advantages of their organizations' new partnership between KCAS' US and European locations and Crux's location in Melbourne, Australia. Recent months hav...

When it comes to flow cytometry instrumentation, there are a number of things that can be different. You may have different types of lasers, you might have a different path for the laser to follow to get to the detector, you can have different actual detectors, different filters in front of those detectors, not to mention the varying sensitivities or levels of power for any of these items. In epis...

Let’s face it - nobody likes batch effects (unless it has to do with cookies, but that’s for another podcast). In episode #9 of “The Conversational Flow”, Brian and Adam talk about Batch Effects which is when you're having changes in the study that are not necessarily related to the scientific variables of the study – and what that might mean you will need to do next. Batch Effects can cause...

For episode #8 of “The Conversational Flow” podcast, Brian and Adam spend the time discussing Receptor Occupancy Testing in Clinical Trials. Receptor occupancy (RO) assays are important in clinical trials because they provide valuable information about a drug’s binding characteristics and mechanism of action. Our hosts begin by outlining the general need for accurate RO calculation (per time point...

For episode #7 of “The Conversational Flow”, Brian and Adam invite David Ambrose to join them as they continue their conversation about Receptor Occupancy assays. There are so many unique considerations around an RO assay and with any flow cytometry assay, the precision of that assay is important. Our hosts discuss the biggest differentiators when you're starting to think about an RO assay an...