Slingshot Biosciences

Slingshot Biosciences PELOBiotech GmbH

Slingshot is a specialist in creating exceptional flow cytometry controls.

Slingshot Biosciences produces a portfolio of synthetic cell mimics, polymer-based particles engineered to recapitulate the biophysical, optical, and biochemical properties of primary cells  addressing well-documented limitations of biologically derived controls in flow cytometry, cell therapy QA/QC, and assay development.

Filter products

ScatterBridge™ — Cross-Instrument Scatter Standardization

ScatterBridge™ is a dedicated FSC/SSC standardization control designed to harmonize scatter parameters across flow cytometers from different manufacturers, a capability not achievable with biological controls, which behave inconsistently across distinct laser and detector configurations. It consists of nine distinct hydrogel populations forming a 3×3 grid on an FSC vs. SSC plot, spanning the full range of biologically relevant scatter coordinates.

Key applications:

  • Standardize scatter results from one instrument to another across multi-site studies or core facilities

  • Check scatter linearity and validate detector performance

  • Track instrument performance over time as part of routine daily QC

  • Recalibrate FSC/SSC settings following major instrument servicing or repair

Key advantages:

  • Nine synthetic hydrogel populations cover a wide, biologically relevant FSC/SSC range in a single product

  • Stable, non-biohazardous, and shelf-stable at ambient temperature — no cold chain required

  • Lot-to-lot consistency governed by manufacturing tolerances rather than biological variation

  • Directly complements FlowCytes® for daily QC, with both products using the same cell-mimic platform

Feature ScatterBridge™ Biological Controls Polystyrene Beads
Cross-instrument FSC/SSC normalization ✅ Designed for this ❌ Instrument-dependent behavior ❌ Requires readjustment per cytometer
Scatter range coverage ✅ 9 populations (3×3 grid) ⚠️ Cell-type limited ⚠️ Limited size range
Lot-to-lot consistency ✅ Manufacturing-defined ❌ Donor-dependent ✅ Generally consistent
Shelf life ✅ Multi-year, ambient temp ❌ Short ✅ Long
Biohazard risk ✅ None ❌ Yes ✅ None
Daily QC / linearity testing ✅ Yes ❌ Impractical ⚠️ Possible but scatter-limited
Post-service recalibration ✅ Purpose-built ❌ Not standardized

❌ Not applicable

 

 

ViaComp® — Viability Controls

ViaComp® replaces freshly heat-killed or freeze-thawed cells with chemically defined synthetic live and dead populations, delivered in a ready-to-use dropper bottle. It uniquely covers both DNA-intercalating dyes (7-AAD, DAPI, PI) and amine-reactive Live/Dead Fixable dyes in a single product, with a positive peak exceeding 10⁵ MFI and near-zero non-specific binding. ViaComp® Flex extends compatibility to non-standard reagents and complex multi-parameter panels.

Key advantages over heat-killed/freeze-thawed controls:

  • Chemically defined live:dead ratio fixed at manufacture — no operator variability

  • FSC/SSC matches lymphocytes — no gate adjustments needed when switching to real samples

  • Multi-year shelf life; no culture, heat-killing, or cryopreservation required

  • No biohazard risk; compatible with the full Slingshot platform (HyParComp™, SpectraComp®, FlowCytes®)

 
 
 

High Capacity

High Functional Group

Density

Multi-Point Covalent Attachment

High Specificity

HTS Compatible

TruCytes™ — Quantitative Antigen Controls

TruCytes™ are synthetic particles displaying certified antigen copy numbers, replacing variable cell lines like Raji (CD19) or Daudi (CD20) in quantitative flow cytometry and CAR-T potency assays. They eliminate passage-dependent antigen drift — a recognized GMP confound in ATMP potency testing and enable direct antibody binding capacity (ABC) measurements without knowing fluorophore-to-protein ratios.

Product lines:

  • CD19 Quant — four discrete antigen density populations for quantitative ABC measurement

  • Potency CD19 / CD20 Kits — CAR-T effector:target controls; CD20 kit shows ~2× lower off-target cytokine effects vs. tumor cell lines

  • Single-biomarker controls — CD2, CD3, CD25, CD30, CD33, CD45, CD117, EGFR

  • BCMA & lymphocyte subset mimics (2024 expansion) — for leukapheresis starting material QC and CAR product release testing

Feature TruCytes™ Raji/Daudi Cell Lines
Antigen copy number ✅ Certified, discrete ❌ Undefined, variable
Passage-dependent drift ✅ None ❌ Well-documented GMP confound
Biohazard risk ✅ None ❌ BSL-2 required
Shelf life ✅ Multi-year (lyophilized) ❌ Continuous culture needed
GMP/regulatory compliance ✅ Certified reference material ❌ Not certified
Off-target cytokine effects ✅ ~2× lower ❌ Tumor background confounds signal

 

Reach out to us for custom controls at info@pelobiotech.com or call us directly :)