Navinci technology powers new spatial biomarker approach for predicting immunotherapy response
Uppsala, Sweden – September 8, 2026 — Navinci highlights a medRxiv preprint from Associate Professor Charlotte Stadler, Head of the National Spatial Proteomics Unit at SciLifeLab and group leader at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and collaborators. In the study, Navinci’s in situ proximity ligation assay technology was used to detect functional PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint engagement directly in patient tumor tissue. The work presents a spatial proteomics workflow linking protein interactions in the tumor microenvironment to response to pembrolizumab treatment in metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
The preprint, titled 'Functional PD-1/PD-L1 engagement defines a spatial biomarker of immunotherapy response', addresses a key challenge in cancer immunotherapy: identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Instead of measuring PD-L1 expression alone, the study detects PD-1/PD-L1 interactions directly, adding a functional layer to spatial biomarker discovery.
The researchers combined Navinci’s proximity-based technology with multiplexed immunofluorescence and high-dimensional single-cell phenotyping to map PD-1/PD-L1 interactions in intact patient samples and connect them to defined cell types and tissue structures. In patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab, PD-1/PD-L1 interactions involving cytotoxic CD8-positive T cells were enriched in patients with complete response and rare in patients with progressive disease. This interaction-defined T cell subset separated clinical response better than PD-L1 expression or immune cell abundance alone.
“This is exactly the type of application where Navinci’s technology can make a real difference,” said Agata Zieba Wicher, Chief R&D Officer at Navinci. “Spatial biology has shown the importance of seeing where cells are located. This study adds the next layer by showing what these cells are doing. Detecting protein interactions directly in patient tissue gives researchers a richer view of immune activity and may help uncover more meaningful biomarkers for therapy response.”
The study is currently available as a preprint. The findings point to an important direction for translational cancer research: moving from static marker expression toward spatially resolved functional biology that may support biomarker discovery across tumor types which is proving to be a more accurate predictor of patient outcomes.
Join Navinci at SciLifeLab in Stockholm this Thursday to hear Associate Professor Charlotte Stadler discuss this work and share additional insights from her latest research. Building on the findings presented in the pre-print, the seminar will offer a firsthand look at emerging advances and future directions in the field. More information can be found here.
For further information, please contact:
Jenny Sundqvist, CEO
E-mail: jenny.sundqvist@navinci.se
Agata Zieba Wicher, Chief R&D Officer
E-mail: agata.zieba@navinci.se
About Navinci
Navinci is a Swedish biotech company specializing in developing innovative solutions for studying in situ protein expression and interactions. With a focus and a strong legacy in developing in situ proximity ligation assay technology, Navinci has established itself as a center of excellence in the field and has a broad portfolio of products that help researchers study protein interactions in depth.