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Antigen Microarray Detection for Common Allergens

Overview of Allergens Diagnosis

Before the discovery of immunoglobulin E (IgE) as the reaginic substance in 1967, skin testing was the primary method for determining allergen sensitization. Since that time, serum-based in vitro tests have become an important tool for identifying specific IgE, a hallmark of allergic disease. IgE testing is now conducted routinely in clinical laboratories with high sensitivity and specificity. Over the past 2 decades, the emergence of molecular allergology has led to further advances in the field of IgE diagnostics. Historically, in vitro IgE testing was limited to crude allergen extracts, which represent a complex mixture of many proteins and other biomolecules. However, many tests are now available that use individual, highly-purified allergen components on the solid phase of the assay. The use of allergen components has been referred to as component-resolved diagnostics, or more recently as precision allergy molecular diagnostics, and has helped paved the way for high-throughput multiplex assays in which IgE to several allergen components (and in some cases extracts) can be measured simultaneously in a single assay. Most IgE multiplex assays use microarray technology (i.e., microchip-based), though multiplex bead-based platforms and other technologies have also been developed.

Fig. 1. The layout and principles of IgE microarray assay. (Keshavarz, 2021)

Antigen Microarray in Allergens Diagnosis

The primary advantage of adopting a multiplexed platform, such as a microarray, for component-resolved testing is that specific IgE to potentially thousands of allergens can be assayed in parallel with a small amount of serum. Because a traditional solid-phase assay typically requires the order of 10 to 100 mL per test, this might already begin to become practically limiting for profiling more than 100 tests in some patients (e.g., children). By using a microarray-based assay, that same volume is more than sufficient to assay more than 1000 targets with controls and replicates. At the same time, much less allergen (approximately 1000-fold) is required per assay, and this is also a significant consideration because some allergens are difficult to express, purify, or both.

Table 1. Applications of microarray-based molecular allergen assays.

Many of the advantages of the microarray platform, including the small amount of serum needed, the statistical power of assaying replicates in parallel, and the ability to simultaneously use multiple readout parameters (e.g., the use of different fluorochrome-tagged targets to allow detection of multiple immunoglobulin subclasses) are generalizable beyond the use of individual allergens as targets. Research applications of microarray technology for allergy diagnosis are reported that target either finer (epitopes) or coarser (biochemical fractions) resolution than that of the individual allergen component.

Services at Creative Biolabs

Antigen microarray is a detection method with the advantages of high throughput. For common allergens detection, this advantage is of great importance. Focusing on autoantibodies and relevant research over the years, Creative Biolabs has accumulated extensive experience from practice. We have also established a systematical technology platform providing Antigen Microarray Detection for Common Allergens from food, dust, pets, mites, insects, pollen to help our customers accelerate their projects. With rich experience and strong foundations, we are confident in offering customer-satisfied services.

If you are interested in antigen microarray detection, or you have any other questions about our autoantibodies-related services, please feel free to contact us for more information.

Reference

1. Keshavarz, B.; et al. The use of microarray and other multiplex technologies in the diagnosis of allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021, 127(1): 10-18.

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Products:

• NAA Detection Kits

Resource:

• Pathways

Applications:

• Application in IVIg
• Clinical Diagnosis
• Vaccine Development
• Tumor Surveillance