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Dried Blood Spots - Preparing and Processing for Use in Immunoassays and in Molecular Techniques
Published on: March 13, 2015
Evaluation of biological sample preparation for immunosignature-based diagnostics
Brian Andrew Chase1, Stephen Albert Johnston, Joseph Barten Legutki
1Center for Innovations in Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
Clinical and Vaccine Immunology : CVI
|January 13, 2012
Summary
This study shows that immunosignaturing, a method for analyzing antibody repertoires, works reliably with various sample types including serum, plasma, saliva, and dried blood. Dried blood samples maintain diagnostic information even under high temperatures, expanding potential uses for immunosignatures.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biotechnology
- Diagnostic Assays
Background:
- The humoral antibody repertoire is a key indicator of health status.
- Immunosignaturing, a method analyzing antibody repertoires on peptide microarrays, requires optimized sample preparation and stability for broad clinical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of immunosignatures generated from different biological samples (serum, plasma, saliva, dried blood).
- To assess the stability of immunosignatures derived from dried blood, particularly under thermal stress.
- To explore the potential of immunosignatures for diagnostic development using archival and easily procured samples.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of immunosignatures derived from serum, plasma, saliva, and dried blood on peptide microarrays.
- Analysis of IgA immunosignatures from saliva.
- Assessment of dried blood immunosignature stability after exposure to high temperatures.
- Distinguishing between naïve and influenza-infected mice using dried blood immunosignatures.
Main Results:
- Serum and plasma yielded identical immunosignatures.
- Dried blood immunosignatures strongly correlated with serum immunosignatures.
- Dried blood samples successfully differentiated between healthy and influenza-infected mice.
- Salivary IgA immunosignatures showed a strong correlation with dried blood immunosignatures.
- Dried blood retained immunosignature information even after high-temperature exposure.
Conclusions:
- Immunosignaturing is robust across various sample types, including serum, plasma, saliva, and dried blood.
- Dried blood offers a stable and reliable matrix for immunosignaturing, suitable for archival and prospective sample collection.
- These findings enhance the potential diagnostic utility of immunosignatures in clinical settings and research.
