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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells

Published on: January 29, 2014

Noninvasive detection of complement activation through radiologic imaging.

Joshua M Thurman¹, Bärbel Rohrer

¹Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80045, USA. joshua.thurman@ucdenver.edu

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

|February 14, 2013

Summary

Researchers developed a novel MRI technique to detect complement activation in inflammatory diseases. This noninvasive method uses targeted nanoparticles to visualize complement system activity, aiding in disease monitoring and treatment selection.

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Medical Imaging

Background:

The complement system plays a key role in inflammatory disease pathogenesis.
Therapeutic complement inhibitors are under development, necessitating methods to monitor their efficacy.
Current methods for detecting complement activation are often invasive or lack tissue specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based method for detecting complement activation.
To utilize targeted nanoparticles for visualizing complement system activity in vivo.
To assess the utility of this method for monitoring complement-dependent diseases.

Main Methods:

Developed iron-oxide nanoparticles targeted to complement activation sites using the C3d-binding region of complement receptor 2 (CR2).
Administered targeted nanoparticles to MRL/lpr mice with lupus-like kidney disease.
Utilized T2-weighted MRI to detect negative enhancement (signal darkening) in the kidneys.

Main Results:

CR2-targeted nanoparticles localized to the kidneys in MRL/lpr mice, causing significant T2 signal decrease.
The MRI method successfully discriminated between diseased and healthy kidneys.
The degree of negative enhancement in the kidney cortex correlated with disease severity.

Conclusions:

The developed MRI-based method allows for noninvasive detection and monitoring of complement activation.
This technique may help identify patients who will benefit from complement inhibitors and track treatment response.
This approach offers a potential new tool for managing complement-dependent inflammatory diseases.