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Updated: May 4, 2026
Use of an Influenza Antigen Microarray to Measure the Breadth of Serum Antibodies Across Virus Subtypes
Published on: July 26, 2019
Novel microarrays for simultaneous serodiagnosis of multiple antiviral antibodies
Ponnurengam Malliappan Sivakumar1, Nozomi Moritsugu1, Sei Obuse1
1Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, Japan.
Insights
We created an automated microarray diagnostic system for detecting virus-specific immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs). This rapid, reagent-efficient system shows high correlation with conventional enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for viral disease diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biotechnology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Accurate and efficient detection of virus-specific immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) is crucial for diagnosing viral diseases.
- Conventional enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) are widely used but can be time-consuming and reagent-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an automated microarray-based diagnostic system for detecting virus-specific IgGs.
- To compare the efficacy of the automated microarray system with conventional EIAs.
Main Methods:
- Developed a microarray platform using a novel photoreactive polymer (perfluorophenyl azide and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) for virus immobilization.
- Utilized photo-irradiation to immobilize inactivated measles, rubella, mumps, Varicella-Zoster, and Epstein-Barr virus antigens onto microarrays.
- Assayed virus-specific IgGs in human sera using the microarrays and compared results with conventional EIAs.
Main Results:
- The automated microarray system demonstrated high correlation (0.79-0.96) with conventional EIAs.
- The microarray assay was faster, required fewer reagents and less sample volume, and was simpler to perform than EIAs.
- Incorporation of reagent storage reservoirs further optimized the system, conserving expensive reagents and antibodies.
Conclusions:
- The automated microarray system is a suitable platform for rapid, multiplexed serological diagnosis of viral infections.
- The system offers significant advantages over conventional EIAs in terms of speed, efficiency, and ease of use.
- Further development holds promise for clinical applications in viral disease diagnostics.
Abstract:
We developed an automated diagnostic system for the detection of virus-specific immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) that was based on a microarray platform. We compared efficacies of our automated system with conventional enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). Viruses were immobilized to microarrays using a radical cross-linking reaction that was induced by photo-irradiation. A new photoreactive polymer containing perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate was prepared and coated on plates. Inactivated measles, rubella, mumps, Varicella-Zoster and recombinant Epstein-Barr viruse antigen were added to coated plates, and irradiated with ultraviolet light to facilitate immobilization. Virus-specific IgGs in healthy human sera were assayed using these prepared microarrays and the results obtained compared with those from conventional EIAs. We observed high correlation (0.79-0.96) in the results between the automated microarray technique and EIAs. The microarray-based assay was more rapid, involved less reagents and sample, and was easier to conduct compared with conventional EIA techniques. The automated microarray system was further improved by introducing reagent storage reservoirs inside the chamber, thereby conserving the use of expensive reagents and antibodies. We considered the microarray format to be suitable for rapid and multiple serological diagnoses of viral diseases that could be developed further for clinical applications.
