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Development of a plug and play ImmunoPCR technique for the analysis of biomolecules
Sreeja Gopal1, Shobha Purushothama1, Alvydas Mikulskis1
1Global Biomarker Discovery & Development, Biogen Inc, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Insights
A novel plug-and-play immuno polymerase chain reaction (iPCR) technique offers a sensitive and versatile method for measuring biomolecules, demonstrating broad applicability across different analytes and sample types with reduced costs.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Immuno polymerase chain reaction (iPCR) combines ligand binding assay specificity with PCR amplification.
- Existing methods may have limitations in terms of vendor reliance and reagent costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a versatile, plug-and-play iPCR technique for biomolecule measurement.
- To demonstrate the feasibility, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of the iPCR approach through case studies.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of a novel plug-and-play iPCR technique.
- Validation across three distinct case studies involving cerebrospinal fluid and IL-6 measurement.
Main Results:
- Case Study 1: Successful, sensitive, and cost-effective measurement of IgG1 in cerebrospinal fluid.
- Case Study 2: Demonstrated iPCR's ability to measure multiple IgG1 analytes in cerebrospinal fluid.
- Case Study 3: Showcased broad applicability by measuring the analyte IL-6.
Conclusions:
- The iPCR technique offers a flexible and cost-effective alternative to existing methods.
- Advantages include reduced reliance on single vendors and proprietary reagents, leading to faster, cheaper assay development.
Aim:
ImmunoPCR technology combines the advantages of specificity and robustness of a ligand binding assay with the amplification potential of PCR. We describe through three case studies a plug-and-play immuno polymerase chain reaction (iPCR) technique to measure biomolecules.
Results:
Case Study 1 demonstrated feasibility of measurement of IgG1 in cerebrospinal fluid at the desired level of sensitivity with minimal cost and timelines of clinical assay implementation. Case Study 2 translated the iPCR protocol to measure multiple IgG1 analytes in cerebrospinal fluid. Case Study 3 demonstrated broad applicability of the technique to yet another analyte IL-6.
Conclusion:
The advantages of our iPCR approach were: lack of reliance on a single vendor for technology platform/software, minimal reliance on proprietary reagents and reduced method development times and cost.
