Featured Article
Monday June 13, 2005
Multiplexing technologies are giving a big boost to immunologists who frequently glean important information from the types of cytokines in a cell culture or patient sample. But with more than 150 of these messenger molecules identified, individually testing for each cytokine is a task too expensive and time-consuming for most labs. An increasing number of ready-to-use products are widening the bottleneck, and revealing a world of communication amongst cells of the immune system.
Much as for proteins, ELISA-based assays are most popular for identifying and quantifying cytokines found in humans, mice, rats, and non-human primates. The cytokine-specific kits make the process increasingly convenient and efficient. The major difference between the products is the substrate on which anti-cytokine antibodies are bound. Aside from the substrate, the kits all feature the secondary antibody that binds to the bound cytokine and the labeled probe for detection.
Some companies offer kits that feature 96-well plates with various anti-cytokine antibodies bound to the wells, each of which can detect multiple cytokines in the sample. As protein arraying becomes more popular, tethering anti-cytokine antibodies to glass slides is also becoming more common.
Beads, however, may have gained the largest following. With their extensive multiplexing capabilities, Luminex beads are found in kits from several companies. Each of the 100 Luminex beads has a built-in unique signature of distinct levels of dyes. One type of antibody is attached to beads with the same signature. These beads allow you to simultaneously check for 100 different antibodies within one well. Companies offering multiplexing beads usually offer them in kits that include cytokines of a certain subset or type of immune response.
Now is the time to take a second look at ELISA-based assays, such as those below. The products could become an indispensable tool in your cytokine studies.