BEAD BASED ASSAY FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF BIOMOLECULES

BEAD BASED ASSAY FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF BIOMOLECULES

Researchers at Stanford University have developed methods for detecting one or more biomolecules within multiple samples in parallel.

Rapid and accessible point-of-care diagnostic testing is a cornerstone of public health management of infectious diseases. However, currently available diagnostic tests for viral infections have significant tradeoffs and limitations. PCR is highly sensitive and specific but is slow and expensive, while serology and antigen testing using lateral flow assays are fast and inexpensive, but harbor intrinsic sensitivity and specificity issues. Furthermore, of the methods listed, only serology assays give information about past infections, and none of the assays mentioned can detect co-infections. Other methods such as protein microarrays for serological testing improve upon this and can detect co-infections but are unable to be employed on a scale that would enable population-level testing. Viral diagnostic testing that is rapid, scalable, multiplexed, and sensitive/specific is an urgent unmet medical need that would allow for better control and management of viral outbreaks at the public health level.

Stage of Research

The inventors have discovered a high throughput method to detect multiple biomolecules in a single assay. Briefly, a biological sample, such as blood, plasma, or saliva, in incubated with molecular complexes that contain barcoded beads that have binding properties specific to a protein or molecule of interest (e.g. a viral protein). Each bead has two barcodes on its surface- one for patient identification and one for biomolecule identification. Target molecules present in the biological sample will bind with the ligands on the barcoded beads. A second bead (e.g. a magnetic protein A/G bead to bind antibodies) enables the selection of bound barcoded beads, leaving only those beads that are bound to molecules of interest. Subsequently, the bound protein-bead complexes are cleaved and the barcoded beads are collected and analyzed. Because multiple beads with ligands to proteins of interest are present in each assay, this allows for the rapid identification of many biomolecules of interest in a single sample.

Applications

Detection of biomolecules in biological samples in a massively parallel and high-throughput manner
Detection of antibodies of interest in patient samples, specifically in patients in which history of prior infections or immunity to certain viruses is unknown and of clinical or public health interest.
Detection of current and historic infections on a population level

Advantages

Massively parallel and high-throughput technology
Able to be implemented on a population scale for better public health management of infectious disease outbreaks.
Low volumes of biological samples required to detect past or present infections.

Stage of Development

Research- in vivo

Publications

WO2022150591