Improving the sensitivity of immunoassays by reducing non-specific binding of poly(acrylic acid) coated upconverting nanoparticles by adding free poly(acrylic acid).

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are attractive reporters in immunoassays because of their outstanding detectability. However, non-specific binding of antibody-UCNP conjugates on protein coated solid support results in background, which limits the immunoassay sensitivity. Thus, the full potential of UCNPs as reporters cannot be fully exploited. The authors report here a method to improve the sensitivity of UCNP-based immunoassays by reducing the non-specific binding of antibody-UNCP conjugates on the protein coated solid support. In the assays studied here, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) coated NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ type UCNPs were conjugated to two different antibodies against cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The two-step heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays were performed in microtitration wells, and the green luminescence of antibody-UCNP conjugates was measured at 540 nm upon 980 nm excitation. Non-specific binding of antibody-UCNP conjugates was reduced by mixing free PAA with PAA coated UCNPs before adding the UCNPs to the wells. The free PAA in the buffer reduced the background in both cTnI and TSH immunoassays (compared to the control assay without free PAA). The limits of detection decreased from 2.1 ng·L-1 to 0.48 ng·L-1 in case of cTnI and from 0.070 mIU·L-1 to 0.020 mIU·L-1 in case of TSH if PAA is added to the buffer. Presumably, the effect of free PAA is due to blocking of the surface areas where PAA coated UCNP would bind proteins non-specifically. The method introduced here is likely to be applicable to other kinds of PAA-coated nanoparticles, and similar approaches conceivably work also with other nanoparticle coatings. Graphical abstract The presence of free poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in a buffer solution prevents aggregation and non-specific protein binding of PAA-coated upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) in heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays. The decrease in non-specific binding enables distinctly more sensitive assays to be performed.

Spectrally and Spatially Multiplexed Serological Array-in-Well Assay Utilizing Two-Color Upconversion Luminescence Imaging.

We demonstrate a simple dual-mode multiplexed array-in-well immunoassay for simultaneous classification and detection of serum IgG and IgM antibodies against influenza A and human adenoviruses based on the color and position of the upconversion luminescence on the array. Biotinylated influenza A/H1N1 and A/H5N1 as well as adenovirus serotype 2 and 5 hexon antigens along with positive and negative controls were printed in an array format onto the bottom of streptavidin-coated microtiter wells. The anti-influenza A and antiadenovirus antibodies present in the sample were captured to the array and detected with antihuman antibody-coated upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs). The green emitting UCNPs (NaYF4:Yb(3+),Er(3+)) coated with antihuman IgG and blue emitting UCNPs (NaYF4:Yb(3+),Tm(3+)) coated with antihuman IgM were used to detect human IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. The emission of the bound UCNPs was imaged free of autofluorescence with anti-Stokes photoluminescence microwell imager. No spectral cross-talk was observed between green and blue emitting UCNPs. Also the cross-reactivities between UCNP-conjugates and immobilized human IgG and IgM antibodies were negligible. Position of the signal on the array defined the antigen specificity and the antibody class was defined by the color of the upconversion luminescence. This technology could be used for differentiation between acute infection from past infection and immunity. Additionally, the class of the antibody response can be used for the differentiation between primary and secondary infections, hence, facilitating epidemiological seroprevalence studies.

Upconverting nanophosphors as reporters in a highly sensitive heterogeneous immunoassay for cardiac troponin I.

Photon upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs) have a unique capability to produce anti-Stokes emission at visible wavelengths via sequential multiphoton absorption upon infrared excitation. Since the anti-Stokes emission can be easily spectrally resolved from the Stokes' shifted autofluorescence, the upconversion luminescence (UCL) is a highly attractive reporter technology for optical biosensors and biomolecular binding assays - potentially enabling unprecedented sensitivity in separation-based solid-phase immunoassays. UCL technology has not previously been applied in sensitive detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), which requires highly sensitive detection to enable accurate and timely diagnosis of myocardial infarction. We have developed an UCL-based immunoassay for cTnI using NaYF4: Yb(3+), Er(3+) UCNPs as reporters. Biotinylated anti-cTnI monoclonal antibody (Mab) and Fab fragment immobilized to streptavidin-coated wells were used to capture cTnI. Captured cTnI was detected from dry well surface after a 15 min incubation with poly(acrylic acid) coated UCNPs conjugated to second anti-cTnI Mab. UCL was measured with a dedicated UCL microplate reader. The UCL-based immunoassay allowed sensitive detection of cTnI. The limit of detection was 3.14 ng L(-1). The calibration curve was linear up to cTnI concentration 50,000 ng L(-1). Plasma recoveries of added cTnI were 92-117%. Obtained cTnI concentrations from five normal plasma samples were 4.13-10.7 ng L(-1) (median 5.06 ng L(-1)). There is yet significant potential for even further improved limit of detection by reducing non-specifically bound fraction of the Mab-conjugated UCNPs. The assay background with zero calibrator was over 40-fold compared to the background obtained from wells where the reporter conjugate had been excluded.

Identification and analysis of anti-HDL scFv-antibodies obtained from phage display based synthetic antibody library.

OBJECTIVE: In epidemiological studies plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are found to correlate inversely with atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. HDL consists of different subpopulations and they vary in their anti-atherogenic properties. The aim of this study is to isolate coronary artery disease (CAD) specific anti-HDL scFv-antibodies. DESIGN AND METHODS: To obtain CAD specific HDL binders, we used phage displayed synthetic antibody libraries to enrich specific antibodies against HDL isolated from CAD patients. The antibodies were affinity purified. Their capability to recognize apolipoproteins A-I and A-II, various HDL forms differing in lipid/protein ratios and plasma HDL, was studied using time-resolved fluorescence based immunoassay. RESULTS: Using different selection strategies and immunoassay based screening we obtained altogether 1200 clones displaying HDL binding activity. By sequencing 337, we identified 264 unique antibodies against HDL. A set of 61 antibodies were selected for further analysis. We found a variety of antibodies with different binding profiles, including apoA-I binding antibodies either in lipid-dependent or lipid-independent manner and binders against apoA-II. Several antibodies were able to discriminate between HDL derived from CAD patients and healthy controls. A majority of the antibodies were immunoreactive with HDL in plasma. CONCLUSION: The novel HDL recognizing antibodies isolated from synthetic antibody phage library have displayed interesting HDL-binding characteristics suggesting that, in addition to use as research tools, a part of them might be useful for the development of diagnostic methods for CAD risk assessment.