Bead-Based and Multiplexed Immunoassays for Protein Profiling via Sequential Affinity Capture

Abstract

Antibody microarrays offer high-throughput immunoassays for multiplexed analyses of clinical samples. For such approaches, samples are either labeled in solution to enable a direct readout on the single binder assay format or detected by matched pairs of capture and detection antibodies in dual binder assay format, also known as sandwich assays. Aiming to benefit from the flexibility and capacity offered by single binder assay readout and the specificity and sensitivity of dual binder assays, we developed a multiplexed dual binder procedure that is based on a sequential, rather than combined, antigen binding. The method, entitled dual capture assay (DCA), is composed of an initial antigen capture by antibodies on beads, followed by labeling of captured protein targets on beads, combinatorial elution steps at high and low pH, and a readout using a secondary bead array. Compared to classical single binder assays, the described method demonstrated several advantages such as reduced contribution of off-target binding, lower noise levels, and improved correlation when comparing with clinical reference values. This procedure describes a novel and versatile immunoassay strategy for proteome profiling in body fluids.