GLP-Compliant ELISpot and FluoroSpot Assays Now Available
Jun 06 2013
Measuring immune responses is an important endpoint in vaccine preclinical studies because it allows efficacy to be assessed. The most common immunological endpoints added on to toxicology or clinical studies are antibody production, cytokine production and T-cell activation. In response to the increasing need for expertise in advanced assay technologies, we recently completed a full validation of an automated reader designed for the analysis of ELISpot and FluoroSpot plates. This now allows us the opportunity to offer GLP-compliant ELISpot and FluoroSpot assay services.
The Enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assay allows detection of secreted cytokines, antibodies and other factors (e.g., granzyme B, perforine) at the single cell level. The colored end product (spot) represents an individual cell that produced the analyte of interest.
The ELISpot is one of the most sensitive cellular assays available. Depending on the cytokine/factor analyzed, it is between 20 and 200 times more sensitive than a conventional ELISA. The high sensitivity of the ELISpot renders the assay very useful for monitoring antigen-specific cellular responses, applicable to a wide range of areas of immunology research, notably for vaccines but also to assess immunotoxicity and immunomodulation.
The FluoroSpot assay is a modified version of the ELISpot assay that measures the secretion of several cytokines in each well by the use of fluorescent detection antibodies. The method can be used to investigate dual protein secretion at the single cell level or to monitor cytokines secretion simultaneously in the same well when there are limited quantities of cells available. The FluoroSpot assay is particularly interesting for the analysis of Th1/Th2 responses (e.g., by simultaneously monitoring the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4).
With this technology, we now offer an even wider range of services to meet vaccine development needs. We can customize the assay design in several types of samples and species for the analysis of various immune responses (e.g., cytotoxic or helper T-cell responses, secretion of antigen-specific antibodies) to specifically meet our clients research needs.
To learn more about our ELISpot and FluoroSpot services, please contact us at askcharlesriver@crl.com.
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