Lateral flow assay for simultaneous detection of cellular- and humoral immune responses

Objective: The development of a cytokine detection assay suitable for detection of multiple biomarkers for improved diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases. Design and methods: A lateral flow (LF) assay to detect IL-10 was developed utilizing the up-converting phosphor (UCP) reporter-technology. The assay was evaluated using blood samples of leprosy patients. Multiplex applications were explored targeting: 1) IL-10 and IFN-gamma in assay buffer; 2) IL-10 and anti-phenolic glycolipid (PGL-I) antibodies in serum from leprosy patients. Results: Detection of IL-10 below the targeted level of 100 pg/mL in serum was shown. Comparison with ELISA showed a quantitative correlation with R-2 value of 0.92. Multiplexing of cytokines and simultaneous detection of cytokine and antibody was demonstrated. Conclusions: The UCP-LF IL-10 assay is a user-friendly, rapid alternative for IL-10 ELISAs, suitable for multiplex detection of different cytokines and can be merged with antibody-detection assays to simultaneously detect cellular- and humoral immunity. (C) 2011 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.