Research Project
3495636
Our goal is to develop a novel non-agglutination method for precise, rapid, and cost-effective identification of clinically significant antibodies to red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), and platelet antigens. By combining our enzyme-linked assay system with cell membrane fragments immobilized on a glass microfiber substrate, antibodies in 0.5 microliter samples of human serum can be identified in about 10 minutes with up to 96 tests being performed simultaneously. In addition, the immobilized antigen shows no noticeable loss of sensitivity for at least 6 months when stored at room temperature and humidity. This stability is significantly greater than the 3 week shelf-life of refrigerated cell panels which laboratories now routinely use. Taken together, our initial work strongly suggests that this non-agglutination method will be a significant, practical advance over techniques now used for pre-transfusion testing. Once refined, this system may be used to detect other clinically relevant antibodies such as those to hepatitis virus antigens and HTLV-III.
