Exploring the sheep (Ovis aries) immunoglobulin repertoire by next generation sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized the way we determine the antibody repertoires encoded by B cells in the blood or lymphoid organs and transformed our understanding of adaptive immune responses in many species. Sheep (Ovis aries) have been widely used as a host for therapeutic antibody production since the early 1980s, however, little is known about their immune repertoires or immunological processes affecting the antibody generation. The objective of this study was to employ NGS for a comprehensive analysis of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain repertoires in four healthy sheep.

Improving FoRe: A New Inlet Design for Filtering Samples through Individual Microarray Spots.

In this publication we present an improvement to our previously introduced vertical flow microarray, the FoRe array, which capitalizes on the fusion of immunofiltration and densely packed micron test sites. Filtering samples through individual microarray spots allows us to rapidly analyze dilute samples with high-throughput and high signal-to-noise. Unlike other flowthrough microarrays, in the FoRe design samples are injected into micron channels and sequentially exposed to different targets.

Twist on protein microarrays: layering wax-patterned nitrocellulose to create customizable and separable arrays of multiplexed affinity columns.

We developed the simple and inexpensive FoRe microarray to simultaneously test several 1 μL samples for multiple proteins. By combining forward and reverse phase microarrays into an innovative three-dimensional format, the FoRe array exploits the advantages and eliminates several drawbacks of the traditional approaches (i.e.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for p16(INK4a) - a new triage test for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia?

Objective: To evaluate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A protein (p16(INK4a) ) on self-collected cervicovaginal lavage samples as an additional triage test to identify women with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).

Design: Retrospective feasibility, sensitivity and specificity study.

Setting: University Medical School, Germany.

Evaluation of a new multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of human papillomavirus infections in a referral population.

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is an important part of cervical cancer screening and management of women with atypical screening results. This study was conducted to evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the Abbott RealTime High-Risk HPV assay (RealTime) in a referral population, in comparison to the Qiagen Hybrid Capture 2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test (hc2).

Methods: RealTime is a new polymerase chain reaction assay that detects 14 high-risk HPV genotypes with simultaneous differentiation between HPV 16 and HPV 18.

Microarrays made easy: biofunctionalized hydrogel channels for rapid protein microarray production.

We present a simple, inexpensive, and sensitive technique for producing multiple copies of a hydrogel-based protein microarray. An agarose block containing 25 biofunctionalized channels is sliced perpendicularly to produce many identical biochips. Each microarray consists of 500 μm spots, which contain protein-coated microparticles physically trapped in porous SeaPrep agarose.

Vesicles for Signal Amplification in a Biosensor for the Detection of Low Antigen Concentrations.

The sensitivity of biosensors is often not sufficient to detect diagnostically relevant biomarker concentrations. In this paper we have utilized a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to detect dissipative losses induced by the attachment of intact vesicles. We modified a sandwich assay by coupling the secondary antibodies to vesicles.

On-chip surface-based detection with nanohole arrays.

A microfluidic device with integrated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chemical and biological sensors based on arrays of nanoholes in gold films is demonstrated. Widespread use of SPR for surface analysis in laboratories has not translated to microfluidic analytical chip platforms, in part due to challenges associated with scaling down the optics and the surface area required for common reflection mode operation. The resonant enhancement of light transmission through subwavelength apertures in a metallic film suggests the use of nanohole arrays as miniaturized SPR-based sensing elements.