Detecting and Quantifying Multiple Proteins in Clinical Samples in High-Throughput Using Antibody Microarrays

Abstract

Many diagnostic and prognostic tests performed in the clinic today rely on the sensitive detection and quantification of a single protein, usually by means of an immunoassay. Even in the case of monogenic diseases, however, single markers are often insufficient to provide highly reliable predictions of disease onset, and the accuracy of these predictions only decreases for polygenic diseases and for very early detection or prediction. Recent studies have shown that predictive reliability increases dramatically when multiple markers are analyzed simultaneously. Antibody microarrays provide a powerful way to quantify the abundance of many different proteins simultaneously in a variety of sample types, including serum, urine, and tissue explants. Because the assay is highly miniaturized, very little sample is required and the assay can be performed in high-throughput. Using antibody microarrays, we have been able to identify prognostic markers of early mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease and have built multivariate models based on these markers. We anticipate that antibody microarrays will prove similarly useful in other discovery-based efforts and may ultimately enjoy routine use in clinical labs.