Working together with partners at the University of Cambridge and other world-leading institutions, Fluidic Analytics has developed the Fluidity One‑W Serum in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. This new instrument enables comprehensive profiling of the antibody response to SARS‑CoV‑2 on the basis of affinity – a crucial characteristic of protein interactions that traditional antibody tests cannot easily quantify.
The Fluidity One‑W Serum allows researchers, clinicians and biopharma companies to perform novel in‑solution immunoassays which can independently determine antibody affinity (antibody binding strength) and concentration directly in patient serum. Traditional immunoassays such as ELISAs combine affinity and concentration into a single, less-precise measure known as titer, which cannot readily distinguish between large numbers of weak-binding antibodies and small numbers of strong-binding antibodies. This difference could have major implications for plasma transfer treatments, vaccine and therapeutic development, and the ongoing monitoring of immunity.
Professor Adriano Aguzzi, a clinician leading a major population-based study of COVID‑19 at the University Hospital Zurich, explains: “Current immunoassays, such as ELISAs, offer an incomplete picture of the immune response against SARS‑CoV‑2. And while more advanced technologies, which rely on attaching antigens to surfaces, have the ability to measure affinity in purified systems, these technologies have difficulty doing so in complex backgrounds such as plasma and serum due to non-specific binding and other surface constraints. The ability to independently quantify affinity and concentration directly in patient serum could be a game-changer for our ability to understand, diagnose and treat COVID‑19.”
Andrew Lynn, CEO of Fluidic Analytics, remarks that: “The immune system is implicated in a vast array of disorders and infectious diseases including COVID‑19. The ability to understand antibody responses on the basis of quantitative fingerprints of affinity and concentration could empower our customers and partners with a deeper, more accurate understanding of the immune system. We are excited to support researchers, clinicians and the biopharma industry in their quest to understand how proteins and their interactions effect sickness and health in real time.”
To learn more about how the Fluidity One‑W Serum can power the next breakthroughs in your research, visit www.fluidic.com.