Ultrasensitive detection of proteins and sugars at single-cell level

Modified ELISA for Ultrasensitive Diagnosis

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be used for quantitative measurement of proteins, and improving the detection sensitivity to the ultrasensitive level would facilitate the diagnosis of various diseases. In the present review article, we first define the term 'ultrasensitive'. We follow this with a survey and discussion of the current literature regarding modified ELISA methods with ultrasensitive detection and their application for diagnosis. Finally, we introduce our own newly devised system for ultrasensitive ELISA combined with thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide cycling and its application for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and lifestyle-related diseases. The aim of the present article is to expand the application of ultrasensitive ELISAs in the medical and biological fields.

Zeptomole Detection of an Enzyme by a Simple Colorimetric Method

An enzyme immunoassay, in which an enzyme (e.g., alkaline phosphatase, ALP) is conjugated with an antibody, is a precise and simple protein detection method. Precise measurements of enzymes at low concentrations allow for ultrasensitive protein detection. The application of a phosphorylated substrate to ALP, followed by using a dephosphorylated substrate in thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide cycling, provides a simple and precise quantification of ALP. We describe a protocol for detecting ALP at the zeptomole level using a simple colorimetric method.

Improved Detection Sensitivity of an Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Proteins with Thio-NAD Cycling

Antigen tests for infectious diseases are inexpensive and easy-to-use, but the limit of detection (LOD) is generally higher than that of PCR tests, which are considered the gold standard. In the present study, we combined a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling to improve the LOD of antigen tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For recombinant nucleocapsid proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the LOD of our ELISA with thio-NAD cycling was 2.95 × 10^-17 moles/assay. When UV-irradiated inactive SARS-CoV-2 was used, the minimum detectable virions corresponding to 2.6 × 10⁴ RNA copies/assay were obtained using our ELISA with thio-NAD cycling. The assay volume for each test was 100 µL. The minimum detectable value was smaller than that of the latest antigen test using a fluorescent immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2, indicating the validity of our detection system for COVID-19 diagnosis.

Antigen tests for COVID-19

PCR diagnosis has been considered as the gold standard for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other many diseases. However, there are many problems in using PCR, such as non-specific (i.e., false-positive) and false-negative amplifications, the limits of a target sample volume, deactivation of the enzymes used, complicated techniques, difficulty in designing probe sequences, and the expense. We, thus, need an alternative to PCR, for example an ultrasensitive antigen test. In the present review, we summarize the following three topics. (1) The problems of PCR are outlined. (2) The antigen tests are surveyed in the literature that was published in 2020, and their pros and cons are discussed for commercially available antigen tests. (3) Our own antigen test on the basis of an ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is introduced. Finally, we discuss the possibility that our antigen test by an ultrasensitive ELISA technique will become the gold standard for diagnosis of COVID-19 and other diseases.

A novel, rapid (within hours) culture-free diagnostic method for detecting live Mycobacterium tuberculosis with high sensitivity

BACKGROUND

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are widely used to diagnose tuberculosis (TB), but cannot discriminate live bacilli from dead bacilli. Live bacilli can be isolated by culture methods, but this is time-consuming. We developed a de novo TB diagnostic method that detects only live bacilli with high sensitivity within hours.

METHODS

A prospective study was performed in Taiwan from 2017 to 2018. Sputum was collected consecutively from 1102 patients with suspected TB infection. The sputum was pretreated and heated at 46°C for 1 h to induce the secretion of MPT64 protein from live Mycobacterium tuberculosis. MPT64 was detected with our ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) coupled with thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling. We compared our data with those obtained using a culture test (MGIT), a smear test (Kinyoun staining), and a NAAT (Xpert).

FINDINGS

The limit of detection for MPT64 in our culture-free ultrasensitive ELISA was 2.0 × 10-19 moles/assay. When the criterion for a positive response was set as an absorbance value ≥17 mAbs, this value corresponded to ca. 330 CFU/mL in the culture method - almost the same high-detection sensitivity as the culture method. To confirm that MPT64 is secreted from only live bacilli, M. bovis BCG was killed using 8 μg/mL rifampicin and then heated. Following this procedure, our method detected no MPT64. Our rapid ultra-sensitive ELISA-based method required only 5 h to complete. Comparing the results of our method with those of culture tests for 944 specimens revealed a sensitivity of 86.9% (93/107, 95% CI: 79.0-92.7%) and a specificity of 92.0% (770/837, 95% CI: 89.9-93.7%). The performance data were not significantly different (McNemar's test, P = 0.887) from those of the Xpert tests. In addition, at a ≥1+ titer in the smear test, the positive predictive value of our culture-free ultrasensitive ELISA tests was in a good agreement with that of the culture tests. Furthermore, our culture-free ultrasensitive ELISA test had better validity for drug effectiveness examination than Xpert tests because our test detected only live bacilli.

INTERPRETATION

Our culture-free ultrasensitive ELISA method detects only live TB bacilli with high sensitivity within hours, allowing for rapid diagnosis of TB and monitoring drug efficacy.

FUNDING

Matching Planner Program from JST (VP29117939087), the A-STEP Program from JST (AS3015096U), Waseda University grants for Specific Research Projects (2017A-015 and 2019C-123), the Precise Measurement Technology Promotion Foundation to E.I.

Proposal of De Novo Antigen Test for COVID-19: Ultrasensitive Detection of Spike Proteins of SARS-CoV-2

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based antigen tests are technically difficult, time-consuming, and expensive, and may produce false negative results requiring follow-up confirmation with computed tomography. The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the demand for accurate, easy-to-use, rapid, and cost-effective antigen tests for clinical application. We propose a de novo antigen test for diagnosing COVID-19 using the combination of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and thio-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling. Our test takes advantage of the spike proteins specific to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The limit of detection of our test was 2.3 × 10-18 moles/assay. If the virus has ~25 spike proteins on its surface, our method should detect on the order of 10-20 moles of virus/assay, corresponding to ~104 copies of the virus RNA/assay. The detection sensitivity approaches that of PCR-based assays because the average virus RNA load used for PCR-based assays is ~105 copies per oro- or naso-pharyngeal swab specimen. To our knowledge, this is the first ultrasensitive antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins that can be performed with an easy-to-use microplate reader. Sufficient sensitivity can be achieved within 10 min of thio-NAD cycling. Our antigen test allows for rapid, cost-effective, specific, ultrasensitive, and simultaneous multiple measurements of SARS-CoV-2, and has broad application for the diagnosis for COVID-19.

Early diagnosis with ultrasensitive ELISA

Accurate, rapid and simple detection methods are required to facilitate early diagnosis of various disorders including infectious and lifestyle diseases as well as cancer. These detection approaches reduce the window of infection, i.e., the period between infection and reliable detection. Optimally, these methods should target protein as an indicator of pathogenic microbes as well as other biomarkers. For example, although nucleic acid is easily detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), these markers are also present in dead microbes, and, in the case of mRNA, it is not known whether this target was successfully translated. Accordingly, early diagnostic approaches require the development of ultrasensitive protein detection methods. In this chapter, we introduce an ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which combines a traditional sandwich-based immunoassay with thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling. The performance characteristics of this unique approach are reviewed as well as its potential role in providing a novel and ultrasensitive diagnostic tool in the clinical laboratory.

Experimental models and methods for cutaneous wound healing assessment

Wound healing studies are intricate, mainly because of the multifaceted nature of the wound environment and the complexity of the healing process, which integrates a variety of cells and repair phases, including inflammation, proliferation, reepithelialization and remodelling. There are a variety of possible preclinical models, such as in mice, rabbits and pigs, which can be used to mimic acute or impaired for example, diabetic and nutrition-related wounds. These can be induced by many different techniques, with excision or incision being the most common. After determining a suitable model for a study, investigators need to select appropriate and reproducible methods that will allow the monitoring of the wound progression over time. The assessment can be performed by non-invasive protocols such as wound tracing, photographic documentation (including image analysis), biophysical techniques and/or by invasive protocols that will require wound biopsies. In this article, we provide an overview of some of the most often needed and used: (a) preclinical/animal models including incisional, excisional, burn and impaired wounds; (b) methods to evaluate the healing progression such as wound healing rate, wound analysis by image, biophysical assessment, histopathological, immunological and biochemical assays. The aim is to help researchers during the design and execution of their wound healing studies.

Ultrasensitive ELISA Developed for Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of disease, the ability to quantitatively detect trace amounts of the causal proteins from bacteria/viruses as biomarkers in patient specimens is highly desirable. Here we introduce a simple, rapid, and colorimetric assay as a de novo, ultrasensitive detection method. This ultrasensitive assay consists of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling, forming an ultrasensitive ELISA, in which the signal substrate (i.e., thio-NADH) accumulates in a triangular manner, and the accumulated thio-NADH is measured at its maximum absorption wavelength of 405 nm. We have successfully achieved a limit of detection of ca. 10⁻¹⁸ moles/assay for a target protein. As an example of infectious disease detection, HIV-1 p24 could be measured at 0.0065 IU/assay (i.e., 10⁻¹⁸ moles/assay), and as a marker for a lifestyle-related disease, adiponectin could be detected at 2.3 × 10⁻¹⁹ moles/assay. In particular, despite the long-held belief that the trace amounts of adiponectin in urine can only be detected using a radioisotope, our ultrasensitive ELISA was able to detect urinary adiponectin. This method is highly versatile because simply changing the antibody enables the detection of various proteins. This assay system requires only the measurement of absorbance, thus it requires equipment that is easily obtained by medical facilities, which facilitates diagnosis in hospitals and clinics. Moreover, we describe an expansion of our ultrasensitive ELISA to a non-amplification nucleic acid detection method for nucleic acids using hybridization. These de novo methods will enable simple, rapid, and accurate diagnosis.

Urinary adiponectin as a new diagnostic index for chronic kidney disease due to diabetic nephropathy

OBJECTIVE

The chronic kidney disease (CKD) is widely diagnosed on the basis of albuminuria and the glomerular filtration rate. A more precise diagnosis of CKD, however, requires the assessment of other factors. Urinary adiponectin recently attracted attention for CKD assessment, but evaluation is difficult due to the very low concentration of urinary adiponectin in normal subjects.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We developed an ultrasensitive ELISA coupled with thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide cycling to detect trace amounts of proteins, which allows us to measure urinary adiponectin at the subattomole level. We measured urinary adiponectin levels in 59 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 24 subjects without DM (normal) to test our hypothesis that urinary adiponectin levels increase with progression of CKD due to DM.

RESULTS

The urinary adiponectin levels were 14.88±3.16 (ng/mg creatinine, mean±SEM) for patients with DM, and 3.06±0.33 (ng/mg creatinine) for normal subjects. The threshold between them was 4.0 ng/mg creatinine. The urinary adiponectin levels increased with an increase in the CKD risk. Furthermore, urinary adiponectin mainly formed a medium-molecular weight multimer (a hexamer) in patients with DM, whereas it formed only a low-molecular weight multimer (a trimer) in normal subjects. That is, the increase in urinary adiponectin in patients with DM led to the emergence of a medium-molecular weight form in urine.

CONCLUSIONS

Our new assay showed that urinary adiponectin could be a new diagnostic index for CKD. This assay is a non-invasive test using only urine, thus reducing the patient burden.