Breaking The Detection Barrier With SMC® 2-Plex Immunoassays Revealing Hidden Cytokine Signatures in Autoimmune Diseases 2257825

Introduction Quantitation of blood biomarkers is critical for understanding of autoimmune diseases driven by chronic inflammatory responses and for identifying new therapeutic targets. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines play key roles in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases. While traditional immunoassays, such as ELISA, have provided valuable insights into normal and pathological processes, ultrasensitive technologies are now revealing previously undetectable cytokines in blood samples. Methods We developed an ultrasensitive immunoassay platform utilizing SMC® technology to address the challenge of quantifying low-abundance proteins in blood. Results This next-generation FemtoQuest™ system enables detection of two analytes in a single assay well, saving time and cost per analyte. Five SMC® 2-plex assays (IL-17A,IL-17F; IL-1β,IL-1α; IL-23,IL-22; TNFα,IL-6; and IL-17A,IL-22) consistently achieved LLoQ as low as 20 fg/mL. The broad dynamic range of these assays enabled quantitation across both healthy and disease samples within a single run. Evaluation of samples revealed elevated levels of IL-17A, IL-23, IL-22, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-1β in serum and plasma samples from individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome serum or plasma as compared to healthy individuals. Conclusion These results demonstrate the platform’s capability to detect differential cytokine expression patterns across autoimmune conditions.