Humoral immune response analysis
The development and optimization of commonly used, relevant assays to evaluate the humoral immune response is important in the development of vaccine candidates and to evaluate tumor-associated antigens.
Assays include the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the Hemagglutination Assay (HA), and the microneutralization (MN) assay.
Humoral immunity is mediated by macromolecules found in extracellular fluids, such as secreted antibodies by B cells, complement proteins and certain antimicrobial peptides. These soluble proteins can be detected and quantified by an ELISA.
The HA is a serologic assay used to detect virus antibodies and to diagnose some enveloped viruses, such as influenza viruses.
The MN assay is a highly sensitive and specific assay for detecting virus-specific neutralizing antibodies to influenza viruses.