Antigenome Platform: An autoantigen discovery pipeline

Unmet Need

The human body contains approximately 60 trillion antibodies per microliter of blood in circulation, creating a vast and complex network of immune interactions. Identifying the targets of this plethora of antibodies is a time-consuming and cumbersome process, often rendered nearly impossible by widely available technology. This challenge is particularly critical in the study of autoimmune diseases, where autoantibodies—antibodies targeting self-proteins—are mediators of disease. Additionally, understanding the spectrum of antibody targets has far-reaching implications beyond autoimmune diseases, including virology, the microbiome, cancer pathology, vaccine development, and other fields of biomedical research. A high-throughput, versatile platform is needed to overcome these barriers and enable efficient identification of antibody targets at scale.

Technology

Duke inventors have developed a versatile antigen discovery platform, capable of identifying the specific targets of hundreds to millions of antibodies in one single assay. The platform consists of a specially crafted cDNA library, a phage display system, serum autoantibody screening, and a robust analytics pipeline.

This technology has been validated in the context of lupus, where known and novel autoantibodies were identified. Further, the technology identified antibody targets consistently with common laboratory assays, such as ELISAs. The inventors applied this technology to the study of autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis, where they identified antibodies that may inform disease initiation and progression as well as antibodies linked to therapeutic response and disease progression.

Though initially tested for autoimmune diseases, the platform’s adaptable design allows for broader applications. By altering the genetic material and antibody sources, researchers could leverage it in the study of many other disciplines including cancer biology, viral immunity, and microbiome interactions.

Advantages

• Stringent and specific presentation of hundreds to millions of protein antibody targets in one assay.
• Agnostically identifies autoantigens.
• Reproducible results.
• Multiplexing samples allows for assaying many samples in one assay
• Customizable for different fields of study