THE GOAL OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A NOVEL NONAGGLUTINATION METHOD FOR PRECISE, RAPID, AND COST- EFFECTIVE IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT ANTIBODIES TO RED BLOOD CELL (RBC), WHITE BLOOD CELL (WBC), AND PLATELET ANTIGENS.

THE GOAL OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A NOVEL NONAGGLUTINATION METHOD FOR PRECISE, RAPID, AND COST- EFFECTIVE IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT ANTIBODIES TO RED BLOOD CELL (RBC), WHITE BLOOD CELL (WBC), AND PLATELET ANTIGENS. BY COMBINING AN ENZYME-LINKED ASSAY SYSTEM WITH CELL MEMBRANE FRAGMENTS IMMOBILIZED ON A GLASS MICROFIBER SUBSTRATE, ANTIBODIES IN 0.5 MICROLITER SAMPLES OF HUMAN SERUM CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES, WITH UP TO 96 TESTS BEING PERFORMED SIMULTANEOUSLY. IN ADDITION,THE IMMOBILIZED ANTIGEN SHOWS NO NOTICEABLE LOSS OF SENSITIVITY FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS WHEN STORED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY. THIS STABILITY IS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THE THREE WEEK SHELF-LIFE OF REFRIGERATED CELL PANELS ROUTINELY USED. TAKEN TOGETHER, OUR INITIAL WORK STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT THIS NONAGGLUTINATION METHOD WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT PRACTICAL ADVANCE OVER TECHNIQUES NOW USED FORPRETRANSFUSION TESTING. ONCE REFINED, THIS SYSTEM MAY BE USED TO DETECT OTHER CLINICALLY RELEVANT ANTIBODIES SUCH AS THOSE TO HEPATITIS VIRUS ANTIGENS AND HTLV-III.