UCSF

Rapid point-of-care, antibody-based testing is not currently available for the diagnosis of most autoimmune and infectious diseases. Here we report a simple, robust and ultrafast fluid-phase immunocapture method for clinical measurements of antibody levels. This method employs neodymium magnetic sticks that capture protein A/G-coated paramagnetic beads bound to antibody-luciferase-labeled antigen complexes. We demonstrate the ability to effectively measure specific antibody levels in serum samples from patients with varied infectious or autoimmune disorders, and in the case of Sjögren's syndrome directly in saliva, requiring about a minute per assay. We also show the feasibility of coupling this method with a hand-held luminometer for portable testing. Our method offers the potential to quickly diagnose a multitude of autoimmune and infectious diseases in point-of-care settings.