Comparison of three multiplex immunoassays for biomarker analysis in stratum corneum tape strips

Product:

Inflammation Panel 250

Topic:

Inflammation

Disease Area:

Dermatitis

Sample Type:

Skin Tape

Topic/Product:

Inflammation Panel 250

Disease Area:

Dermatitis

Sample Type:

Skin Tape

Abstract

This study compared three multiplex immunoassay platforms, Meso Scale Discovery (MSD), NULISA, and Olink, for detecting protein markers in stratum corneum tape strips, a non-invasive sampling method challenged by low protein yield. We evaluated 30 shared proteins across all three platforms, plus 9 additional proteins shared only between MSD and NULISA, and 1 between MSD and OLINK, using samples from non-lesional skin and skin affected by patch test-induced irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, and clinical hand dermatitis. Proteins were considered detectable when more than 50% of samples exceeded the platform’s protein-specific detection limit. MSD demonstrated the highest sensitivity, detecting 70% of shared proteins, followed by NULISA (30%) and Olink (16.7%). Four proteins, CXCL8, VEGFA, IL18, and CCL2, were detected by all three platforms with interclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.5 to 0.86. The three platforms exhibited similar differential expression patterns between control and dermatitis-affected skin, supporting overall concordance. MSD uniquely provided absolute protein concentrations, enabling normalization for variable SC content, while NULISA and Olink required smaller sample volumes and fewer assay runs. Generalizability to other diseases and biomarkers requires further investigation.

Authors & Affiliations

Nariman K. A. Metwally¹²³⁷, Florentine de Boer¹⁷, Jop Vreeken⁴, Wouter Ouwerkerk⁴⁵, Thomas Rustemeyer⁶, Henk F. van der Molen¹, and Sanja Kezic¹

¹ Public and Occupational Health Department, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
² Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
³ Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
⁴ Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
⁵ National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
⁶ Dermato-Allergology and Occupational Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands
⁷ Nariman K. A. Metwally and Florentine de Boer contributed equally to this work

Steve Williams, MD, PhD

CSO

Dr. Willams serves as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Standard Biotools and at SomaLogic where he pioneered the discipline for discovery and validation of predictive, diagnostic and prognostic models using machine-learning applied to large-plex proteomics. 20 such tests were used for drug characterization, safety and efficacy when incorporated in clinical drug trials at Pharma/Biotech and 17 different multivariate tests were validated and translated into regulated healthcare uses. Prior to SomaLogic, Dr. Williams was at Pfizer in the UK and the USA as a clinical triallist in Translational Medicine, and subsequently as VP, Global Clinical Technology. He sat on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Executive Committee for the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, and worked with FDA and PhRMA on developing evidentiary standards for biomarker qualification. Dr. William’s medical training was in London, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, followed by a PhD in medicine/physiology at the same institution and training in Radiology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Steve is co-inventor on 26 proteomics patents and author/coauthor on multiple foundational proteomics manuscripts.

Justin McAnear

CFO

Mr. McAnear serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of operational and financial leadership experience across various sectors and was instrumental in taking 10x Genomics public in 2019, serving as its CFO for over five years. Mr. McAnear served for over 3 years as Tesla’s VP of Worldwide Finance and Operations, supporting landmark initiatives such as the Model X and Model 3 launches and Solar City acquisition. He also held various roles at Apple and J&J earlier in his career and served as a naval officer and aviator for over 9 years.