CORONA - VirAn- Joint project: High-throughput multiplex bead assays; subproject 2: Novel solid-phase bead assays for multiplex measurement of antibodies and inflammatory mediators in the diagnosis of virus-related respiratory diseases.

The subproject focuses on a new solid-phase bead assay (SBA) for multiplex determination and characterization of antibodies as well as for single-molecule detection of biomarkers (antigens) in the context of diagnostics of respiratory diseases. The envisaged overall system can also be used for research into the efficacy of vaccines in vaccine development. In the subproject, a diagnostic overall system is developed, which consists of the subsystems SBA, measuring device and software. By applying this system to the determination of antiviral antibodies of different antibody classes and their avidity or the concentration of inflammatory mediators in blood sera, statements on the course of the disease and the immunocompetence of the patients or the effectiveness of vaccines should become possible. The main scientific and technical objectives are: 1. development of SBA for the determination of IgA, IgG, IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses and comparison with suspension bead assays, 2. development of a method for multiplex avidity determination of antiviral antibodies in blood sera, 3. development of an antigen SBA and a digital antigen SBA for the detection of the inflammatory mediators CRP and IL-6 as early markers of viral sepsis and comparison of both detection methods. Comparison with suspension bead assays, 4. development of a measurement device platform including control/evaluation software based on imaging fluorescence spectroscopy for the evaluation of digital bead assays, 5. development of an instrument system and SBA to perform avidity determinations of antibodies in blood sera and integration into the measurement device platform, 6. the performance of the new assays should reach and partly exceed that of the assays currently available on the market.