Reliable diagnosis of murine type 1 diabetes using a panel of autoantigens and "antigen surrogates" mounted onto a liquid arrayElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00521c

• Main Authors: Doran, Todd M, Morimoto, Jumpei, Simanski, Scott, McEnaney, Patrick J, Kodadek, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 13.10.2015
• ISSN: 1742-206X; 1742-2051
• DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00521c

Autoantibodies raised against β cell antigens are the most reliable preclinical biomarkers for predicting the imminent onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The most current detection platforms are technically challenging or are run on clinically esoteric equipment. Here, we present a straightforward approach to detect autoantibody biomarkers that employs highly PEGylated microspheres onto which are mounted various capture agents that include affinity-tagged antigens or small molecule "antigen surrogates." After incubation with small quantities of serum, the bound autoantibodies can be measured using a standard flow cytometer. By multiplexing this assay, we show that a panel of antigen and antigen surrogates reliably predicts hyperglycemia in a mouse model of diabetes without false positives. A flow cytometer is used to measure autoantibody binding to antigens and antigen surrogates displayed on a multiplexed liquid array. Collectively, these biomarkers predict diabetes in NOD mice with high specificity.