Assay Detects IgG-Mediated Food Intolerance

The test comprises glass slides onto which 16 microarrays of over 200 different foods have been printed. Each microarray includes standards for quantitation and positive and negative controls for quality control. Food IgGs are detected by a novel fluorescent dye labeled anti-human IgG conjugate and results are measured using a laser scanner. Fluorescence intensity is directly proportional to antibody activity in the sample. Only 4 µl samples of blood, plasma, or serum are required for the high throughput, multiplex assay.

Genesis Diagnostics Ltd. (Littleport, UK), developed the Genarray 200+ Foods IgG assay. The assay has a number of advantages over the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), including increased sample throughput, small reagent volumes, and more information. It is highly miniaturized: one slide is used instead of 80 microtiter plates, allowing 64 samples to be assayed in less than two hours.

IgG reactions to food have been implicated in a number of chronic diseases including arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, bronchitis, and depression. Such reactions involve the formation and deposition of antigen/antibody complexes in a variety of tissues where they cause inflammation, pain, and other symptoms. The measurement of food-specific antibodies by microplate-based immunoassays is currently used for the assessment of these reactions and several studies have shown that food elimination diets, based on food IgG determinations, often help resolve symptoms.



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