Clinical Immunology Newsletter最新文献

To our knowledge SpermCheck I represents the first immunodiagnostic device that has been developed to rapidly measure sperm in a platform suitable for both physician office and over-the-counter testing. At the time of this writing, the prototype device is poised to undergo clinical testing to gain the necessary performance data for the FDA approval process. The successful development of the working prototype establishes the proof of concept that immunodiagnostic devices of sufficient sensitivity can be developed to create products useful for male infertility as well as contraception and post-asectomy cases.

The impact of these devices on the practice of urology and infertility may be wide. Significant cost saving will occur in shifting the paradigm for sperm testing from laboratory microscope to a handheld immunodiagnostic device for home use. When infertility is suspected in a couple, these devices may well reduce unnecessary testing of women by provid- ing privacy to men and encouragement to them to assess male fertility status early in the diagnostic process. Further, follow- ing vasectomy, the SpermCheck I test will indicate when to discontinue other methods of contraception and prevent unanticipated pregnancy. The development of the SpermCheck I immunodiagnostic test parallels efforts underway by several organizations to develop a male “pill.” By virtue of its ability to determine when sperm counts have fallen to very low levels, SpermCheck I provides a companion test for men considering using a male contraceptive. Eventual availability of SpermCheck devices may help to hasten the general acceptance of male methods of contraception and contribute to equitable contraceptive responsibility between men and women.

The detection of iselt autoantibodies provides a powerful tool for the prediction of type 1 diabetes. Combining initial genetic screening with later autoantibody testing may be the most efficacious approach to identifying beta-cell autoimmunity. Once safe and effective interventional methods are available, widespread public health service projects should be undertaken to prevent type 1 diabetes. Table 10 summarizes the use of autoantibody markers in the prediction of type 1 diabetes.

Production of and receptivity to cytokines is an essential component of T-cell activation.^1,4,5 Activation is a balance of cytokine expression, cytokine secretion, expression of cell surface cytokine receptors and secretion of soluble cytokine receptors. All of these factors interact to direct an immune response. The observed biological activity of in vitro activated cell cultures is influenced greatly by the presence of mixed cell populations and the method of activation. Control of responding cell populations and careful choice of activation methodology are important in designing experiments.⁹ In order to study fully the role of cytokines in activation and development of immunity, we have developed an inter-related and compatible group of products designed to work together to study cytokine biology as it relates to T-cell activation. The kits facilitate preparation of T-cell enriched cell suspensions, establishment of activated cells cultures, and measurement of biological activity based on cytokine biology. Our analysis methods are based on combining expression of intracytoplasmic cytokines, cell surface cytokine receptors, and secreted cytokines. Combining these analysis strategies can provide more information about cytokine non-responsiveness than any of the assays alone. Analysis of both intracellular cytokine and secreted cytokine complement each other providing confirmational data of each method of analysis. These assays can have a direct clinical impact when applied to the study of T-cell function in HIV and other viral infections, autoimmunity, and transplantation biology.