A liquid-phase blood test that reads many infection-related antibodies for head and neck conditions
Multiplex In-Solution Protein Array (MISPA) for high throughput, quantitative, early profiling of pathogen-induced head and neck
This project builds a lab test that measures lots of infection-related antibodies at once to help people with head and neck cancers or throat infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Arizona State University-Tempe Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146372 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers are using a new method called MISPA that lets many protein targets float in liquid so antibodies in a blood sample can bind more naturally. Each protein is given a unique barcode and the team reads those barcodes with next-generation sequencing to count antibodies with high sensitivity and wide dynamic range. The approach has been used to look for HPV antibodies in oropharyngeal cancer patients and to profile responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory germs across more than 1,000 samples. The goal is a reproducible, high-throughput test that could be run in research and clinical labs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with head and neck cancers (such as HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer), suspected throat or respiratory infections, or volunteers able to provide blood samples would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People whose conditions are unrelated to antibody responses or who cannot give blood are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give earlier and more accurate antibody-based information to help diagnose infections or infection-linked head and neck cancers and guide care decisions.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier R21-supported work and collaborations with NCI SeroNet applied MISPA to HPV and coronavirus samples and showed strong signal-to-background, good reproducibility, and application to over 1,000 samples, indicating promising performance.
Where this research is happening
Scottsdale, United States
- Arizona State University-Tempe Campus — Scottsdale, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Labaer, Joshua — Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
- Study coordinator: Labaer, Joshua
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.