In the fast-paced scenario of medical diagnostics and life sciences research, Quanterix has raised the bar with its radically new way of thinking about biomarkers and their detection. At Merkel, we've watched the strides that Quanterix has made in innovation and would like to share our understanding with you regarding how its technology is changing the landscape of biomarker findings.
The Quanterix Difference: Simoa Technology
Central to Quanterix's bold new direction is its proprietary Single Molecule Array, or Simoa: an ultra-sensitive digital immunoassay platform designed for detecting and quantifying biomarkers in airborne matter, at levels far below those measurable using other means.
How Simoa Works?
It operates by trapping single immunocomplexes in femtoliter wells on paramagnetic beads. Only under conditions of this extreme isolation is a signal-to-background ratio reached that allows the detection of single molecules.
1. Hook: Attach immobilized antibodies targeting the biomarker to be measured on the paramagnetic beads.
2. Conjugation: The sample is then added and the target molecules, if present, attach themselves to the antibodies. A second, typically biotinylated, antibody is added to create a sandwich immunocomplex.
3. Loading: Beads are loaded onto the Simoa disc where it is topped with an array of femtoliter-sized wells, designed to capture exactly one bead per well.
4. Detection: Detection and quantification of a developed fluorescent signal because of the enzyme-substrate reaction.
This way, Quanterix is capable of detecting biomarkers at concentrations of femtograms per milliliter, up to 1000 times more sensitive than traditional ELISA methods.
Applications in Various Fields
Enabled by Simoa technology, these extraordinary detection capabilities opened new horizons in various areas of medical research and diagnostics.
Neurology
Quanterix's neurology technology shakes up both fields of biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and injuries to the brain. For example:
- Highly sensitive blood levels of tau and beta-amyloid protein can be measured, which occurs with Simoa assays for this disease and which might reduce the diagnostic and monitoring thresholds for this disease.
- Traumatic brain injury: The ability to measure even minuscule amounts of the neurofilament light chain in blood could change everything for both concussion and other brain injuries.
Oncology
Cancer research and diagnostics can also be pursued using ultra-sensitive detection techniques from Quanterix.
Early diagnosis: Since the cancer biomarkers can be detected at very low concentrations, early detection can be achieved for such a disease.
Treatment Monitoring: Precise quantification of ctDNA has the potential to make treatment outcomes more closely monitored and allow early detection of recurrences.
Infectious diseases
Quanterix Puts New Opportunities on the Horizon in Infectious Disease:
- Viral Load Detection: Ultrasensitive detection of viral proteins could enable the diagnosis of infections far earlier than usual and more accurate viral load monitoring during treatment.
- Vaccine Development: Immune responses at very low levels can be more accurately quantified, hence expediting vaccine development by improving the testing process through Simoa technology.
The HD-X Analyzer: Taking Simoa into the lab.
The Quanterix HD-X Analyzer is the state-of-the-art Simoa technology-based equipment deployed in research laboratories. The fully automated platform offers the following:
- High Throughput: Capable of dealing with samples up to 384 in a single run.
- Multiplication Capabilities: Measurement of 6 analytes at once for a sample.
- Operating Software: Friendly user interface for operability and intuitiveness of data analysis.
- Flexible Assay Menu: The Luminex has a wide range of preconfigured assays and supports the development of a custom assay.
Impact in Research and Diagnostics
Research advancement enabled by the capability to detect biomarkers at concentrations previously unattainable, Simoa technology is enabling researchers to:
- Research into biological processes at a finer scale
- Identify novel biomarkers, which would be previously unmeasurable
- Understand disease mechanisms that were previously hidden because of detection limits
Transforming Clinical Diagnostics
The ultra-sensitive detection by Quanterix can, in a clinical setting, have the potential to:
- Enable earlier disease detection, potentially before symptoms appear
- Improved tracking of disease progression and treatment effectiveness
- Reduce the necessity for invasive diagnostic procedures in biomarker detection in blood, previously necessitating CSF or tissue samples.
Standardization
Like any new technology, it is literally crying for signs of standardization among labs. Quanterix is doing its job well by leading work with different regulatory groups and industrial partners to develop standards for ultra-sensitive biomarker detection.
- Clinical Verification: Whereas the technology has demonstrated great promise in research settings, many applications require a large amount of clinical validation before they are widely adopted into general clinical practice.
- Cost Implications: Due to the high technological aspects, it costs higher than traditional methods. This is something we would expect to go down as time goes on with increased adoption and improvement in technology.
Conclusion
Quanterix Simoa represents a technological leap in the detection of biomarkers. Its use in measuring proteins at concentrations far below what is detected today by conventional assays opens entirely new ways to conduct research and diagnostics across most fields in medicine. But what Merkel is excited about is this technology and what it brings for our customers in the life sciences and clinical research arena. As we continue to track innovative work from Quanterix, we will likewise be committed to delivering clients the latest insights along with access to leading-edge technologies that can help accelerate research and improve outcomes for patients. The future of biomarker detection will be bright, sensitive, and more powerful than ever. We are really interested to see what the years to come bring about Quanterix technology; it is constantly shaping a new landscape for medical research and diagnostics.