Development of an ultrasensitive hetero-sandwich ELISA assay based on bispecific monoclonal antibody for the detection of dengue NS1 protein

Abstract

BackgroundDengue is one of the major public health concern affecting nearly 2.5 billion people throughout the world. Development of a safe, cost effective and sensitive diagnostic test for the detection of dengue is of great significance. This will help to control the early infections particularly for children and young adults who are the most susceptible. This article outlines the development of a quadroma-based capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of the dengue virus nonstructural protein NS1. MethodsBy using the bsmAb capture-antibody, the sensitivity of the sandwich ELISA assay developed, and used for the early detection of dengue infections. Results and discussionWe were able to establish a detection sensitivity of 31.25 pg/ml for NS1 protein from dengue 1 virus. A significant feature of the assay is, that it reduces the number of steps required to determine detection thus reducing the cost of the diagnosis. ConclusionThe ELISA assay developed is very sensitive, quicker, more sensitive and cheaper to administer, has the potential to become another useful diagnostic tool for the detection of dengue virus.