Abstract
Antibodies are critical effector molecules of the humoral immune system. Upon infection or vaccination, populations of antibodies are generated which bind to various regions of the invading pathogen or exogenous agent. Defining the reactivity and breadth of this antibody response provides an understanding of the antigenic determinants and enables the rational development and assessment of vaccine candidates. High-resolution analysis of these populations typically requires advanced techniques such as B cell receptor repertoire sequencing, mass spectrometry of isolated immunoglobulins, or phage display libraries that are dependent upon equipment and expertise which are prohibitive for many labs. High-density peptide microarrays representing diverse populations of putative linear epitopes (immunoarrays) are an effective alternative for high-throughput examination of antibody reactivity and diversity. While a promising technology, widespread adoption of immunoarrays has been limited by the need for, and relative absence of, user-friendly tools for consideration and visualization of the emerging data. To address this limitation, we developed EPIphany, a software platform with a simple web-based user interface, aimed at biological users, that provides access to important analysis parameters, data normalization options, and a variety of unique data visualization options. This platform provides researchers the greatest opportunity to extract biologically meaningful information from the immunoarray data, thereby facilitating the discovery and development of novel immuno-therapeutics.
Highlights
Antibodies are critical effector molecules of humoral immunity
To make immunoarray technology more accessible to researchers of all backgrounds, we have developed a program called EPIphany (“EPItope arrays Pose Hard ANalYsis problems”) which provides to the research community a web service featuring an intuitive user interface to analyze immunoarray data
While the most notable potential contribution of the immunoarrays to vaccine development is within the context of identifying vaccine targets, they can inform strategies of formulation and delivery, including adjuvant selection, to impact the magnitude, breadth, and specificity of the humoral immune response
Summary
Antibodies are critical effector molecules of humoral immunity Through their ability to recognize and bind specific targets (epitopes) these proteins serve as a critical line of defence by neutralizing potential threats while activating higher-level immune responses. The antibody population present within mammals offers valuable insight into their past, present, and future health. This complex and diverse population of antibodies reflects the immunological. Shifts in the reactivities of the population in response to a stimulus, like infection, inform the immunological nuances of the host-pathogen interaction, information that can be applied to guide rationale design of vaccines as well as disease diagnosis and prognosis
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