Services do NOT include

Shipment of vaccine formulations. It is not currently possible for users who access the service to come to LSHTM for the purposes of training etc.

Possible Output

Raw data will be provided to users in the form of cytokine concentrations measured in potency assay samples.

Sample Requirements - input of users

Users should provide vaccine formulations, plus any necessary controls, in sufficient quantities for testing in 5-6 donor blood samples.

Lead Scientist

Prof Hazel M Dockrell

Luminex potency assay for cytokine/chemokine responses in human blood

Publications

  • Smith SG et al. Broad heparin-binding haemagglutinin-specific cytokine and chemokine response in infants following Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccination. Eur J Immunol. 2012 Sep;42(9):2511-22

  • Lalor MK et al. BCG vaccination induces different cytokine profiles following infant BCG vaccination in the UK and Malawi. J Infect Dis. 2011 Oct 1;204(7):1075-85

 

Further information is available from the service provider

Description of service

Luminex potency assay for cytokine/chemokine responses in human blood. LSHTM will provide an ex vivo whole-blood assay to compare the potency of vaccine candidates based on their ability to induce innate and adaptive cytokine and chemokine responses, detected by capturing the secreted proteins on customised or commercial Luminex bead arrays. This can be used to confirm the potency of vaccine candidates in a human immune system model, to compare different vaccines or the same vaccine produced in different expression hosts, or to ensure consistent production quality and batch-to-batch reproducibility, including of live whole cell vaccines. The service will be provided as units of access that enable testing of 35 supernatants in duplicate in addition to the necessary standards and biological controls.

Timeline 

1-2 months*

Provider 

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK

Contact 

Prof Hazel M Dockrell

Hazel.dockrell@lshtm.ac.uk

0044 7595090549

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* 1-2 months, once any Material Transfer Agreements are agreed and vaccine formulations are received. If required, applicants may wish to perform the cell culture work themselves and send supernatants to LSHTM for analysis.