Antibody inks could replace ELISA in biomedical research

A team from Swansea University envisages a situation where every hospital has a specially adapted printer and antibody inks to produce made-to-order reams of testing-patch cut-outs.  

The technology is aiming to replace enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), which use 96-well microplates for all manner of biomedical research work and diagnostics.

While relatively simple in principle, they still require a skilled laboratory technician to operate, thus automated solutions have been muted for many years.

A team of engineers at Swansea, which specialises in flow dynamics, was approached to come up with an alternative technology.

Rather than trying to build one of the much-hyped ‘lab-on-a-chip’ devices — which often require supporting electronics, pumps or valves — the team looked for a simpler approach.

‘We were basically aiming to scale it down and make it easy to mass produce, plus cut down on labour, costs and expertise,’ researcher Chris Phillips of Swansea told The Engineer.

The project also gathers several partner organisations, including Micropharm, which produces antibodies at its base in Newcastle Emlyn; Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust; and Innovia Films of Kimbra, which will provide advice on the choice of substrate and materials.