In ANCA diagnostics clincians repeatedly come across sera that show an ambiguous result in indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) or for which the confirmatory ELISA is not sensitive enough. In these cases, a reliable interpretation of the overall result is rendered impossible by discrepant data. EUROIMMUN now offers several innovations to solve these problems:

1.) In indirect immunofluorescence we have supplemented our Granulocyte Mosaic with further very useful BIOCHIPs. HEp-2 cells coated with granulocytes enable immediate differentiation between ANCA and ANA, BIOCHIPs with PR3 or MPO antigen dots (EUROPLUS) provide additional information for reliable interpretation of results. In daily practice, this means time savings in evaluation and establishment of diagnosis.

2.) In the diagnosis of Wegener’s granulomatosis, autoantibodies against proteinase 3 can be detected with yet unsurpassed sensitivity by ELISA using a new human designer antigen (see poster). In a clinical study carried out by the ANCA reference centre of the University of Maastricht, the new EUROIMMUN Anti-PR3-hn-hr ELISA showed an impressive hit rate in laboratory routine (Damoiseaux et al., Ann Rheum Dis, 2008 Mar 28, Epub ahead of print).

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