Multiplex Microscopy Assay for Assessment of Therapeutic and Serum Antibodies against Emerging Pathogens

Abstract

The emergence of novel pathogens, exemplified recently by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), highlights the need for rapidly deployable and adaptable diagnostic assays to assess their impact on human health and guide public health responses in future pandemics. In this study, we developed an automated multiplex microscopy assay coupled with machine learning-based analysis for antibody detection. To achieve multiplexing and simultaneous detection of multiple viral antigens, we devised a barcoding strategy utilizing a panel of HeLa-based cell lines. Each cell line expressed a distinct viral antigen, along with a fluorescent protein exhibiting a unique subcellular localization pattern for cell classification. Our robust, cell segmentation and classification algorithm, combined with automated image acquisition, ensured compatibility with a high-throughput approach. As a proof of concept, we successfully applied this approach for quantitation of immunoreactivity against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins in sera of patients or vaccinees, as well as for the study of selective reactivity of monoclonal antibodies. Importantly, our system can be rapidly adapted to accommodate other SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as any antigen of a newly emerging pathogen, thereby representing an important resource in the context of pandemic preparedness.