Automation and performance validation of the pooled donor basophil activation test for chronic urticaria using the Hamilton STAR system

IF 1.7 4区医学 Q4 BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS

Journal of immunological methods Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-04 DOI:10.1016/j.jim.2025.114009

Jessica Chavez, Evan W. McConnell, Rogger Alcalde, Ajay Grover, Deborah Boles, Christopher M. Shuford, Russell P. Grant, Andre Valcour, Saintedym Wills

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study presents the automation of the pooled donor basophil activation test (PD-BAT) for chronic urticaria, transitioning from a previously published manual assay in tubes to an automated 96-well plate format using the Hamilton Microlab STAR system. The primary aim is to enhance throughput and robustness in a commercial lab environment while maintaining assay accuracy and reproducibility. Donor screening included 36 individuals, of which 16 were selected for pooled assays. A total of 90 sera were analyzed in parallel by manual and automated methods. The automated PD-BAT demonstrated 93.3% qualitative agreement (r > 0.97) with the manual assay. Throughput improved through automation, a 66% reduction in hands-on time was observed between the manual (9 h/batch) and automated (3 h/batch) methods. Discordant results (6.7%) occurred only near the technical cutoff, highlighting both the robustness and limitations of the method. This automation represents a valuable advancement over the manual assay, optimizing laboratory workflows.

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使用Hamilton STAR系统的慢性荨麻疹联合供体嗜碱性粒细胞激活试验的自动化和性能验证。

本研究介绍了慢性荨麻疹的池供体嗜碱性粒细胞激活试验（PD-BAT）的自动化，从以前发表的试管人工检测过渡到使用Hamilton Microlab STAR系统的96孔板自动化检测。主要目的是在商业实验室环境中提高通量和稳健性，同时保持测定的准确性和可重复性。供体筛选包括36个个体，其中16个被选中进行合并分析。共90份血清采用手工和自动化方法并行分析。自动PD-BAT与人工分析的定性一致性为93.3 % （r > 0.97）。通过自动化提高了吞吐量，在手动（9 h/批）和自动化（3 h/批）方法之间观察到操作时间减少了66 %。不一致的结果（6.7 %）仅发生在技术截止点附近，突出了该方法的稳健性和局限性。这种自动化代表了人工分析的一个有价值的进步，优化了实验室工作流程。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of immunological methods 医学-免疫学

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

120

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Immunological Methods is devoted to covering techniques for: (1) Quantitating and detecting antibodies and/or antigens. (2) Purifying immunoglobulins, lymphokines and other molecules of the immune system. (3) Isolating antigens and other substances important in immunological processes. (4) Labelling antigens and antibodies. (5) Localizing antigens and/or antibodies in tissues and cells. (6) Detecting, and fractionating immunocompetent cells. (7) Assaying for cellular immunity. (8) Documenting cell-cell interactions. (9) Initiating immunity and unresponsiveness. (10) Transplanting tissues. (11) Studying items closely related to immunity such as complement, reticuloendothelial system and others. (12) Molecular techniques for studying immune cells and their receptors. (13) Imaging of the immune system. (14) Methods for production or their fragments in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. In addition the journal will publish articles on novel methods for analysing the organization, structure and expression of genes for immunologically important molecules such as immunoglobulins, T cell receptors and accessory molecules involved in antigen recognition, processing and presentation. Submitted full length manuscripts should describe new methods of broad applicability to immunology and not simply the application of an established method to a particular substance - although papers describing such applications may be considered for publication as a short Technical Note. Review articles will also be published by the Journal of Immunological Methods. In general these manuscripts are by solicitation however anyone interested in submitting a review can contact the Reviews Editor and provide an outline of the proposed review.