Scientific Communications

Ten years ago, we introduced the first research ELISA kits designed to easily measure Kynurenine (Kyn) and Tryptophan (Trp) concentrations […]

Dopamine, Serotonin, GABA, Glutamate, Histamine, Norepinephrine, Serine, Octopamine, … To generate spatial information about key neuromodulators and neurotransmitters, neurobiologists typically perform stainings against enzymes (e.g. TH for dopamine, GAD65-67 for GABA), receptors (e.g. Glutamate) or transporters (e.g. Norepinephrine, Glutamate). Why?

TH expression does not necessarily indicate that neurons are metabolically active and produce dopamine. Therefore, several groups interested in organoid-based modeling of Parkinson’s disease have combined standard markers of dopaminergic neurons, such as TH and GIRK2, with direct staining of dopamine using anti-hapten antibodies, as well as ELISA kits for quantifying dopamine release in supernatant.

Serotonin (5HT) is one of the most potent monoamine neurotransmitters and peripheral signaling molecules. Therefore, tools allowing for the evaluation of serotonergic systems are valuable to approach the complex 5HT activities in physiological and pathological situations, but also to investigate mechanisms of action of novel disease-targeting therapies. For this purpose, we have set up and validated a series of experimental immunoassays specifically raised against 5HT.

Given the importance of the polyamine pathway in cancer progression and resistance to treatment, investigating it requires robust tools. To this aim, we developed and validated the first ELISA kits to quantify ornithine, N1-acetylspermidine, and N8-acetylspermidine in samples of different natures (plasma, cell culture supernatants) and different species (mouse, human).

Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the most potent monoamine neurotransmitters and peripheral signaling molecules. Physiologically, 5-HT has complex and diverse effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems, neuroendocrine regulation, and immunological responses. We recently developed and added to our catalog a novel antibody raised against 5-HT, compatible with formalin-fixed biological materials.

Given the importance of the Arginase pathway in pathophysiological processes, we have developed and validated a robust and easy-to-use immunoassay for the simultaneous detection and quantification of both L-Arginine and L-Ornithine in plasma / serum.

Among mechanisms associated with cancer immune evasion, the activation of the Kynurenine Pathway (KP) is known to play a key role and has thus been proposed as a therapeutic target to improve current immune checkpoint blockade-based immunotherapies.

L-Arginine is a key amino acid in the immune regulation and can be targeted as part of an anti-tumor response. We have thus developed and validated an ELISA kit for the detection and quatification of L-Arginine in biological samples.

New highlight in Annals of Oncology!
In this study, Peyraud at al. show that plasmatic level of L-Arginine (Arg) is associated with clinical outcome of patients treated with immune checkpoint blockers (ICB). Using an ELISA approach for Arg quantification (#IS-I-0400R) applied on two independent cohorts, authors demonstrated that low plasmatic level of Arg was associated with a worse clinical outcome.