TASC offers its users two state of the art nano-fluidic immunoassay technologies from ProteinSimple (charge-separation based nano-immunoassay, and size-separation based nano-immunoassay: SimpleWestern) for defining protein signatures and measuring proteomic response to targeted therapies in rare clinical specimens. These novel proteomic technologies are currently unavailable elsewhere at Stanford, and there are no commercial providers that can offer this assay service.

TASC has recently acquired the newest ProteinSimple assay platform, PeggySue, capable of separating proteins based on both charge (NIA), as well as size (quantitative capillary-based SimpleWestern).  Using NIA and SimpleWestern technology to observe changes in various signaling pathways, new assays developed at TASC have helped define various novel targets for cancer, heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, and several other diseases.

Nano Immuno-Assay is an automated nano-fluidic method that uses isoelectric protein focusing and antibody detection to quantify protein expression and resolve un-phosphorylated from single- and multiple- phosphorylated protein isoforms in as few as 25 cells of starting material. All steps are performed in a single capillary. A precision robot moves capillaries to the sample, reagent, incubation, and separation chambers as dictated by the assay protocol. To date, assays have been developed for over 20 proteins to observe proteomic changes in proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and various signaling pathways.

O'Neill, R.A. et al. Isoelectric focusing technology quantifies protein signaling in 25 cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 16153–16158 (2006).

Fan AC, et al. Nanofluidic proteomic assay for serial analysis of oncoprotein activation in clinical specimens. Nat Med. 2009 May;15(5):566-71.