Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha)
Ultrasensitive Immunoassay
Rules-Based Medicine’s (RBM) internally developed and manufactured ultrasensitive immunoassay to interferon alpha (IFN- α) based on the Simoa® bead technology can accurately quantitate sub-pg/mL levels of IFN- α in human serum and plasma. High circulating IFN-α is associated with increased clinical severity of diseases, including viral infection and autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.
IFN-α consists of 14 distinct isoforms and belongs to the type I family of interferons made and released by leukocytes normally to protect against viral infections. Canonical IFN-α signaling involves binding to the heterodimeric transmembrane IFN-α/β receptor to activate JAK1 and TYK2 which leads to phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT2 and transcription of several hundred IFN-regulated genes. Because of its antiviral effects, IFN-α has been developed and approved for the treatment of Hepatitis B and C and is also used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy for some cancers.
IFN-α is also involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Persistent, non-physiological exposure to IFN-α can have detrimental effects by inducing immunosuppressive pathways. Additionally, elevated levels of IFN-α in serum has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, most notably systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and dermatomyositis, as well as monogenic type I interferonopathies. These functions of IFN-α highlight the need to monitor IFN-α levels in normal and diseased individuals along with patients undergoing therapy.
Swiss-Prot Accession Number:
Alternate names for this biomarker include:
IFN-a
| Biomarker | LLOQ* (Serum and Plasma) |
LLOQ* (Undiluted Samples) |
Volume Required | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serum or plasma | Other fluids** | |||
| Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) | 0.11 pg/mL | 0.055 pg/mL | 150 µL | 150 µL |
* Lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) represents the lowest amount of an analyte that can be quantitatively determined with acceptable precision. LLOQ is determined by performing 2-fold serial dilutions of Standard to be tested in triplicate over three runs. The percent coefficient of variation (CV) is calculated for each of the dilution replicates, and the LLOQ is determined as the concentration at which the CV is 30%.
** Cerebrospinal fluid, urine, tissue culture supernatants, bronchoalveolar lavage, synovial fluid, tissue extracts, tears, skin washings, etc.
All assay services are performed in our CLIA-certified laboratory.
Intended for Research Use Only.