Technologies

　We have developed a new microarray preparation method using new special photo-reactive polymers. The microarray chips have covalently immobilized biopolymers, virus components, or cells and also provide high S/N ratio because of suppressing nonspecific protein adsorption on non-immobilized regions. In addition, we have developed an instrument that can automatically assay the interactions of molecules with the microarray-immobilized ones.

　The world’s first compact microarray measurement platform was realized as DropScreen® which is commercially available from Nippon Chemiphar Co., Ltd. in Japan. The allergy detection kit is approved as an in vitro diagnostic and covered by Japanese Medical Insurance.

<Publications>

Microarray for COVID-19 antibody detection

Hiroharu Kashiwagi, Nobuhiro Morishima, Sei Obuse, Takashi Isoshima, Jun Akimoto, and Yoshihiro Ito, “SARS-CoV-2 proteins microarray by photoimmobilization for serodiagnosis of the antibodies”, Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 94, 2435-2443 (2021)

Microarray for allergy diagnosis (specific IgE for allergen)

Yoshihiro Ito, Nozomi Moritsugu, Takahisa Matsue, Kiyomi Mitsukoshi, Hiroto Ayame, Norihiro Ookouchi, Hideshi Hattori, Hideo Tashiro, Sakura Sato, and Motohiro Ebisawa,“An automated multiplex specific IgE assay system using a photoimmobilized microarray”, J. Biotechnol., 161, 414– 421 (2012)

Microarray for infection history

Ponnurengam Malliappan Sivakumar, Nozomi Moritsugu, Sei Obuse, Takashi Isoshima, Hideo Tashiro, and Yoshihiro Ito, “Novel microarrays for simultaneous serodiagnosis of multiple antiviral antibodies”, PLoS ONE, 8, e81726 (2013)

Microarray for auto-immune diseases diagnosis

Takahiro Matsudaira, Saki Tsuzuki, Akira Wada, Akira Suwa, Hitoshi Kohsaka, Maiko Tomida, and Yoshihiro Ito, “Automated microfluidic assay system for autoantibodies found in autoimmune diseases using a photoimmobilized autoantigen microarray,” Biotechnol. Prog., 24, 1384-1392 (2008)

Microarray of cells for antibody typing

Yoshihiro Ito, Tetsuya Yamauchi, Makoto Uchikawa, and Yoshihide Ishikawa, “Photo-immobilized array of panel cells for assay of antibodies”, Biomaterials, 27, 2502-2506 (2006)

Photo-immobilization microarray               Yoshihiro Ito, “Photoimmobilization for microarrays”, Biotechnol. Prog., 22, 924-932 (2006)