Autoimmune hearing loss tests - From Ray Mullins

Ray Mullins asks:

Are there useful tests available in Aust for suspected autoimmune
hearing loss?
And does anyone have useful advice for management and assessment of benefit
other than frequent hearing tests?

Ab to Zn Transporter 8 - From Len Harrison

Dear all

Thanks to Len Harrison for  informing us of an assay for measurement of antibodies to "ZnTx8 Ab is measured by IP of 35S-methionine labeled in vitro translated protein, in the Endocrine Lab at the Royal Melbourne (contact Prof. Peter Colman). " Len

Immunology forum question - Zinc transporter 8 antibody - from David Heyworth-Smith

Greetings.  Is anyone offering routine testing of zinc transporter-8 autoantibodies?  We (QML) have received a solitary request.  My brief scanning of the literature suggests measurement may have some additive predictive value to anti-GAD and anti-IA2 in relatives of type 1 diabetics and also in assessment of late onset autoimmune diabetes.  Many thanks for any information and comments.
Kind regards
David

Dr. David Heyworth-Smith
Clinical Immunologist
QML Pathology
ph 07 31214444
david.heyworthsmith@qml.com.au

Ferroxidase activity in heterozygous caeruloplasmin states - Reply from Marv Fritzler to Damun Langguth

Thanks for the offer.  We have set up a good assay on Luminex with the help of several controls from the johns Hopkins group. I do many of my assays for a group of consultants in Quebec who have become very good at making the clinical diagnosis. In our hands at least 25% of high positives have no traceable history of current or past statin use.  What is you experience?

Hope to see you in 2014 when AI travel down under for the RCPA. 

- Marv

Assay Query (Aceruloplasminemia) - From Marv Fritzler

Dear all
Any help that can be provided for this query would be greatly
appreciated. 

"Is anyone doing the ferroxidase activity test (in order to further
validate a heterozygous genetic result for aceruloplasminemia)" - Marv Fritzler

Scleroderma-Associated Antibody Testing - From Theo deMalmanche

Dear colleagues,

  Can I ask who is offering testing for SSc associated Abs?  Particularly interested in the Th/To (we do RNAPIII by ELISA, and Ku is on the muscle LIA).

  A bit embarrassing that we don't already do these, but the validation process is a little tricky (and only a few antigens aren't on other EIA/LIA).

Thanks,

Theo

The LAMP Discussion on Immunology Groups Forum

Dear All

Apologies to those who received this previously, but I wished to inform you that this lively discussion on LAMP antibodies has now been posted to website

Regards

Glenn

LAMP - From Marv Fritzler

Sometimes rhetorical questions come across as conclusions.

This paper only deals with particular entities that had been claimed by another group  to have anti-LAMP-2 who also claimed they were pathogenic and had a molecular mimic.

All I am saying is that the paper you cite should not be taken to dismiss that anti-LAMP-2 have other clinical associations or that they don't exist.

 

 

Marvin J Fritzler PhD MD

Professor of Medicine

Chair: Alberta Research & Innovation Authority (ARIA)

LAMP - From David Fulcher

Well it was actually a question not a conclusion, but the data, showing a high false-positivity rate in UTI, rather limits the diagnostic value, right? And their large cohort, and failure to reproduce (what I thought was a very impressive initial paper), casts doubt in my mind anyway.

LAMP - From Marvin Fritzler

Careful on what you conclude is debunked...have a careful look at the conclusion.

 

Marvin J Fritzler PhD MD

Professor of Medicine

Chair: Alberta Research & Innovation Authority (ARIA)

LAMP Antibodies - Response From David Fulcher

Hasn't the lamp-2 story been debunked??

LAMP Antibodies - From Marvin Fritzler

we do anti-LAMP-2 in Calgary.

 

 

Marvin J Fritzler PhD MD

Professor of Medicine

Chair: Alberta Research & Innovation Authority (ARIA)

LAMP Antibodies

Dear All,

  A request from one of our renal physicians really.  Does anyone know of available testing for antibodies to LAMP (LAMP-2, I presume)?

  (young male pt with 14/17 glom with crescents, Ab neg on DIF and IIF, incl ANCA etc.)

Thanks,

Theo

FceRI Antibodies - From William Smith

My understanding is that there are still no commercial tests, the area has been difficult for technical reasons and also for reasons of test peformance- poor specificity in immunoassays, poor correlation between immuno and functional assays. Functional assays (BAT and histamine release) remain gold standard but reproducibility is poor and difficult to commercialise.
Regards, William

Anti-FcERIa and anti-IgE

Hi Martyn,

I came across this from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/print.php?unit_code=91788

It looks like the test is done by National Jewish, and they look at CD203c upregulation on donor basophils.

Has anyone here sent them serum before?

I have been testing for anti-FcERIa and anti-IgE by an in-house RIA for research. However, this has not been validated yet. 

Priscilla

Priscilla Auyeung 

PhD student
Harrison Lab
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9345 2459
Fax: +61 3 9345 2911
auyeung@wehi.edu.au

Autoantibodies to FceRI or IgE

Is anyone aware of the availability of assays for autoantibodies to FceR1a or IgE?

 

Martyn

 

Professor Martyn A French MB ChB, MD, FRCPath, FRCP, FRACP
Clinical Immunologist, Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital and PathWest Laboratory Medicine
Winthrop Professor in Clinical Immunology and Deputy Head, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia
Telephone: +61-8-92242899
Fax: +61-8-92242920
E-mail: martyn.french@health.wa.gov.au (hospital); martyn.french@uwa.edu.au (university)

GAD65 & GAD67

Dear Glenn,

 

The current literature on anti-GAD and Stiff-Person Syndrome and/or cerebellar ataxia doesn't discuss GAD67 any more. It is agreed that the antigen recognised is a different epitope on GAD65 to that recognised by diabetics without SPS (Solimena M and Carmilli PD TINS, 14(10) 452, 1991).

 

The majority of patients with SPS or cerebellar ataxia produce a "cobble-stone" immunofluorescence pattern in the granular layer on monkey cerebellum (see attached PDF). We screened around 20 diabetics with high levels of anti-GAD (RSR ELISA) with no evidence of neurological disease and none demonstrated the "cobble-stone" pattern. This suggests that the SPS sera recognize a fixation-dependent epitope on GAD65.

 

The presence of anti-amphiphysin IIF (and anti-amphiphysin blot positive) in patients with anti-GAD increases the likelihood of a tumour.

 

Regards

Bob Wilson

GAD65 & GAD67

Dear All

As you know the GAD antibody seen in Stiff-Person Syndrome is picked up on islet cell substrate (see picture below), even though this is usually used to detect the anti-GAD65 antibodies seen in DM Type I

Is anyone in our group aware of potential utility &/or availability of more specific antibody test for the GAD67 antigen which is more associated with the autoimmune condition affecting brain? Or are they so similar structurally that a cross-reactive antibody is adequate?

Any input welcomed

Regards

Glenn

Anti-GAD IIF Monkey Cerebellum:

Pancreas GAD Staining: