Project
Does hyper-thermal incubation and blockage of T-cell inhibitory pathways improve current and future T-cell based diagnostic test systems?
Completed · 2011 until 2014
Ruhwald Morten, Schoch Otto, Hoffmann Matthias
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Brief description/objective
Background: Cell mediated immune (CMI) assays are important research tools to monitor T-cell dependent immune responses towards specific antigens. Recently CMI assays were introduced for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). In these assays interferon-gamma or alternatively interferon-gamma induced protein 10 (IP-10) production is quantified after M.tuberculosis-specific T-cell stimulation (Interferon-gamma Release Assys, IGRA). ÎGRA's are adapted to other clinical questions, e.g. detection of cytomegalovirus specific CMI in solid transplant recipients.
Hypothesis: It remains a dogma that IGRA are incubated at 37°C. Nevertheless fever is part of the innate immune response promoting antigen-presentation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. The aim of the study is to explore IGRA test sensitivity / performance incubated at 39°C versus 37°C in different infectious diseases, in particular tuberculosis.