High-throughput detection of autoimmune antibodies with beads by time-of-flight (B-TOF)

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded $306,810 to Capture Bioscience Inc. on July 22, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for development and validation of a high-throughput autoimmune antibody detection platform.

Capture Bioscience will adapt its Beads by Time-of-Flight (B-TOF) technology to create a comprehensive autoimmunity panel capable of simultaneously detecting large numbers of autoantibodies associated with systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases in a single assay. The panel will target biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroid diseases (Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease), Sjögren's syndrome, and celiac disease. Performance metrics will be determined using reference standards and clinical samples to validate the quantitative, high-throughput, and cost-effective detection strategy for both clinical diagnostics and research applications.

Work will be performed in Menlo Park, California, with a period of performance through June 30, 2027. This is a Project Grant, the standard assistance type for research support under the program.

Abstract

Autoimmune diseases impose a significant burden on global health, driving chronic disease that leads to lasting disability and markedly reduced quality of life. However, current autoimmune diagnostic approaches often rely on single-analyte assays that are time-consuming, costly, and require multiple patient visits. We recently developed beads by time-of-flight (B-TOF), a groundbreaking high-throughput platform for antibody detection that outperforms even existing multiplexed antibody detection assays by over 100-fold. In this project, B-TOF will be adapted to address major challenges in autoimmune disease diagnostics by enabling the simultaneous detection of large numbers of autoantibodies associated with systemic and organ-specific autoimmune disease using a single assay. By combining our novel bead-based multiplex technology with a panel of carefully selected recombinant autoantigens, our approach will offer a quantitative, high-throughput, and cost- effective detection strategy to improve autoimmune disease diagnosis. This project aims to develop and validate the first comprehensive autoimmunity panel for B-TOF targeting biomarkers associated with highly prevalent autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes (T1D), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), autoimmune thyroid diseases (hashimoto's thyroiditis and graves' disease), sjögren's syndrome, and celiac disease. Key performance metrics of the panel will be determined using reference standards and clinical samples. The proposed technology leverages recombinant antigens with well-established specificity and sensitivity for the detection of autoimmunity and thus will provide robust, reproducible results suitable for both clinical diagnostics and research applications. The successful development of a highly multiplexed autoimmune antibody panel for B-TOF will deliver a scalable and versatile solution to autoimmune diagnostics. The efficiencies gained by this novel approach will dramatically reduce per-sample analysis costs, making future routine autoantibody monitoring feasible-thereby facilitating early disease detection, enabling earlier and more effective intervention, and ultimately improving patient outcomes. This work directly supports multiple priorities of NIH/niaid's autoimmunity and mucosal immunology branch, including the development of high-throughput immune assays, validated diagnostics, and biomarkers to assess risk, disease activity, and therapeutic response. The project will be carried out in collaboration with experts in immunology and autoimmunity, leveraging our strengths in multiplex assay development and recombinant antigen validation