Validation by: Hannah Richards. Ph.D. and Cliffel Research Group (lab.vanderbilt.edu/cliffel)
Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University developed a magnetic bead electrochemical sandwich assay (MBESA) to quantify interleukin-1β (IL-1β), an inflammatory biomarker involved in immune responses associated with preterm birth.
Inflammation triggered by bacterial infections can contribute to complications during pregnancy, making IL-1β an important biomarker in reproductive health research. The team investigated a new electrochemical detection method designed to support faster, lower-volume cytokine measurements, with potential applications in fetal membrane organ-on-a-chip models.
Absorbance 96 was used to measure IL-1β concentrations in LPS-stimulated macrophage samples using conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). These measurements provided a reference for evaluating the newly developed MBESA method and comparing its ability to detect inflammatory responses.
Figure 4 compares IL-1β concentrations measured using conventional ELISA and the newly developed MBESA method in untreated and LPS-stimulated macrophage samples at different time points.
Results: The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the two methods (p = 0.17), supporting the comparability of MBESA measurements with conventional ELISA results under the tested conditions.
The study also identified increased IL-1β secretion following LPS stimulation, particularly between 30 and 60 minutes, demonstrating the ability of both approaches to investigate inflammatory responses over time.
Role of Absorbance 96 in validation: By providing the reference ELISA measurements, Absorbance 96 supported the evaluation of a new electrochemical assay for inflammatory biomarker detection. This application highlights the role of conventional ELISA measurements in developing and validating alternative analytical methods for reproductive health research.
Photo: Experimental setup used by the Cliffel Research Group.
Publication: Richards, H. A., Owens, O. E., Martin, J. E., & Cliffel, D. E. (2026). Magnetic bead electrochemical sandwich assay (MBESA) for the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β in fetal membrane on-a-chip studies and placental macrophages. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 446, 138724.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2025.138724
