Application of Atomic Dielectric Resonance Spectroscopy for the screening of blood samples from patients with clinical variant and sporadic CJD

Timothy J Fagge¹ , G Robin Barclay² , G Colin Stove³ , Gordon Stove³ , Michael J Robinson³ , Mark W Head¹ , James W Ironside¹ and Marc L Turner²

¹National CJD Surveillance Unit & Division of Pathology, University of Edinburgh School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK

²SNBTS Adult Cell Therapy Group, Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh School of Clinical Sciences, The Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK

³ADROK Ltd (formerly Radar World Ltd), Waterloo House, 17 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BG, UK

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Translational Medicine 2007, 5:41doi:10.1186/1479-5876-5-41


Published:	30 August 2007

Abstract

Background

Sub-clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) infection and reports of vCJD transmission through blood transfusion emphasise the need for blood screening assays to ensure the safety of blood and transplanted tissues. Most assays aim to detect abnormal prion protein (PrP^Sc), although achieving required sensitivity is a challenge.

Methods

We have used innovative Atomic Dielectric Resonance Spectroscopy (ADRS), which determines dielectric properties of materials which are established by reflectivity and penetration of radio/micro waves, to analyse blood samples from patients and controls to identify characteristic ADR signatures unique to blood from vCJD and to sCJD patients. Initial sets of blood samples from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases and normal healthy adults (blood donors) were screened as training samples to determine group-specific ADR characteristics, and provided a basis for classification of blinded sets of samples.

Results

Blood sample groups from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases and normal healthy adults (blood donors) screened by ADRS were classified with 100% specificity and sensitivity, discriminating these by a co-variance expert analysis system.

Conclusion

ADRS appears capable of recognising and discriminating serum samples from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases, and normal healthy adults, and might be developed to provide a system for primary screening or confirmatory assay complementary to other screening systems.