Recent progress in developing proximity ligation assays for pathogen detection

The effective management of infectious diseases depends on the early detection of the microbes responsible, since pathogens are most effectively eliminated in the initial stages of infection. Current immunodiagnostic methods lack the sensitivity for earliest possible diagnosis. Nucleic acid-based tests (NATs) are more sensitive, but the detection of microbial DNA does not definitively prove the presence of a viable microorganism capable of causing a given infection. Proximity assays combine the specificity of antibody-based detection of proteins with the sensitivity and dynamic range of NATs, and their use may allow earlier as well as more clinically relevant detection than is possible with current NATs or immunoassays. However, the full potential of proximity assays for pathogen detection remains to be fulfilled, mainly due to the challenges associated with identifying suitable antibodies and antibody combinations, sensitivity issues arising from non-specific interactions of proximity probes and the longer incubation times required to carry out the assays.