Comparison of three analytical platforms for quantification of the neurofilament light chain in blood samples: ELISA, electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and Simoa
Abstract
Background Neuronal damage is the morphological substrate of persisting neurological disability. Neurofilaments (Nf) are specific cytoskeletal proteins of neurons and their quantification has shown encouraging results as a biomarker for axonal injury. Methods We aimed at comparing a widely used conventional ELISA for Nf light chain (NfL) with an electrochemiluminescence-based method (ECL assay) and a newly developed single-molecule array (Simoa) method in clinically relevant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples. Results Analytical sensitivity was 0.62 pg/mL for Simoa, 15.6 pg/mL for the ECL assay, and 78.0 pg/mL for the ELISA. Correlations between paired CSF and serum samples were strongest for Simoa (r=0.88, p Conclusions We found Simoa to be more sensitive than ELISA or the ECL assay. Our results support the feasibility of quantifying NfL in serum; the results correlate with the more-established CSF NfL test. The highly sensitive Simoa technology deserves further studies in larger patient cohorts to clarify whether serum NfL could be used in the future to measure disease severity and determine prognosis or response to treatment interventions in neurological diseases.
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The analytical sensitivity of quantifying NfL in blood is greatly increased by Simoa technology compared to classical ELISA and ECL technologies.
“The analytical sensitivity quantifying NfL in blood has been greatly increased by utilizing the single-molecule assay (Simoa) technology, as compared to the classical ELISA and ECL technologies (6), facilitating studies into NfL as biomarker for a wide range of clinical conditions on a large scale.”
From A Method to Combine Neurofilament Light Measurements From Blood Serum and Plasma in Clinical and Population-Based Studies (2022) · cites this paper as [6]
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- Authors
- Kuhle, J., Barro, C., Andreasson, U., Derfuss, T., Lindberg, R., Sandelius, Å., Liman, V., Norgren, N., Blennow, K., & Zetterberg, H.
- Affiliations
- Neurology, Departments of Medicine, Biomedicine and Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- University Hospital of Basel (CH)
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- UmanDiagnostics, Umeå, Sweden
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (GB)
- Venue
- Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
- Publisher
- Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- Published
- 2016-04-12
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1655-1661
- ISSN
- 1434-6621 (ISSN-L)
- 1437-4331
- OpenAlex
- W2342233016
- Cited by
- 740
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 87 · 2024: 85 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 91 · 2021: 101 · 2020: 89 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 10
- FWCI
- 46.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- reroDoc Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- edoc (University of Basel) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Advanced Biosensing Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality Control
- Keywords
- neurofilament light chain, Simoa, electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, ELISA, single molecule array, cerebrospinal fluid, serum biomarkers, multiple sclerosis, axonal injury, analytical sensitivity, method comparison
- MeSH terms
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Humans, Immunoassay, Luminescent Measurements, Multiple Sclerosis, Biomarkers, Neurofilament Proteins, Electrochemical Techniques
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