We have a research problem. We have various patients with a very unknown rare multisystem disease, of presumed autoimmune origin (since it can be managed with immunosuppressive agents.)
We would like to identify the type(s) of antibodies responsible for the disease. We have tried the standard and not so standard panels without results. A couple of patients showed some indeterminate neuropilar labeling on some macaque brain slides.
Anybody knows a way to identify antibodies in plasma/ serum adequate for this case?
We are happy (and eager) to collaborate.
Dear Carlos, if the antibodies have not been identified before, you can inoculate laboratory animals with the plasma or serum of the infected patients and after allowing enough time to ensure sensitization of those animals, harvest the plasma or serum and harvest the antibodies produced.
I think you believe your disease is associated with autoantibodies, and you hope to identify their endogenous target. Try IHC on slides of affected tissues, using pre-existing antibodies. If the background is high, you may try using a mu chain-specific probe, as autoantibodies are most often IgM. And remember that autoimmunity can also be associated with cellular and innate dysregulation.
I would make SDS/reducing lysates of whatever tissue you think is the target of these antibodies, and analyze by Western blot with patient's serum. Comparing more than one patient's serum as well as normal controls will help you identify specific targets. Remember that human sera will bind a lot of proteins, so be sure to titer it down. After you have identified a protein of specific mass, you can cut it out and do mass spec for identification.
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