Whole blood assays (WBAs) can measure drug interactions and effects in a setup that reflects the natural environment once it is introduced into the body. WBAs are an often-overlooked in vitro method of observing immune reactions to certain drugs. They use, as the name suggests, all the blood components. This allows for the analysis of the interaction of various cell types and plasma proteins at once.

After identifying a potential drug lead, multi-factor assays not only evaluate the efficacy of said compound, but they can also identify unwanted and unforeseen activities such as off-target effects or immune response provocation. Cytokine release and complement cascade activation are just two of the aspects that can be screened for.

Physiological responses to chemical and biotherapeutics are a robust yet delicately balanced interplay of different factors, including antibodies and cells that respond to stimuli. While some components are usually measured only in plasma, performing an assay in whole blood preserves the interactions and includes all the factors of blood, such as the cellular compartment.

Sanquin PBS is one of the few partners worldwide that can screen compounds on a large scale in the discovery and early preclinical phases of cytokine production as well as complement activation. Our WBAs are suitable for both MoA (mechanism of action) and safety testing.