NewsRelease

JournalArticle Cites AlbuSorb™ PLUS in Functional Mass Spectrometry ofCOVID-19 Severity

MONMOUTHJUNCTION, NJ,January30, 2025 -- Biotech Support Group reports on a journal article usingAlbuSorb™PLUSin a functional proteomic study of how anti-protease and complementactivity increase with COVID-19 severity.

Thecitation is:

FraserDD, Roy S, Kuruc M, Quintero M, Van Nynatten LR, Cepinskas G, ZhengH, Soherwardy A and Roy D (2025) Functional mass spectrometryindicates anti-protease and complement activity increase withCOVID-19 severity. Exp.Biol. Med. 250:10308.doi: 10.3389/ebm.2025.10308

Investigationson some innate immunity proteins can yield misleading information, asinvestigators often rely on static measurements and assume a directcorrelation to function. As protein function is often not directlyproportional to protein abundance, and mechanistic pathways areinterconnected and under constant feedback regulatory control,functional analysis is required. In this study, we used functionalmass spectrometry to measure anti-protease and complement activity inplasma obtained from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.The target peptides were selected to report specific regions of theprotein(s) that infer functionality. For Complement C3, activationrequires the proteolytic cleavage of the region C3a from the rest ofthe protein, generating Activated C3b. Peptides were chosen fromsequences of the C3 beta chain region– part of both the intact C3and the Activated C3b subform. One peptide was chosen from C3asequence: the region proteolytically cleaved upon C3 Convertaseactivation. As this method only considers observations at the proteinlevel, less C3a relative to C3 beta would be indicative ofproportionately more activated C3b subforms. For both Serpins (AATand ACT), tryptic peptides which span the Reactive Center Loop (RCL)region were chosen, as these regions represent the proteins’potential function as an inhibitor, any loss of which would negateinhibitory potential. Taken together, the peptides selected fromthese regions thus can serve as surrogates for reporting functionalactivity. For Albumin & IgG depletion, the article states “Theclarified serum was loaded onto the conditioned AlbuSorb™ PLUSbeads…”, prior to LC-MS/MS analysis.

Thismass spectrometry approach allows for efficient examination offunctional characteristics, such as post-translational modificationsand genetic variations, which are challenging for immunoassays. Bycomparing anti-protease activity (AAT/ACT ratio) to complementactivation (C3a/C3 beta ratio), mild COVID-19 cases clustered in thelower right quadrant, indicating low anti-protease activity andminimal complement activation. These clusters may provide insightsinto disease severity and help predict disease progression andoptimal interventions. The AAT/ACT ratio could serve as both abiomarker for COVID-19 severity and a potential therapeutic target.

“Iam very pleased to see one of products used in such an importantstudy of Covid-19 severity. This reference shows that AlbuSorb™PLUS is veryselective for depleting albumin and immunoglobulins in a quantitativeproteomic study of discreet functional peptide features of targetproteins.”, states Swapan Roy, Ph.D., President and Founder ofBiotech Support Group. 

Formore information visit: AlbuSorb™PLUSat
https://www.biotechsupportgroup.com/AlbuSorb-PLUS-p/apk285.htm

Formore information on our complete line of Albumin & IgG Removal,visit:

https://www.biotechsupportgroup.com/Albumin-Removal-s/307.htm

AboutBiotech Support Group LLC

Convergingwith cultural and technological disruptions forthcoming inhealthcare, Biotech Support Group develops methods for cost effectiveand efficient sample prep essential for these expanding markets.Following a tiered business strategy, the company continues itsgrowth in the consumable research products area supporting therapidly expanding installation of LC-MS instrument and computationalinfrastructure. For this market, key products include: AlbuVoid™and AlbuSorb™ for albumin depletion, Cleanascite™ for lipidadsorption, HemogloBind™ and HemoVoid™ for hemoglobin removal,and NuGel™ for functional proteomics. From these innovations, thecompany has acquired knowledgebase and biomarker intellectualproperty assets that support discoveries of protein markers fromblood, with special emphasis on early detection and personalizedmedical decisions for cancer patients. For more information, gotohttp://www.biotechsupportgroup.com

Contact:
MatthewKuruc 732-274-2866

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