News Release

Journal Article Cites AlbuSorb™ PLUS in Functional Mass Spectrometry of COVID-19 Severity

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ, January 30, 2025 -- Biotech Support Group reports on a journal article using AlbuSorb™ PLUS in a functional proteomic study of how anti-protease and complement activity increase with COVID-19 severity.

The citation is:

Fraser DD, Roy S, Kuruc M, Quintero M, Van Nynatten LR, Cepinskas G, Zheng H, Soherwardy A and Roy D (2025) Functional mass spectrometry indicates anti-protease and complement activity increase with COVID-19 severity. Exp. Biol. Med. 250:10308. doi: 10.3389/ebm.2025.10308

Investigations on some innate immunity proteins can yield misleading information, as investigators often rely on static measurements and assume a direct correlation to function. As protein function is often not directly proportional to protein abundance, and mechanistic pathways are interconnected and under constant feedback regulatory control, functional analysis is required. In this study, we used functional mass spectrometry to measure anti-protease and complement activity in plasma obtained from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The target peptides were selected to report specific regions of the protein(s) that infer functionality. For Complement C3, activation requires the proteolytic cleavage of the region C3a from the rest of the protein, generating Activated C3b. Peptides were chosen from sequences of the C3 beta chain region– part of both the intact C3 and the Activated C3b subform. One peptide was chosen from C3a sequence: the region proteolytically cleaved upon C3 Convertase activation. As this method only considers observations at the protein level, less C3a relative to C3 beta would be indicative of proportionately more activated C3b subforms. For both Serpins (AAT and 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 negate inhibitory potential. Taken together, the peptides selected from these regions thus can serve as surrogates for reporting functional activity. For Albumin & IgG depletion, the article states “The clarified serum was loaded onto the conditioned AlbuSorb™ PLUS beads…”, prior to LC-MS/MS analysis.

This mass spectrometry approach allows for efficient examination of functional characteristics, such as post-translational modifications and genetic variations, which are challenging for immunoassays. By comparing anti-protease activity (AAT/ACT ratio) to complement activation (C3a/C3 beta ratio), mild COVID-19 cases clustered in the lower right quadrant, indicating low anti-protease activity and minimal complement activation. These clusters may provide insights into disease severity and help predict disease progression and optimal interventions. The AAT/ACT ratio could serve as both a biomarker for COVID-19 severity and a potential therapeutic target.

“I am very pleased to see one of products used in such an important study of Covid-19 severity. This reference shows that AlbuSorb™ PLUS is very selective for depleting albumin and immunoglobulins in a quantitative proteomic study of discreet functional peptide features of target proteins.”, states Swapan Roy, Ph.D., President and Founder of Biotech Support Group. 

For more information visit: AlbuSorb™ PLUS at
https://www.biotechsupportgroup.com/AlbuSorb-PLUS-p/apk285.htm

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

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

About Biotech Support Group LLC

Converging with cultural and technological disruptions forthcoming in healthcare, Biotech Support Group develops methods for cost effective and efficient sample prep essential for these expanding markets. Following a tiered business strategy, the company continues its growth in the consumable research products area supporting the rapidly expanding installation of LC-MS instrument and computational infrastructure. For this market, key products include: AlbuVoid™ and AlbuSorb™ for albumin depletion, Cleanascite™ for lipid adsorption, HemogloBind™ and HemoVoid™ for hemoglobin removal, and NuGel™ for functional proteomics. From these innovations, the company has acquired knowledgebase and biomarker intellectual property assets that support discoveries of protein markers from blood, with special emphasis on early detection and personalized medical decisions for cancer patients. For more information, go to http://www.biotechsupportgroup.com

Contact:
Matthew Kuruc 732-274-2866

mkuruc@biotechsupportgroup.com