# sHLA Protein Chip

> **NIH NIH R44** · GENOMICS USA, INC. · 2020 · $999,010

## Abstract

Abstract: “sHLA Protein Chip”
The class I [A, B, C] and class II HLA proteins [DRB1, DQ, DP] comprise the heart of the inducible human
immune system. For organ, marrow and stem cell transplantation, the development of serum-born antibodies
against one or more of those many HLA proteins comprises the best and earliest test for transplant rejection.
Because of the enormous medical importance of transplantation, serum testing for the appearance of anti-HLA
antibodies has emerged as one of the premier tests in all of laboratory medicine. The present $300M/yr market
for HLA-based transplantation serology is dominated by a single supplier: Thermo-One Lambda, who has
configured an anti-HLA antibody screening test that is based on the use of membrane extracts coupled to
Luminex beads. That pairing of cell extracts and Luminex beads comprises 15-year old technology which,
although still the dominant market leader, is felt by Key Opinion Leaders in Transplantation Medicine to
produce poor sensitivity and specificity relative to other kinds of serum immunoassay. There is thus a clear and
present need for a new and better alternative to the current test method for anti-HLA antibody screening.
The Phase IIb plan presented here provides a fundamentally new alternative to the dominant Thermo-One
Lambda test: based on the convergence of two highly innovative technology platforms:
I. Cloning and expression of an enormously diverse family of recombinant HLA proteins, the sHLAs, which
was invented and developed by Pure Protein: class I = 120; class II = 117.
II. Deployment of complex immunoassays such as those for the 237 sHLAs, in a simple, low-cost protein
microarray format, which was invented and developed by GMSbiotech.
The commercial focus of the proposed Phase IIb plan, to be executed as a Pure Protein + GMS collaboration,
is to create a pair of microarray based tests, EZScreenTM I & EZScreenTM II, to be provided as a kit with all
ancillary reagents and turn-key analytical software: wherein EzScreenTM I can interrogate in parallel, as a single
test, serum antibodies against 120 different recombinant class I sHLA proteins; and EZScreenTM II can
interrogate, also in parallel as a single test, serum antibodies against 117 different recombinant class II sHLA
proteins. Each EZScreenTM test is performed on 20uL of raw serum at room temperature, using only simple
laboratory pipetting, by staff with no special expertise in bioinformatics.
Specific Aims of the Present Phase IIb Study.
SA1: Complete Cloning, Expression and Manufacture of the Remaining Class II sHLA Proteins (Yr. 1).
SA2: Complete Validation of EZScreenTM Manufacture at a Third Party OEM Supplier (Yr 1).
SA3: Complete EZScreenTM Analysis Software Validation (Yrs. 1-3).
SA4: EZScreenTM Kit Manufacture (Yrs. 1-3).
SA5. EZScreenTM Beta Testing using ASHI Reference Labs (3 labs).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9860909
- **Project number:** 5R44AI122642-05
- **Recipient organization:** GENOMICS USA, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Krishna Jayaraman
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $999,010
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-02-01 → 2021-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9860909

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9860909, sHLA Protein Chip (5R44AI122642-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9860909. Licensed CC0.

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