| abstract |
Proteases regulate a wide range of normal cellular functions where dysregulated activity is observed in various diseases. Compositions and methods use protease activity multiplexed bead-based immunoassays to profile protease activity. This platform technology integrates protease activity measurements with total protein quantification techniques. It represents a significant improvement over existing detection techniques by allowing for multiplexed, sensitive active protease measurements in complex biological samples. Exemplary multiplexed detections are realized in a single assay using a minute sample amount (e.g., 5 μl) for active recombinant MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, 9, and 12 and those same MMPs in cell culture supernatant, menstrual fluid effluent, and peritoneal aspirates. This multiplexed platform achieves high level of sensitivities equal to or better than existing leading single-plex detection strategies. It also allows for high throughput screening to identify inhibitors of proteases in complex, donor-derived samples. |