Autoimmunity

Autoimmune testing at the Oxford diagnostic laboratory encompasses both screening and specific diagnostic assays all centred around autoimmune serology.

Coeliac screening is carried out by a combination of anti-endomysial and anti-TTG antibody screens.

Systemic autoimmune investigations are carried out using an indirect immunfluorescence ANA assay by Hep2000 cells followed by Immunocap ENA profiling - including specific Ro60/Ro52 analysis. Specific myositis investigations of polymyositis, dermatomyositis (including anti-synthetase syndrome) and necrotising myositis (HMGCoA reductase antibodies) are also carried out using immunoblot and ELISA techniques.

Organ-specific autoimmune investigations are primarily carried out using indirect immunofluorescence but when necessary, are followed up by specific ELISA techniques and in the case of liver autoimmunity (Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Autoimmune Hepatitis type 1, 2, 3 and 4) also by immunoblot autoantigen profiling. Specialist organ specific autoimmunity available at Oxford include skin autoimmune disease investigations, striated muscle antibodies, cardiac muscle antibodies, pancreatic islet cell antibodies (PICA), adrenal gland antibodies and ovarian antibodies.

Paraneoplastic antibodies screens are available at Oxford using a combination of indirect immnunofluoresence and immunoblot techniques directed at specific autoantigens.

Pulmonary-renal syndrome investigations into ANCA associated small vessel vasculitis and Goodpastures syndrome use a combination of indirect immunofluoresence and Immunocap investigations into GBM, PR3 and MPO.