Revolutionary Antibody Mapping Chip Accelerates Vaccine Development

A groundbreaking microchip developed by researchers at Scripps Research has the potential to transform vaccine research by rapidly revealing how antibodies interact with viruses, utilizing only a drop of blood. The technology, known as microfluidic electron microscopy-based polyclonal epitope mapping (mEM), significantly reduces the sample size and time required for antibody analysis, thus streamlining the vaccine development process.

According to Andrew Ward, a professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at Scripps Research and lead author of the study published in *Nature Biomedical Engineering* on June 3, 2025, this innovative system can provide a quick snapshot of antibody responses following vaccination or viral exposure. "We've never been able to do that on this timescale or with such tiny amounts of blood before," Ward stated.

The mEM technology allows researchers to analyze just four microliters of blood—approximately one hundred times less than previous methods, which required larger samples and took up to a week for results. The chip contains viral proteins affixed to a specialized surface, where antibodies can bind as blood flows through it. After this interaction, the viral proteins and attached antibodies are released for imaging via standard electron microscopy, completing the process in approximately 90 minutes.

In testing the mEM system, the research team successfully mapped antibodies in both human and animal subjects who had been vaccinated against or infected with various viruses, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and HIV. The results demonstrated greater sensitivity in detecting antibody binding sites compared to earlier methods, revealing previously unidentified interactions that could inform vaccine design. Leigh Sewall, a graduate student at Scripps Research and co-author of the study, emphasized the importance of identifying which antibodies provide the most protective responses, stating, "If we know which particular antibodies are leading to the most protective response against a virus, then we can go and engineer new vaccines that elicit those antibodies."

The mEM chip is particularly valuable in situations where sample volume is limited, making it an essential tool for researchers aiming to monitor immune responses efficiently. Alba Torrents de la Peña, a Scripps Research staff scientist involved in developing the technology, noted, "We hope this becomes accessible to more researchers as it is simplified and streamlined."

As the research team works towards automating and multiplexing the system, the potential exists for processing multiple samples concurrently, further enhancing its utility in vaccine development across various pathogens. The implications of mEM technology extend beyond immediate vaccine research; it may also play a crucial role in responding to emerging infectious diseases and understanding antibody dynamics over time.

The development of the mEM chip is a significant advancement in the field of immunology and vaccine research. As researchers continue to explore its applications, this technology could pave the way for more effective vaccination strategies and a deeper understanding of the immune response to pathogens.

For further details, refer to the study by Leigh M. Sewall et al., titled "Microfluidics combined with electron microscopy for rapid and high-throughput mapping of antibody–viral glycoprotein complexes," published in *Nature Biomedical Engineering* (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-025-01411-x.