Fast and Efficient Data Analysis: Advancing Our Understanding of Iron-Related Disorders With Ella
"Ella’s sensitive and tractable workflow is enabling us to tackle large datasets not previously possible with standard ELISA kits. It has enabled us to more quickly and efficiently discover novel connections between hepcidin and inflammation in the context of chronic disease."
- Samira Lakhal-Littleton, BSc DPhil, Associate Professor of Cell Physiology, University of Oxford
Greater Consistency and Confidence in Data From Large Cohorts
Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional disorder worldwide. Dietary iron absorption and iron export from the tissues into the plasma throughout the body are regulated by the liver-derived peptide hepcidin. When tissue iron demands are high, hepcidin concentrations are low and vice versa. The delicate balance of iron levels is crucial, as both insufficient and excess iron can lead to significant clinical repercussions.
At the University of Oxford, Associate Professor of Cell Physiology, Samira Lakhal-Littleton, BSc DPhil, is at the forefront of groundbreaking research. Her focus lies in understanding how chronic conditions disrupt tissue-driven iron control and to what extent this disruption contributes to underlying diseases. While proteins like ferritin and transferrin, essential to iron homeostasis, have been known for decades, our molecular understanding of iron metabolism has significantly expanded in the last 15–20 years1.
Traditionally, the consensus was that tissue iron levels depended on serum iron availability. However, Lakhal-Littleton and her team's work challenges this belief by revealing novel functions for hepcidin and ferroportin in tissue-driven iron control.
“Our work has shown that some cells, including cardiomyocytes and fetal hepatocytes, utilize ferroportin and hepcidin locally to control intracellular iron levels,” Lakhal-Littleton says. “We’ve also found that this tissue-driven iron control is essential for normal physiological function.”
Quantifying Biomarkers With Speed and Efficiency
In a recent study investigating cardiac failure and iron status, Lakhal-Littleton aimed to enhance our understanding of how iron status changes post-myocardial infarction and how these changes influence long-term cardiac outcomes.
Like other large-scale studies, the need for fast, reproducible results is critical. Unfortunately, most analytical platforms struggle to turn high-quality quantitative data around fast enough. That’s where Simple Plex™ assays on the Ella™ platform proved to be a game-changer for Lakhal-Littleton.
Lakhal-Littleton explains, "Ella's fast and efficient automated workflow allows us to handle extensive datasets that were previously challenging with standard ELISA kits. The platform gives us greater speed and efficiency and more confidence in our results in the discovery of novel connections between hepcidin and inflammation in the context of chronic diseases."
In this study, researchers utilized Simple Plex assays to measure human hepcidin and IL-6. With Ella, assay set-up time is quick, requiring only 10 to 15 minutes of preparation. Once initiated, results are generated in one hour. Additionally, using Ella, Lakhal-Littleton and her team can detect target proteins with as little as 2.5 µL of sample.
High Quality Data With Superior Reproducibility
According to Lakhal-Littleton, the lack of consistency and data variability across ELISA kits poses significant challenges for plate-based assays, especially in extended studies involving large sample volumes.
"The small volume requirements of Simple Plex assays allows us to extract maximum information from limited patient samples,” Lakhal-Littleton says. “Plus the inter-plate reproducibility has provided us with the confidence to analyze large cohorts of samples and turn out high-quality data quickly."
Adding Ella has helped Lakhal-Littleton and her team enhance their understanding of iron-related disorders and the functions of hepcidin and other iron regulatory proteins. By enabling accurate testing of thousands of samples within a short timeframe, Ella gives Lakhal-Littleton and her team heightened consistency and confidence in their data analysis across multiple users and assay lots.
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