title: A clinical biomarker assay to quantitate thymic stromal lymphopoietin in human plasma at sub-pg/ml level.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of allergic diseases, and plasma TSLP is a potential patient selection marker in the development of therapeutic agents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We developed and validated an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence assay for measurement of TSLP in plasma with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.12 pg/ml, which allowed the quantitation of TSLP in approximately 90% of human plasma samples tested. The assay demonstrated excellent performance characteristics, including precision, accuracy, sensitivity and dilution linearity. Stability and biological variability of TSLP in plasma were also assessed for clinical sample analysis and data interpretation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The validated TSLP assay enables assessment of circulating TSLP as a patient selection marker in the development of therapeutics to treat atopic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biomarkers & Diagnostics Laboratory, Merck Research Laboratories, RY50A-300, 126 East Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Gulesi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ayanoglu
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilardello
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fayadat-Dilman
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hai Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bald
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mcclanahan
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Waal Malefyt
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Omar F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Laterza
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000094632:Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D000094632:Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin