The literature part of this thesis reviewed the process of obtaining affinity information with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors. Basic principles of these biosensors were also evaluated, along with the principles of data acquisition and finally the data processing. The raw data produced by QCM or SPR can be used to study biomolecular interactions qualitatively and quantitatively. These techniques are also powerful in obtaining kinetic and thermodynamic information of the biomolecular interactions. SPR and QCM can produce data easily, but data interpretation can be sometimes problematic. This is partly due to misconceptions on how the sensograms should be interpreted. Many of the interpretational problems can and should be avoided long before the modeling of the data takes place to obtain reliable affinity data.
The literature part of this thesis also presents tools for developing good experimental design. Well-designed experimental set-up is the most important element for producing good biosensor data. One should also estimate from the sensogram shapes what kind of analysis is needed. This was explained in detail in the literature part, pointing out the key elements how sensograms with certain shape should be interpreted and further analyzed to obtain affinity constants. Data analysis part of the literature review provides also information how to use appropriate models (e.g. fitting equilibrium, kinetic or complex data) with extensive examples. Surface site distribution model will be also covered as the tool to analyze complex biomolecular interactions by QCM and SPR.
In the experimental part, affinity of anti-human apoB-100 monoclonal antibody (anti-apoB-100 Mab) towards different lipoproteins was studied with partially filling affinity capillary (PF-ACE) electrophoresis and QCM. PF-ACE with adsorption energy distribution (AED) calculations provided information on the heterogeneity of the interactions. For the first time, a modified surface site distribution model called Interaction map was utilized to model QCM data of lipoprotein interactions with anti-apoB-100 Mab. With the Interaction maps, it was possible to distinguish different kinetics of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and anti-apoB-100 Mab interactions. Affinity constants obtained were used to evaluate thermodynamics of these interactions. Both methods were also used to evaluate interactions with other apoB-100 containing lipoproteins: intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) and very lowdensity lipoprotein (VLDL). It was found that the Interaction maps could distinguish two different kinetics from the mixture of IDL-VLDL with distinct affinity constants. Both methods agreed well with the affinity constants. It was found that the anti-apoB-100 Mab used in this study, had a high affinity towards apoB-100 containing lipoproteins.
In the second part of the experimental, a convective interaction media (CIM) based LDL isolation platform was developed. In these studies, anti-apoB-100 Mab was immobilized on the CIM-disk and was used to isolate LDL from human plasma and serum samples. It was found that apolipoprotein based separation of LDL from plasma was possible, although not without difficulties, since apoB-100 is not only present in LDL, but also in VLDL and IDL. To circumvent this problem different antibodies (anti-apoE and anti-apoAI) were utilized to capture VLDL and IDL from the plasma before the interaction of LDL with the anti-apoB-100 CIM-disk. LDL was successfully isolated with this approach in a significantly reduced time compared to conventional ultracentrifugation method used for LDL isolation.
