CELLULAR REPORTER GENE ASSAY WITH A LIGAND AMPLIFYING FEEDBACK LOOP

摘要

The present invention relates to a loop dependent cellular detection system for ligands, preferably cytokine ligands based on coexpression of a ligand and a cognate receptor. The presence of the ligand induces its own expression in the cell via a signalling cascade, which starts at the cognate receptor for said ligand. This autostimulatory signalling loop acts as an amplifier so that minute quantities of the ligand can be detected and/or measured in a quantitative way. The system allows detecting and/or measuring of amounts of ligand that cannot be detected and/or measured in another way.