4.7. Multiplex assays

Multiplex assays refer to the technologies that permit the simultaneous profiling of a repertoire of antigens in just a single test [112]. In the context of SLE where patients can express as many as 200 distinct antibodies targeting multiple antigens [44], such multiplex technologies provide concomitant determination of antibody specificities in a high-throughput, rapid, and costeffective manner and can be highly advantageous in the discovery of novel biomarkers and monitoring disease activity [52, 93, 112]. Multiplex assays involve different settings in which some of them are already implicated in clinical use such as LINE immunoassays and microbeads assays, while other newer multiplex technologies are also rapidly evolving such as microfluidics and nanobarcodes [93, 112].
