With bead-based multiplexing and the MAGPIX® System, researchers generated important new results about response to viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections
In this edition of our journal club, we’re focusing on papers from scientists who are using xMAP® Technology and our MAGPIX® System to create custom assays for detecting infections or monitoring response and exposure. The MAGPIX® System has long been a favorite among researchers for its robust performance and utility even in remote areas.
For ordering information about the MAGPIX® RUO System, please visit our RUO distributor.
Paper 1: Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
Serologic Evidence of Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Spillover in Rural Liberia
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, March 2026
Situation: With rising incidence of zoonotic disease outbreaks, it’s critical for public health teams to have reliable means of detecting emerging infections. But conventional approaches have proven limited, and many outbreaks are believed to have gone undetected. This is especially true for hemorrhagic fever viruses, which often manifest with similar symptoms that can make diagnosis difficult for clinicians.
What they learned: Researchers analyzed serum samples collected from participants in an ongoing observational study of Lassa fever in rural Liberia. By scanning for antibodies against a range of hemorrhagic fever viruses—including Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and many others—they found that 88% of samples tested positive for prior exposure to at least one virus, and 63% were positive for exposure to two or more viruses.
How xMAP® Technology made a difference: Schafer et al. designed custom xMAP assays to span a broad number of hemorrhagic fever viruses and analyzed samples using the MAGPIX® System.
Key takeaway: The authors report, “These findings demonstrate a significant spillover of filoviruses, bunyaviruses, flaviviruses, and alphaviruses in rural Liberia in contrast with an absence of detected outbreaks.” The situation calls for improved surveillance for emerging infections and zoonotic spillover events.
Paper 2: Malaria
Immunity, March 2026
Situation: Without a vaccine, malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax has enormous implications for public health; the global burden of disease remains high. In order to fuel a deeper understanding of the basic biology of P. vivax infection and to support future vaccine development, scientists aimed to gather data about malaria exposure in children in Papua New Guinea.
What they learned: By testing samples from children involved in a longitudinal study for antibodies to a range of P. vivax antigens, Opi et al. were able to elucidate signatures of protective immunity against malaria. They identified certain antigens that appear to be strong targets for future vaccine programs.
How xMAP® Technology made a difference: Researchers developed a custom xMAP assay that made it possible “to measure FcγR-binding and complement-fixing antibodies to multiple P. vivax antigens simultaneously,” they reported in their paper. The panel included 30 antigens and results were read out with the MAGPIX® System.
Key takeaway: According to the authors, this project advanced the community’s understanding of P. vivax malaria and identified antigens and combinations of antigens that offer the strongest potential for protection. “Our findings provide crucial knowledge and data to enable a step-change in vaccine development for P. vivax,” they concluded.
Paper 3: Sepsis-Causing Infections
Host response signatures across sepsis aetiologies in India: a single centre observational study
The LANCET Regional Health Southeast Asia, April 2026
Situation: While much of the sepsis-related clinical information available today came from high-income countries, it may not accurately reflect the state of sepsis globally. In this study, researchers analyzed pathogen-specific host responses in patients whose sepsis was triggered by an infection.
What they learned: The study, based at a tertiary care center in India, included nearly 1,000 patients with sepsis; approximately half of patients had a clearly diagnosed infection with a known causal pathogen. By evaluating more than two dozen biomarkers in each patient, Biemond et al. found that the specific pathogen explained about a third of variation in biomarker response. Bacterial sepsis was linked to greater changes in host response than viral sepsis.
How xMAP® Technology made a difference: Of the 27 biomarkers included in this analysis, 23 were measured using a custom xMAP assay and read out on the MAGPIX System (the other four were assessed with standard lab blood tests). Biomarkers were chosen to report critical functions, including inflammation, organ damage, cytokine and chemokine response, and coagulation activation.
Key takeaway: Sepsis caused by S. pyogenes, S. aureus, or influenza was associated with the highest mortality; sepsis caused by Leptospira or dengue virus was linked with much lower mortality.
Paper 4: Maternal malaria
Maternal malaria and early-life infections shape humoral immunity to P. falciparum in infants
bioRxiv [preprint], February 2026
Situation: In areas with high risk of malaria, babies are often exposed to infection within the first year of life. During this time, babies may have some protection from maternal antibodies, as well as their own antibodies triggered by the infection. More research is needed to understand how this balance of maternal and self-generated antibodies shape immunity to malaria.
What they learned: Namirimu et al. studied more than 180 infants through an observational study in Uganda. They measured antibody response to Plasmodium falciparum. The particular cohort had lower malaria exposure than usual, enabling scientists to measure effects of maternal antibodies more clearly.
How xMAP® Technology made a difference: Researchers designed their own 20-plex xMAP assay covering 19 P. falciparum antigens in addition to tetanus toxoid. The antigens were selected for their ability to reveal useful information about exposure, parasite biology, and potential protective markers. Plasma samples were collected at birth, at six months, and at 12 months of age.
Key takeaway: Ultimately, infant antibody responses and maternal antibodies had no association with protection against infection.
Paper 5: Bluetongue
Virus Genes, December 2025
Situation: Bluetongue disease, caused by the insect-transmitted bluetongue virus, has a serious health impact on livestock and an economic impact on agriculture. Keeping animals safe requires diagnostic tools that are fast and accurate, but diversity across virus serotypes makes that a challenge.
What they learned: Scientists used bead-based multiplexing to enable the design of new assays for bluetongue infections, focusing probes on a highly variable section of the viral genome that encodes serotype-specific data. This enabled accurate identification of 12 different serotypes currently circulating in India while avoiding cross-reactivity with related viruses.
How xMAP® Technology made a difference: Maan et al. developed custom assays for the MAGPIX® System to cover 12 serotypes of the bluetongue virus from a single sample. Different assays were used to represent key subsets of these serotypes common to certain geographic regions.
Key takeaway: The team noted that the xMAP-powered assays allow for flexibility, making it easy to add new serotypes over time as the virus evolves. This is an integral component of ongoing surveillance and infection control.
How you can keep up with xMAP
These papers demonstrate how xMAP® Technology enables deeper insights across a wide range of infectious diseases. To discover more findings, check out our publication database tracking over 100,000 citations of xMAP Technology and subscribe to our journal club newsletter.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.