Naturally occurring antigens that are not perfectly suited for the use in diagnostic test systems, can be modified by means of genetic methods to obtain maximum effectiveness: The result is so-called designer antigens. The designer antigens are developed and produced in EUROIMMUN research laboratories. Compared to naturally occurring antigens, they offer many advantages:

• They are highly specific: Regions that may lead to undesired cross reactions are specifically switched off
• They are extremely sensitive: Antigen epitopes are multiplied, so that there are more binding sites for the antibodies
• They are customised explicitly for their application: Antibody binding sites of different antigens are combined into one fusion protein

Designer antigens are currently used in test systems for the diagnosis of the following diseases: