GFAP Assay Kit for Biomarker Detection

A versatile biomarker for neuroinflammation across neurological conditions

Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) is a structural protein primarily expressed by astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). As a key biomarker of neuroinflammation, elevated levels of GFAP in blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reflect astrocyte activation or injury, commonly associated with neurodegenerative disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis (MS). In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), blood GFAP levels have been shown to correlate with amyloid burden, with growing evidence supporting its potential for GFAP as an early indicator of early-stage AD.

Unparalleled Precision with the SPEAR UltraDetect GFAP Assay Kit

SPEAR UltraDetect GFAP demonstrates unparalleled precision. Combined with 100% quantification of healthy samples, high precision is important for detected small changes in longitudinal and clinical trial studies.

Confirming this performance with clinical samples – including healthy controls and diseased patient samples, the SPEAR UltraDetect GFAP assay quantified 100% of samples and achieved a mean replicate CV% of 3.0%

SPEAR UltraDetect GFAP assay precision
[1 µL diluted sample]

Measuring all samples well above fLLoQ with unprecedented range (4.5 logs) and precision (mean 3.0%).

Assay Specifications

MRD	4X
Diluted Sample Volume	1µL
Raw Sample Volume to Machine	10µL
LOD (pg/mL)	0.041
fLLOQ (pg/mL)	0.625
Spike-recovery (% recovery)	106%
Linearity (% recovery)	94%
Intra-plate CV (AVG%)	1.4%
Inter-plate CV (AVG%)	8%
EDTA Plasma Quantifiability	100%

Supporting Research on Neurological Conditions

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) plays a critical role in the structure and function of astrocytes, where it forms a key part of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton. As a class III intermediate filament protein, GFAP becomes elevated in response to injury, inflammation, or disease-related astrocytic reactivity. Today, GFAP is widely used as a research biomarker across a range of neurological conditions, including:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Spinal cord injury
Glioblastoma and other brain tumors
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Astrocyte pathology in CNS autoimmune or inflammatory disease

Elevated GFAP levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum have been linked to astroglial activation following acute injury and in chronic disease progression. While GFAP ELISA kits and digital ELISA kits are often used for protein detection in CSF samples, the SPEAR UltraDetect™ GFAP assay offers a higher performing, more reliable, and less labor-intensive approach optimized for plasma and serum-based detection.

Recommended for Research Across Sample Types and Settings

The SPEAR UltraDetect™ GFAP biomarker assay kit is intended for Research Use Only (RUO) and is optimized for use with human serum or plasma samples. Its low-volume, high-performance profile is ideal for research applications involving:

Clinical and preclinical studies of TBI, spinal cord trauma, or CNS tumors
Astrocyte biomarker tracking in neurodegenerative disease models
Comparative analysis of glial reactivity across disease states
Multi-target analysis strategies incorporating GFAP, NfL, and phosphorylated tau

With a simple, automatable workflow and compatibility with common lab equipment, SPEAR enables researchers to efficiently integrate GFAP measurement into high-throughput screening, longitudinal studies, or pilot discovery programs.

Designed for Confidence and Clarity

Traditional GFAP assay kits, such as conventional and digital ELISA, often require multiple wash steps and long incubation periods—factors that increase time, cost, and variability. The SPEAR UltraDetect™ GFAP assay replaces these requirements with a direct, homogeneous assay format that preserves and enhances analytical power and simplifies execution.

At its core is a two-factor authentication mechanism that verifies each target molecular interaction twice—enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of results, especially useful in low-abundance contexts or borderline samples.

With unmatched precision and reproducibility (mean CVs <5%), SPEAR ensures that researchers have the resolution and consistent performance needed to uncover subtle astroglial changes that may be critical for improving patient outcomes in neurological research.