Immunoassay immunoreactor

HPLC is ideally suited to examine adsorption kinetics in the working conditions of column immunoassays. In this technique, high flow rates and minimized column volumes are required to perform rapid on-line immunodetections. The column capacities and residence times in the column are parameters that influence the efficiency of the immunoreactor. Kinetic studies using the chromatographic format will be useful to understand the process better and optimize the methodology. 

The determination of antigens and antibodies can be improved by immobilization of the appropriate immunochemical partner of the analyte. When the immunological reaction can be rendered reversible the immobilized ligand becomes reusable. Whereas in immunoreactors the immunosorbent is separated from the sensor, in immunosensors both elements are in intimate physical contact. We shall show below that these devices can be used to perform the classical functions of immunoassays. 

DA Palmer, et al. Flow injection electrochemical enzyme immunoassay for theophylline using a protein-A immunoreactor and /t-aminophenyl phosphate// -aminophenol as the detection system. Analyst 117 1679, 1992. 

Chemiluminescence continues to be a very selective and sensitive detection tool in FIA immunoassays. The main component in the most commonly used heterogeneous systems is an immunoreactor column, consisting of PTFE tubing packed with immobilized antibodies or haptens. The immunoreac-tion and the chemiluminescence reaction takes place within the immunoreactor, and the emitted light is collected directly from the cell. 

Chiem, N.H. Harrison, D. Microchip systems for immunoassay An integrated immunoreactor with electrophoretic separation for serum theophylline determination. J. Clin. Chem. 1998, 44, 591. 

Combination of immunoassay and microfluidic platforms offers advantages related to the selectivity and sensitivity, associated to the antigen-antibody interaction with the remarkable features stated above for microfluidic platforms. Microfluidic immunoassays make use of a network of microchannels and/or immunoreactor chambers usually built in a monolithic platform (similar or even the same designs used in ME) from different materials as silicon, glass, or polymers with part of all the necessary components of an immunoassay... 

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