Nonisotopic immunoassay fluorescence

In fact, most RIAs and many nonisotopic immunoassays use a competitive binding format (see Fig. 2). In this approach, the analyte in the sample to be measured competes with a known amount of added analyte that has been labeled with an indicator that binds to the immobilized antibody. After reaction, the free analyte—analyte-indicator solution is washed away from the soHd phase. The analyte-indicator on the soHd phase or remaining in the wash solution is then used to quantify the amount of analyte present in the sample as measured against a control assay using only an analyte-indicator. This is done by quantifying the analyte-indicator using the method appropriate for the assay, for example, enzyme activity, fluorescence, radioactivity, etc. 

Forerunners of nonisotopic immunoassay had already appeared before radioimmunoassay was developed. For example, nephelometry is based on precipitation, which is known as the classical immune reaction, and the ideas of particle immunoassay and viroimmunoassay seem to have developed from the hemagglutination test. The principles of enzyme and fluorescence immunoassay had already been used as enzyme and fluorescence antibody techniques in histochemical analysis. In 1971, two groups reported use of an enzyme immunoassay (E5, V2). Leute et al. reported spin immunoassay, which has spurred recent development of nonisotopic immunoassays (L5). 

The analytical detection limits of competitive and noncompetitive immunoassays are determined principally by the affinity of the antibody and the detection limit of the label used, respectively. Calculations have indicated that a lower limit of detection of lOfmol/L (Le., 600,000 molecules of analyte in a typical sample volume of 100 jiL) is possible in a competitive assay using an antibody with an affinity of iO L/mol. Table 9-2 illustrates the detection limits for isotopic and nonisotopic labels. A radioactive label, such as l, has low specific activity (7.5 million labels necessary for detection of 1 disintegration/s) compared with enzyme labels and chemiluminescent and fluorescent labels. Enzyme labels provide an amplification (each enzyme label produces many detectable product molecules), and the detection limit for an enzyme can be improved by replacing the conventional photometric detection reaction by a chemiluminescent or bioluminescent reaction. The combination of amplification and an ultrasensitive detection reaction makes noncompetitive chemiluminescent EIAs among the most sensitive types of immunoassay. Fluorescent labels also have... 

A number of nonisotopic immunoassays for estradiol have been developed and adapted for use on fuHy automated immunoassay systems. All are heterogeneous assays (separation step needed), but most are direct assays and do not require prehminary extraction. Most procedures offer the convenience of solid-phase separation methods. For routine clinical applications, the greatest experience is with enzyme immunoassays. Most commercial enzyme immunoassays use horseradish peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase to label estradiol antigens enzyme activity is determined using a variety of photometric,fluorescent,or chemiluminescent substrates. ... 

Nonisotopic immunoassays Use of nonisotopic immunoassays has, in the last few years, become increasingly common in both research and clinical laboratories. Although these immunoassays do not employ radioactive labels, they may have sensitivities similar to those of classic RIA. The immunochemical mechanism and principles are the same as for RIA only the label and the method of measurement are different. The most common labels are enzymes and fluorescent conjugates, which may be covalently bound to antibodies or haptens. 

There is increasing interest in the use of nonisotopic labels in immunoassay. The main advantages of such labels in labeled antibody techniques are the expected longer shelf life of the reagent and the ability to use a detection apparatus that may for one reason or another prove to be more convenient—e.g., for automation or cheapness. Some alternatives that are being explored are bacteriophages, spin labels, enzymes, fluorescent compounds, and luminescent compounds. ... 

Immunoassays are used to measure PSA and are commercially available. Most of them use nonisotopic labels, such as enzyme, fluorescence, or chemiluminescence. The majority of these assays are automated on an immunoassay system. Different assays and even the same assay with different lots of reagent may produce different results. The reasons for such differences are due to changes in assay calibration, production lot variation, assay reaction time, reagent matrices, assay sensitivity, and imprecision. Antibodies react with different PSA epitopes therefore, some antibodies react dissimilarly with the various molecular forms of PSA. Assays are classified as equimolar if they bind to free and cPSA equally and nonequimolar if they bind to free or cPSA differently. Examples of equunolar assays are the ACCESS... 

A nonisotopic ELISA method in which serum specimens are added to microtiter wells coated with human Tg is also available. In this method, antibody binding is assessed using a peroxidase-conjugated anti-IgG/o-phenylenedi-amine system. An automated two-step fluorescent enzyme immunoassay has been reported. In this assay, Tg is immobilized on magnetic beads, and anti-human IgG mouse monoclonal antibody is labeled with alkafine phosphatase 4-methyiumbelliferyl phosphate is used as the substrate. IRMA and ELISA both have similar detection limits (approximately 3 to 5 U/mL). A considerably more sensitive radioassay has been reported in which diluted serum is incubated with T-labeled Tg to allow formation of antigen-antibody complexes these complexes are then precipitated by adding solid-phase protein A. Its detection limit is reported to be approximately 0.2 U/mL. 

Nonisotopic methods have also been described. For example, a homogeneous (nonseparation) fluorescence polarization immunoassay for DHEA-S that uses a rabbit polyclonal antibody and a DHEA-fluorescein tracer is available. The measured polarization is inversely related to DHEA-S concentration. This fully automated system has a dynamic range of 1 to lOOOjJ-g/dL (0,03 to 27 Limoi/L), and interassay coefficients of variation are less than 10% over a broad concentration interval (25 to lOOOpg/dL 0.7 to 27pmol/L). Assay time is about 15 minutes for a single sample and 30 minutes for 20 samples. 

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