Technicon Instruments Corporation

Floris De Steenwinkel

Pierre L Masson

Cesar L Cambiaso

Daniel Collet-Cassart

Adrian E Leek

In particle agglutination immunoassays for an analyte (e.g. an antigen or antibody) in a liquid sample (e.g. human serum), interferences arise due to non-specific protein-protein interactions and the like. These interferences are reduced or overcome by including in the assay mixture a chaotropic or chaotropic-like agent, in a carefully controlled amount. Such agents include guanidine, guanidinium hydrochloride or thiocyanate, sodium or ammonium thiocyanate, and urea, sodium chloride and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid.

Agglutination immunoassays carried out with agent to reduce non-specific

The presence of antibodies (Ab) and antigens (Ag) in a liquid is detected by mixing the liquid with two different particulate reagents which mutually agglutinate but whose agglutination is inhibited by the particular Ab or Ag under assay. By detecting the extent of agglutination, the presence or absence of the Ab or Ag can be confirmed. By measuring the extent of agglutination or non-agglutination quantitatively, an amount of Ab or Ag can be determined. The particulate reagents preferably comprise latex.

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Floris De Steenwinkel