Toyo Soda Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Satoru Kamada

Shuji Iwasaki

Yuji Higo

Hideo Suzuki

Enzymatic immunoassay for estimating the concentration of antigen or antibody comprising bringing an antigen-antibody complex, which is labelled by an enzyme and is present heterogeneously in a solution, into contact with a substrate where pH of the solution is so adjusted as to be suitable for the enzyme to be activated and also for measuring the fluorescence of the substrate, measuring the time-variation of fluorescent intensity of the substrate produced by the enzyme reaction, and estimating the concentration of the antigen or the antibody from the slope of the substantially linear portion, on a characteristic curve representing variation of the fluorescence intensity with the time. Fluorescence is measured while magnetic beads with antigen-antibody complex attached are oscillated at a specific frequency.

Enzymatic immunoassay involving detecting fluorescence while oscillating

An immunoassay method and apparatus includes the vibration of beads within a cell, the beads having a complex of a substance conjugated with an enzyme as a marker on the surface thereof, and using an optical measurement device to quantatively determine the amount of the marker in the cell. The vibration is provided by including a magnetic material in the beads and causing a magnetic field to move within the cell. The vibrations have at least a component transverse to a measurement direction of the optical measurement device. The movement of the magnetic field in the cell is caused by the reciprocation of a bar having magnets thereon and in a position adjacent to the cell.

Assay method and apparatus of immune reaction

A nozzle device in an apparatus for biochemical reaction, including a biochemical reaction chamber, includes a nozzle having a tip and a porous filter fixed to the tip. The nozzle further includes an outer nozzle tube defining a first bore extending to the tip, a second bore extending through the porous filter and being coaxial with the first bore, an inner tube extending through the first bore to the tip and defining a third bore, the inner tube being tightly fitted into, and extending through, the second bore and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the inner diameter of the first bore to define an annular space in communication with the filter. The third bore is connected to a source of liquid and the annular space is connected with a source of suction, so that a liquid can be discharged to the reaction chamber from the first bore and sucked out of the reaction chamber through the filter.

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Yamato, Japan

Satoru Kamada