New luminescence-linked immunoassay techniques

Several fluorescent labels were studied to develop simple luminescence immunoassay methods for both macromolecules and low molecular weight analytes. Initially, the 'Fluram (fluorescamine) enhancement phenomenon' was investigated by extending its use for assay of the-thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3). The observed enhanced fluorescence permitted the development of a homogeneous assay capable of detecting nanogram concentrations of the hormone in pure solution and hormone depleted serum. The technique was however, complicated by the overlapping Raman scatter peak and attempts to overcome this problem included the use of derivative spectroscopy [continued]…