Immunoassay on a single microparticle: the effect of particle size and number on a miniaturized time-resolved fluorometric assay of free prostate-specific antigen
H. Harma et al., Immunoassay on a single microparticle: the effect of particle size and number on a miniaturized time-resolved fluorometric assay of free prostate-specific antigen, ANALYT CHIM, 387(1), 1999, pp. 11-19
Individual microparticles can be applied to miniaturize conventional immuno
metric and DNA hybridization assays. In the present report, the effect of p
article size and number on the performance of a non-competitive free prosta
te-specific antigen (PSA) assay were studied in a microliter scale volume.
PSA was captured onto the surface of a microparticle by a monoclonal antibo
dy. Particle-bound PSA was detected by time-resolved fluorometry after the
release of europium ions from the europium-labeled monoclonal antibody into
a fluorescence enhancement solution; 1.8 amol of free PSA was detected in
a miniaturized immunoassay by using a single microparticle. The kinetics of
the multiple microparticle assay (particle diameter 4 mu m, 500 000 partic
les per assay) was rapid due to a favorable surface-to-volume ratio. In the
assay employing a single microparticle (particle diameter 920 mu m), the e
quilibrium was reached in 7.5 min when a total reaction volume of 1 mu l wa
s used. This study indicates that a miniaturized assay with a single microp
article as the solid phase is feasible and competitive in terms of kinetics
, detection limit and dynamics as an immunoassay format. (C) 1999 Elsevier
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