Bioresponse-linked instrumental analysis

A new concept is introduced for environmental analysis, based on the combin ation of chemical analysis and biotests. Biomolecular recognition component s such as receptors, ion channels, DNA sequences, and even cell organelles, are used for the binding of bioeffective substances, as the affinity of th e bioeffective compounds is related to the intensity of the biological effe ct. Therefore summations of several parameters can be defined. The coupling of bioeffective binding to chemical analysis can be achieved either by loo se coupling, e.g. the elution of bioeffective ligands from affinity columns followed by chemical analysis, or by hyphenated technologies which enable the automated coupling of binding assays with chemical analysis. Several ex amples are given for this approach, which is called 'bioresponse-linked ins trumental analysis (BLIA)'. An important prerequisite is the production of sufficient amounts of biorecognition molecules, which usually requires reco mbinant technologies. Modular units are expected to provide information on effects parameters, such as cell toxicity, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, imm unotoxicity, or endocrine disruption events. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.