Electrochemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay
US6524865B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 25, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/533
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Electrochemiluminescent-labels and enzyme substrates, which preferably are conjugated, are used in immunoassays and electrochemiluminescence is generated catalytically. In conventional electrochemiluminescence immunoassays, an anti-analyte antibody molecule can give rise to typically 6-8 electrochemiluminescence-active ruthenium atoms, while in the present invention, each enzyme-labeled anti-analyte molecule can give rise to thousands of electrochemiluminescence-active ruthenium atoms per second. An exemplary immunoassay is based on a catalytic process employing &bgr;-lactamase-conjugated anti-analytes which enzymatically hydrolyze electrochemiluminescent-labeled substrates, making them strongly electrochemiluminescent. The electrochemiluminescence signal generated by each anti-analyte molecule (i.e., each analyte molecule) is much greater than with the conventional method. Accordingly, greater sensitivity can be gained in the measurement of low concentrations of a given immunoassay analyte.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.