Method of adjusting the working range of a multi-analyte assay
First Claim
1. A method of adjusting the concentration of at least one but not all of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample to match a working range of detection of an analyte assay system, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining characterization of a working range of detection of an analyte assay system for quantitative determination of the concentration of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample, said characterization comprising a high end and a low end of said working range;
b) providing a fluid sample in which each of a plurality of analytes may or may not be present within an expected initial concentration range having a high end and a low end, said plurality of analytes comprising at least one high concentration analyte having a high end expected concentration range that exceeds the high end of said working range of said assay system; and
c) adjusting the expected concentration of said high concentration analyte by a proportional scaling constant, α
, so that said high end of said adjusted expected concentration range is less than or equal to the high end of said working range, without adjusting the expected concentration range of at least one other of said plurality of analytes.
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Abstract
The invention features a method of adjusting the concentration of at least one but not all of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample to match a known working range of detection of an analyte assay system, where each of the plurality of analytes may or may not be present within an expected initial concentration range having a high end and a low end, and at least one analyte has a high end expected concentration range that exceeds the high end of the working range of the assay system. The expected concentration of the high concentration analyte is adjusted by a proportional scaling constant, α, so that the high end of the adjusted expected concentration range is less than or equal to the high end of the working range, without adjusting the expected concentration range of at least one other of the plurality of analytes. Adjustment is preferably accomplished by adding to the solution phase of the assay one or more scaling agents, each scaling agent binding with specificity to an analyte and thereby preventing it from being detected by the assay system, e.g., by competing with binding to immobilized capture agent. This scaling method contrasts with prior methods, in which a concentration of available analyte is offset by a fixed amount to adjust the detectable threshold of the assay. Here, the amount of scaling agent is proportional to a scaling coefficient, and the scaling agent is present in the solution phase of the assay at high concentrations relative to analyte. Due to the equilibrium conditions established by the laws of mass transfer, the amount of free analyte remaining in solution in the presence of scaling agent is predictable and finite, and can be measured as a quantitative indicator of the initial concentration of the analyte in the sample.
95 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting the concentration of at least one but not all of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample to match a working range of detection of an analyte assay system, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) obtaining characterization of a working range of detection of an analyte assay system for quantitative determination of the concentration of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample, said characterization comprising a high end and a low end of said working range;
b) providing a fluid sample in which each of a plurality of analytes may or may not be present within an expected initial concentration range having a high end and a low end, said plurality of analytes comprising at least one high concentration analyte having a high end expected concentration range that exceeds the high end of said working range of said assay system; and
c) adjusting the expected concentration of said high concentration analyte by a proportional scaling constant, α
, so that said high end of said adjusted expected concentration range is less than or equal to the high end of said working range, without adjusting the expected concentration range of at least one other of said plurality of analytes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of quantitatively determining the concentration of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an assay system for the quantitative determination of the concentration of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample, said assay system comprising a defined working range having a high end and a low end;
b) providing a fluid sample in which each of a plurality of analytes which may or may not be present within an expected initial concentration range having a high end and a low end, said plurality of analytes comprising at least one high concentration analyte having a high end expected concentration range that exceeds the high end of said working range of said assay system;
c) adjusting the expected concentration of said high concentration analyte by a proportional scaling constant, α
, so that said high end of said adjusted expected concentration range is less than or equal to the high end of said working range, without adjusting the expected concentration range of at least one other of said plurality of analytes;
d) introducing said sample to a solid support comprising at least one immobilized capture agent, said capture agent having binding specificity for at least one of said plurality of analytes, under conditions permitting binding between said analytes and said capture agent to form analyte-capture agent complex; and
e) determining said analyte-capture agent complex on said solid support as an indication of the initial concentration of said analytes in said fluid sample. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of measuring the affinity of a binding agent, Ka, for an analyte, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a fluid sample comprising an analyte;
b) experimentally determining a value of a scaling constant α
; and
c) calculating Ka, where Ka is equal to (α
−
1)/[Sf].
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31. An apparatus for performing an assay for the quantitative determination of the concentration of a plurality of analytes in a fluid sample, said assay system comprising a defined working range having a high end and a low end, said apparatus comprising;
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a) means for providing a fluid sample in which each of a plurality of analytes which may or may not be present within an expected initial concentration range having a high end and a low end, said plurality of analytes comprising at least one high concentration analyte having a high end expected concentration range that exceeds the high end of said working range of said assay system;
b) means for adjusting the expected concentration of said high concentration analyte by a proportional scaling constant, α
, so that said high end of said adjusted expected concentration range is less than or equal to the high end of said working range, without adjusting the expected concentration range of at least one other of said plurality of analytes;
c) means for introducing said sample to a solid support comprising at least one immobilized capture agent, said capture agent having binding specificity for at least one of said plurality of analytes, under conditions permitting binding between said analytes and said capture agent to form analyte-capture agent complex; and
d) means for determining said analyte-capture agent complex on said solid support as an indication of the initial concentration of said analytes in said fluid sample. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification