Coulometric assay system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for the sequential rapid qualitative or quantitative assay of a plurality of samples of members of biospecific binding pairs by coulometric measurement, comprising:
- a plurality of working electrodes corresponding to the number of samples to be assayed, said electrodes immersed in a common solution in a vessel,a multiplexer for effecting sequential coulometric measurements,a potentiostat;
there being provided in said vessel a reference electrode and a counter electrode, means for applying a predetermined voltage during each such measurement;
which measurements are that of the electric charge passing between each working electrode and the evaluation thereof indicating the quantity of one of the members of the biospecific binding pairs, or its presence, said working electrodes comprising an electrically inert support which supports a member selected from the group consisting of carbon felt, carbon paper or carbon cloth to which there is firmly bonded one of the biospecific pair members which specifically binds the second complementary member, which second member is tagged by an enzyme or which second member is coupled to at least one further biospecific member, the last of which further biospecific members is tagged with an enzyme;
whereby when the electrodes are introduced into a substrate of the enzyme, a coulometric signal is formed, thereby sequentially measuring said samples.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a novel assay for the determination of entities having biological activity and to a device for carrying out such determinations. The assay is a very sensitive one and quantities in the picogram per milliliter range can be determined. The assay is based on chrono-coulometric measurements with sequential measurements of a plurality of samples being carried out with the aid of a multiplexer, in combination with a potentiostat, there being provided suitable electrodes and means for applying a predetermined voltage. One of the electrodes is advantageously a glassy carbon electrode, carbon felt or cloth or carbon paper. Amongst biologically active entities there are antibodies/antigens; hormones/receptors; nuclotides/nucleotide probes, one of the members of such a pair being immobilized on an electrode surface, being tagged with an enzyme providing a signal in coulometric measurements.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. Apparatus for the sequential rapid qualitative or quantitative assay of a plurality of samples of members of biospecific binding pairs by coulometric measurement, comprising:
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a plurality of working electrodes corresponding to the number of samples to be assayed, said electrodes immersed in a common solution in a vessel, a multiplexer for effecting sequential coulometric measurements, a potentiostat; there being provided in said vessel a reference electrode and a counter electrode, means for applying a predetermined voltage during each such measurement; which measurements are that of the electric charge passing between each working electrode and the evaluation thereof indicating the quantity of one of the members of the biospecific binding pairs, or its presence, said working electrodes comprising an electrically inert support which supports a member selected from the group consisting of carbon felt, carbon paper or carbon cloth to which there is firmly bonded one of the biospecific pair members which specifically binds the second complementary member, which second member is tagged by an enzyme or which second member is coupled to at least one further biospecific member, the last of which further biospecific members is tagged with an enzyme; whereby when the electrodes are introduced into a substrate of the enzyme, a coulometric signal is formed, thereby sequentially measuring said samples. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification