You are here
UREASE-LINED IMMUNOASSAY REAGENT STABILITY STUDIES
Title: Principal Investigator
Phone: (808) 486-5381
UREASE OFFERS DISTINCT ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER ENZYMES FOR PREPARATION OF CONJUGATES USED IN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNO-SORBENT ASSAY SYSTEMS. MOLECULAR DEVICES CORPORATION (MENLO PARK, CA) HAS CAPITALIZED ON THESE ADVANTAGES IN THEIR THRESHOLD SYSTEM. THIS IMPRESSIVE SYSTEM UTILIZES AVIDIN-BIOTIN TO "CAPTURE" ANALYTE-BOUND ANTIBODY-UREASE CONJUGATE COMPLEXES ONTO A MEMBRANE, WHERE THEY ARE QUANTITATED BY A SENSOR THAT MONITORS THE FORMATION OF PRODUCT FROM THE UREASE-UREA REACTION. THE THRESHOLD SYSTEM IS OF INTEREST TO THE U.S. ARMY FOR A RANGE OF APPLICATIONS, BUT TO BE OF VALUE AS A FIELD DETECTOR, THE UREASE CONJUGATES REQUIRED MUST BE STABLE TO STORAGE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS. METHODS WILL THEREFORE BE INVESTIGATED FOR PRODUCING HIGH ACTIVITY UREASE-ANTIBODY CONJUGATES THAT ARE STABLE TO SHORT TERM STORAGE AT 37 DEG C. PARAMETERS WILL THEN BE INVESTIGATED THAT AFFECT LYOPHILIZATION OF SELECTED UREASEANTIBODY CONJUGATES, AND THEIR STABILITY TO SHORT TERM STORAGE AT 60 DEG C. IT IS PROPOSED THAT ONE MONOCLONAL AND ONE POLYCLONAL MODEL SYSTEM ANTIBODY BE STUDIED. THE DATA OBTAINED FROM THESE PHASE I STUDIES WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION ON PROMISING AVENUES OF APPROACH FOR PHASE II, WHEN FURTHER REFINEMENTS WILL ENABLE PRODUCTION OF HIGH ACTIVITY, STABLE CONJUGATES, FOR USE IN U.S. ARMY APPLICATIONS OF THE THRESHOLD SYSTEM.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *