Abstract

Immunoanalytical methods that are based on the selective, reversible binding of small molecules (drugs) or macromolecules by biologically derived antibodies have revolutionized the field of biomedical analysis. Immunoassays have allowed the determination of very small amounts of analytes that were previously unassayable in biological matrices by other techniques. Since the original work on the analysis of insulin by Berson and Yalow (1), immunoassay methods have been developed for the determination of a wide variety of drugs, pesticides, hormones, and biological proteins. Immunoassays are relatively simple procedurally. This has led to the development of many “kit-type” immunoassay systems that are used routinely for home diagnostics.