Antibody Technology

Abstract

In virtually all forms of immunoassay, three principal requirements have to be met. First, one or more antibodies of the desired specificity are needed, and targets for this specificity have been discussed. Secondly, it is necessary during the assay to separate out those antibody and/or analyte molecules that have not bound to targets from those where specific binding has taken place. Finally, the occurrence of this binding event must be recognized and quantified; to do this a macroscopic signal has to be generated by the event and measured in some way. These three requirements are the subject of this chapter.