Immunoassay Techniques

No other development has had such a major impact on the measurement of hormones as immunoassay. Reagents and assay kits can now be bought commercially but not for the more esoteric or new hormones. This chapter explains the basics of the immunoassay reaction and gives simple methods for immunoassays and immunometric assays and for the production of reagents for both antigenic and hapten hormones. Alternative methods are given for the preparation of labeled hormones as well as several possible separation procedures. The methods described here have been previously used in a wide range of assays and have stood the test of time. They will allow the production of usable immunoassays in a relatively short period of time.