Sensitized Bioassays

Abstract

Luminescent lanthanides are well-suited and widely applied markers for bioaffinity assays, both separation-based heterogeneous assays, such as immunoassays, as well as for homogeneous assays, such as assays based on energy transfer. Their properties allow efficient combination of spectral and temporal resolution to gain good sensitivity, perfect discrimination of produced sensitized signal, and robust assays. Both europium and terbium, as their stable and highly luminescent chelates, have found wide applications in research aiming for new drug discovery. The complicated but efficient energy transfer process in the chelates, and between chelate and acceptor, provides versatile tools to stipulate good assays for various applications and also to gain limited multiplexing to allow measurement of several biomarkers simultaneously. The chapter reviews the recent development in the area and gives overview of interesting applications.