BIOTIN-RECEPTOR REAGENTS FOR SENSITIVITY MODULATION IN ASSAYS

摘要

Methods are disclosed for designing an antibody reagent for use in an assay for the detection of an analyte to obtain an optimum assay sensitivity and/or dynamic range. The antibody reagent is a conjugate of a small molecule attached by a spacer group to an antibody for the analyte. The method comprises controlling, in the preparation of the conjugate, reaction parameters comprising the hydrophobicity or hydrophiHcity of the spacer group, the length of the spacer group, the number of molecules of the small molecule attached to the antibody and the point of attachment of the small molecule to the antibody to obtain an optimum assay sensitivity and/or dynamic range. In some embodiments the method comprises preparing two or more conjugates by selecting a set of parameters for each conjugate wherein the set of parameters is different for each conjugate, conducting an assay for the analyte employing each conjugate and selecting for use in the assay the conjugate that provides the optimum assay sensitivity and/or dynamic range.