PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT QUANTITATIVE, FLUORESCENCE AFFINITY TESTS

摘要

A process and device are disclosed for carrying out in particular quantitative fluorescence immunity tests by means of evanescent field excitation, possibly on the basis of various known biochemical assays of systems generally composed of receptor-ligands. However, antibody-antigen systems are preferably evaluated. The invention should enable quantitative fluorescence immunity tests with various known biochemical assays to be carried out with a very simple device. For that purpose, a light source (7, 7') is used which emits rays of an almost monochromatic light having a wavelength which causes a marking substance bound to the antibody to become fluorescent. The light rays are directed at an angle .alpha. determined by a depth of penetration d previously determined for the evanescent field onto a boundary surface (20) between an optically transparent base plate (1) made of a material with a refraction index n1 higher than the refraction index n2 of the material above the boundary surface (20) and a cuvette-shaped sample-receiving area (2). The sample receiving area (2) is covered at the side opposite to the base plate (1) by a covering plate (3) and a detector (5) for sensing fluorescent light is arranged at the same side of the base plate (1) as the light source (7).