Method for producing an analytical antibody probe, an analytical antibody probe, and a method for analysing a sample for certain antibodies.

摘要

The complexity of antigenic test material in tests which employ the antigen-antibody reaction increases the likelihood of false results. In particular, the complexity of antigenic test material in diagnostic techniquest increases the likelihood of false positive signals generated due to antibodies stimulated by organisms showing some but all antigenic properties with the test material. In conventional tests, a single positive or negative signal is obtained which is the result of a complex and undifferentiated array of structural components of an organism or material antigenically related to it. In contrast, the present invention greatly expands the use of the antigen-antibody reaction in analysis techniquest and diagnosis by providing a multi-signal. The invention provides a method for producing an analytical antibody probe for detecting the presence of antibodies specific for particular protein and/or polysaccharide material, which method comprises disposing upon a solid-state substrate in a pre-determined spatial relationship a set of differentiated antigenic components which have been derived from said protein or polysaccharide material, said set of differentiated antigenic components being selected such that at least a subset thereof is known to be reactive with said antibodies. The invention also embraces the analytical antibody probe as such and a corresponding method for analysing a sample to determine the presence and distribution of antibodies specific for particular protein and/or polysaccharide material.