This text is a summary of basic principles and techniques and is dedicated to all those students who have been told by their mentors, "Go forth and do two-dimensional gels and have the results on my desk tomorrow. " No attempt has been made in this text to provide exhaustive lists of references related to basic principles or techniques or to list every com pany or supplier involved in this area of research. Nevertheless, it is hoped that sufficient information is given to help a new investigator or student appreciate the complexities but develop sufficient expertise to carry out these techniques successfully. The discussions are designed to instill in basic science and clinical investigators of all levels of expertise an appreciation of the power of combining a variety of techniques as well as to provide basic insight into the theories, complexities, and problems frequently encountered with electrophoretic and immunochemical meth ods. Bonnie S. Dunbar Houston v Acknowledgments I wish to thank my students and staff for their patience and support throughout the preparation of this text. I would like to acknowledge my appreciation for my extensive discussions with Dr. David Sammons (Uni versity of Arizona) and to Dr. N. L. and Dr. N. G. Anderson and their colleagues (Argonne National Laboratory) for their invaluable advice and suggestions in this area over the years. I thank my research assistant, Ms.

This text is a summary of basic principles and techniques and is dedicated to all those students who have been told by their mentors, "Go forth and do two-dimensional gels and have the results on my desk tomorrow. " No attempt has been made in this text to provide exhaustive lists of references related to basic principles or techniques or to list every com pany or supplier involved in this area of research. Nevertheless, it is hoped that sufficient information is given to help a new investigator or student appreciate the complexities but develop sufficient expertise to carry out these techniques successfully. The discussions are designed to instill in basic science and clinical investigators of all levels of expertise an appreciation of the power of combining a variety of techniques as well as to provide basic insight into the theories, complexities, and problems frequently encountered with electrophoretic and immunochemical meth ods. Bonnie S. Dunbar Houston v Acknowledgments I wish to thank my students and staff for their patience and support throughout the preparation of this text. I would like to acknowledge my appreciation for my extensive discussions with Dr. David Sammons (Uni versity of Arizona) and to Dr. N. L. and Dr. N. G. Anderson and their colleagues (Argonne National Laboratory) for their invaluable advice and suggestions in this area over the years. I thank my research assistant, Ms.

The book appeared in two previous Slovak editions for university students in Czechoslovakia. This edition presents a completely new version updated according to recent advances not only in immunochemistry and essential immunology but also in molecular biology, biochemistry and molecular genetics. The scope of the book is considerable since the goal was to cover the field of immunochemistry from the widest point of view including both the topic and methods of contemporary immunochemistry. Each chapter provides basic information on a specific subtopic, clearly and understandab ly, and presents principles of individual immunochemical methods. I am confident that the book will fill the gap between the books on essential immunology and highly specialised books on individual areas of immunoche mistry (e. g. on antibodies, antigens, numerous immunochemical techniques, etc. ). It may also prove useful for beginning investigators from different biological and medical fields as it supplies basic information needed for solving their scientific problems by immunochemical approaches. I do hope that readers will find the text stimulatory and pleasury to read. I wish to thank all colleagues and friends for supplying their own results, suggestions and for their encouraging comments. My thanks go also to the editors and publishers for their valuable contribution to the preparation of the book. 1 Introduction The term immunochemistry was coined by the Swedish chemist ARRHENIUS who used it for the first time in his lectures in 1907.

Immunoassays are among the most powerful and sensitive technologies now available for patient diagnosis and monitoring. This book is an indispensable guide to information on the theory and practice of immunoassays. It discusses the scientific basis of these technologies in a logical, organized, and heuristic manner and provides protocols for specific assays. The contents of this unique book are balanced among theory, practical issues, quality control, automation, and subspecialty areas, making it ideal for health science students, laboratory scientists, and clinicians. - Presents up-to-date information - Provides extensive cross-referencing - Covers theory and practice in full detail - Written by leading authorities