Inventors:
Harold C. Warren - Rush NY
Norbert S. Norkus - Webster NY
Margaret J. Smith-Lewis - Pittsford NY
Assignee:
Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY
International Classification:
G01N 3353
G01N 33543
G01N 3100
G01N 3348
Abstract:
An aqueous wash solution is buffered to a pH of from about 5 to about 9 and contains at least about 1. 5 weight percent of a compound comprising a lower alcohol sulfate anion having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms and an alkali metal or ammonium cation, such as sodium decyl sulfate. This wash solution is useful in a method for the determination of an immunological ligand, and is not prone to crystallization at lower temperatures. Particularly, it is useful for washing the immunological complex formed between the ligand and a receptor molecule therefor. Unreacted materials can be readily separated from the complex by the washing, particularly if the separation is carried out using a filtration membrane in a test device. A test kit for ligand determination comprises the wash solution as well as one or more receptors for the ligand, at least one of which is labeled for detection. This kit is particularly useful for measuring human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as an early indicator of pregnancy.