Chemiluminescence immunoassay is now established as one of the best alternatives to conventional radioimmunoassay for the quantitation of low concentrations of analytes in complex samples. During the last two decades the technology has evolved into analytical procedures whose performance far exceeds that of immunoassays based on the use of radioactive labels. Without the constraints of radioactivity, the scope of this type of analytical procedure has widened beyond the confines of the specialist clinical chemistry laboratory to other disciplines such as microbiology, veterinary medicine, agriculture, food and environmental testing. This is the first work to present the topic as a subject in its own right. In order to provide a complete picture of the subject, overviews are presented of the individual areas of chemiluminescence and immunoassay with particular emphasis on the requirements for interfacing chemiluminescent and immunochemical reactions. The possible ways of configuring chemiluminescence immunoassays are described. State-of-the-art chemiluminescence immunoassay systems are covered in detail together with those systems which are commercially available.
The book is aimed at researchers and routine laboratory staff in the life sciences who wish to make use of this high-performance analytical technique and also at those interested in industrial applications of the technology in the food, agricultural and environmental sciences.