Simple Procedures Can Markedly Enhance Automated Immunoassay Performance

Abstract
Theoretically, optimal performance for an immunoassay system is achieved when both the interassay and within-run precisions are identical. Using the Ciba Corning ACS: 180 automated immunoassay system, the authors made two simple changes to the operating procedures that allowed near-optimal analytic performance (as assessed with the interassay coefficient of variation determined by the protocol of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards) for four of six hormones: thyroid-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and human chorionic gonadotropin. At low hormone concentrations, the 20% interassay coefficients of variation for the hormones assayed were as follows: free tetraiodothyronine, 1.74 pM; thyroidstimulating hormone, .033 mIU/L; luteinizing hormone, .21 U/L; follicle- stimulating hormone, .69 U/L; prolactin, 5.03 mU/L; and human chorionic gonadotropin, 1.52 mU/L. The operational enhancements improved the analytic performance of the assay for all hormones assessed compared with the performance of previously used isotopic immunoassays.

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