[Contribution of simultaneous multiple immunoassays to biology]

During the last years, research in the area of immunoanalysis has been oriented towards the marketing of more reliable, faster and low cost kits. In this field, simultaneous multiple immunoanalysis that offer long-time ignored original and specific advantages, has undergone tremendous improvements triggered by striking technological innovations and the advent of lanthanide chelate based markers. Simultaneous multiple immunoassays have turned from semi-quantitative methods restricted to pharmacology to quantitative methods for medical biology. We chose first to describe several commercial systems among the most representative then we stressed on the main emerging systems based on optical or electrochemical detection as well as some immunosensor devices. The array of simultaneous multiple immunoassays currently available appears attractive enough so as to take a significant area within the analytical arsenal at the biologist disposal.