Development of an aggregation-based immunoassay for anti-protein A using gold nanoparticles

A unique, sensitive, and highly specific immunoassay system for antibodies using gold nanoparticles has been developed. The assay is based on the aggregation of gold nanoparticles that are coated with protein antigens in the presence of their corresponding antibodies. The aggregation of the gold nanoparticles results in an absorption change at 620 nm that is monitored using an absorption plate reader. To demonstrate the analytical capabilities of the new technique, monodispersed protein A-coated gold particles, averaging 10 nm in diameter, were used to determine the level of anti-protein A in serum samples. The effects of the pH, the temperature, and the concentration of protein A-coated gold nanoparticles on the sensitivity of the assay were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV/vis absorption spectroscopy. A dynamic range of 2 orders of magnitude and a limit of detection of 1 microg/mL of anti-protein A were observed. The new technique could be used for fast, high-throughput screening of antibodies in clinical diagnostic applications.