One-step thickness shear mode acoustic assay for plasminogen activators

A new procedure is presented for the measurement of plasminogen activators using a thickness shear mode sensor and a modified version of the fibrin plate assay at the micro-scale. Separate, well-mixed solutions of the substrates fibrinogen and plasminogen, and enzymes thrombin and the plasminogen activator sample were mixed together and placed on the sensor surface. The temperature and evaporation were controlled during the assay. The clot dissolution time correlated well with the quantity of the plasminogen activator in the sample. The average relative standard deviation was 12.5%.