SILICA-GEL RADIOIMMUNOASSAY FOR MYELIN BASIC-PROTEIN

1.A radioimmunoassay which relies upon the capacity of silica gel to adsorb free human basic protein of myelin (BP) is described.2.Reagents involved in the assay include unlabelled BP, 125I-BP, and rabbit anti-BP. The assay is performed in excess normal rabbit serum, and uses 3-4% silica gel for adsorption of free 125I-BP.3.The assay is simple, reproducible and not particularly time-consuming. It is capable of detecting BP at a level of 1-10 or more nanograms in samples containing varying amounts of serum. The assay is thus highly suitable as a routine test in clinical laboratories interested in detecting BP in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with suspected or proven demyelination. © 1978.