Carbonyl metallo immune assay:: a new application for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

We describe here the development of a new, non-isotopic immunological assay termed CMIA (carbonyl metallo immunoassay) that uses metal carbonyl complexes as tracers and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) as the detection method. This assay is based on the particular spectral features of these complexes, which show very strong absorption bands in the 1800-2200 cm(-1) spectral range where proteins and organic molecules do not absorb. In Section 1, the optimisation of the quantitative detection of these tracers is detailed. In Section 2, the implementation of mono-CMIA is described, including the CMIA assays of three antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin). Finally, extension to the simultaneous double- and triple-CMIA of these drugs is reported. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.