Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Radioimmunoassay (RIA)


Radioimmunoassay (RIA)

This technique which is very sensitive and is used to measure the concentrations of antigens. Radioimmunoassay technique is a specific and sensitive test, but this technique need a special equipment, which is costly. Substances used in this test are radioactive, so special precautions are to be observed.

Radioimmunoassay or RIA is one of the tests used to help the clinician determine the levels of hormones in a patient. Estrogen is one of these hormone. The level of estrogen is important to be measured because an increase or decrease of its level is unhealthy and may be detrimental to the patient.

Principle:

In this test, antigens which are of known amount or quantity are made radioactive. These antigens, which are now radioactive, are then mixed with antibodies of that antigens. Which result the two to bind chemically to one another. Then, a serum sample from a patient which contain an unknown amount or quantity of the same antigens is then added. This cause the unlabeled antigens from the patient's serum to compete with the radiolabeled antigens for binding sites in the antibody.

Reference:
Wikipedia-RIA

7 comments:

  1. This is a simple presentation of RIA.

    Nicely done.

    Z

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  2. I think the equipment is expensive due, in part, to the fact that it handles radioactive substances. And because of those substances, you are so right to say that special precautions must be observed.

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  3. hi doc Z,
    Thanks for dropping by my blog...
    Godbless you always..

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  4. hi Luke,
    I agree. That's one of the reasons why this test is costly, and only big time hospitals and laboratories perform it..

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  5. which price RIA Technology and How match cast per Test

    ReplyDelete