Long rigid spacers to enhance binding kinetics in immunoassays

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for detecting a target molecule within a sample comprising a sample container for the measurement of the target molecule within a sample, a first particle, wherein said first particle is functionalized with a first binding molecule capable of specifically binding to said target molecule, and a surface structure comprising a second binding molecule, wherein said surface structure covers a flat sensor or is present on a second particle, wherein said first particle is capable of binding said second binding molecule of the surface structure directly or indirectly; wherein said first and/or second binding molecule is indirectly attached to the particle surface of said first and/or second particle and/or the flat sensor surface via a long and rigid linker molecule; wherein the length and the consistency of said linker molecule is selected such as to result in an average extension length of said linker of more than 60 nm; and wherein the number of particle clusters or of bound particles is directly or inversely related to the amount of target molecules present in the sample. In a further aspect the present invention relates to a method of detecting the presence or amount of a target molecule within a sample. The present invention also describes the use of a particle according to the invention for detecting a target molecule within a sample.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.