Patent ID: 7358052
Filing Date: 2008-04-15
Classification: C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining the presence or absence of each of a plurality of analytes in a sample, the method comprising the steps of: contacting with the sample a plurality of a first binding reagents and a plurality of electrophoretic probes; each of the first binding reagent comprising a cleavage-inducing moiety attached to a first binding agent specific for at least one analyte, and each of the electrophoretic probe comprising a second binding agent specific for one of said analyte and an electrophoretic tag containing a signal amplification moiety, wherein each of said electrophotecic tag has a unique electrophoretic mobility and is attached to the second binding agent by a cleavable linkage; such that when the first binding reagent and an electrophoretic probe bind to the analyte, the cleavable linkage of the electrophoretic probes is within an effective proximity to a cleavage-inducing moiety such that the elcetrophoretic tag is released form its second binding agent; electrophoretically separating the released electrophoretic tags in an electrophoretic separation medium that contains or to which is added a substrate capable of reacting with each tag's signal amplification moiety to produce a signal; and determining the presence or absence of one or more analytes based on the presence or absence, for each analyte, of a signal corresponding to the electrophoretic mobility of a tag associated with that analyte, by reactions between said substrate and the signal amplification moiety of each released electrophoretic tags.