Patent ID: 8309298

Claim:
A method for detecting a protein in a sample, comprising the steps of: contacting a sample comprising a first protein with a fluorescent substance, whereupon said contacting, some of said fluorescent substance binds to said first protein in a binding reaction to form complexes, and some of said fluorescent substance remains unbound to said first protein; immobilizing said complexes and said unbound fluorescent substance to a solid substrate; and treating the solid substrate in which said complexes and said unbound fluorescent substance are immobilized thereon with a blocking protein, wherein said blocking protein selectively suppresses fluorescence from the unbound fluorescent substance without suppressing fluorescence from the fluorescent substance of said complexes; and exciting fluorescence from the fluorescent substance with excitation light, determining the amount of fluorescence produced, and quantifying the amount of said first protein in said sample based on said amount of fluorescence produced.