Patent ID: 8143388

Claim:
A test kit for use in a method for determining amounts or relative proportions of more than one individual polynucleotide sequence in a sample comprising a mixture of target polynucleotide sequences using a quantitative affinity aided solution hybridization with more than one polynucleotide probe, the test kit comprising: one or more probe pools, each pool comprising more than one soluble tracer-tagged polynucleotide probe, wherein each single tracer-tagged polynucleotide probe is complementary to an individual target polynucleotide sequence in the sample, each tracer-tagged polynucleotide probe has approximately the same number of hybridizing nucleotides as the individual target polynucleotide sequence in the sample, and each tracer-tagged polynucleotide probe is provided with one or more resolution enabling tags, which provide the tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes with different mobilities in fractionation, separation or recording systems; one or more vessels, wherein each pool of polynucleotide probes is placed in its own vessel, wherein when multiple vessels are provided, they may be separate or joined together; and apparatus for separating said tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes, wherein the amount of more than one individual polynucleotide sequence in a sample is determined by releasing tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes from hybrids comprising the individual polynucleotide sequence and the tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes captured by said apparatus, conducting size fractionation of the tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes, recording the resolution enabling tags provided on said tracer-tagged polynucleotide probes, and calculating the amount of said released, tracer-tagged polynucleotides using size and concentration standards, wherein the amount of the released polynucleotide probes corresponds to the amount of the complementary target polynucleotide sequences which have hybridized thereto.