Patent ID: 8080410

Claim:
A method of measuring the binding of a first partner in an interaction to a second partner in said interaction, wherein said interaction partners are molecular entities, said method comprising the steps of a) delivering a quantity of said second interaction partner to a reaction well of a device for attachment of said second interaction partner to an attachment zone of said reaction well, wherein said device comprises i. an opaque temperature-controlled chamber having a centrifuge rotor therein, said rotor having at or near the periphery of the rotor and attached thereto at least one radially positioned transparent reaction well, said reaction well having on an upper surface thereof an aperture for the addition of reagents to the reaction well, said reaction well further including on an internal surface thereof at the end closest the axis of said rotor at least one attachment zone for said second interaction partner and said well having a sufficient length to provide an area for the at least one attachment zone and an area positioned at the end of the well into which the solution or solutions via which the second interaction partner were applied can be displaced by centrifugal force; ii. a system for detecting light emitted or absorbed by said first interaction partner or an indicator molecule bound thereto; and iii. means for controlling the temperature of said chamber and the operation of said rotor; b) adding a solution comprising a quantity of said first interaction partner to said attachment zone and incubating at a temperature and for a time sufficient to allow binding of said first interaction partner to said second interaction partner; c) rotating said device rotor at a speed sufficient to displace the solution comprising unbound first interaction partner from said attachment zone; and d) measuring the amount of said first interaction partner bound to said second interaction partner via the fluorescence or absorbance of said first interaction partner or an indicator molecule bound thereto.