Patent ID: 7988858

Claim:
A method for generating at least one polydentate metal chelating affinity ligand, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least one scaffold defined by the general formula (I) wherein X 1 and X 2 irrespective of each other are carbon atoms or heteroatoms, and n and m irrespective of each other are integers of 1 to 5; (b) providing at least one polydentate metal chelating affinity ligand arm, optionally in a form wherein the metal chelating functionalities of at least one said ligand arm are protected, on each said scaffold by derivatisation of the nucleophilic NH 2 groups of the scaffold; (c) reducing the disulfide bond of the derivatised scaffold; and, if required (d) deprotecting the functionalities of the ligand arm(s) provided in step (b).