Lyophilized ligand-receptor complexes for assays and sensors

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide novel ligand-receptor complexes which are suitable for use in a displacement assay.
It is another object of the present invention to provide novel ligand-receptor complexes which are suitable for use in a displacement assay and do not require washing prior to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide novel ligand-receptor complexes which are suitable for use in a displacement assay and may be stored for extended periods of time at ambient temperatures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide processes for preparing such ligand-receptor complexes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a simplified displacement assay which does not require washing of the ligand-receptor complex immediately prior to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide kits which can be utilized to carry out such simplified displacement assays.
These and other objects, which will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description, have been achieved by the inventor's discovery that a ligand-receptor complex prepared by a process involving: (i) binding a labelled ligand or a labelled receptor to an immobilized receptor or an immobilized ligand, to obtain an immobilized ligand-receptor complex; (ii) washing said immobilized ligand-receptor complex to remove any excess labelled ligand or any excess labelled receptor, to obtain a washed immobilized ligand-receptor complex; and (iii) lyophilizing said washed immobilized ligand-receptor complex, to obtain a lyophilized immobilized ligand-receptor complex, is useful in displacement assays, does not require washing immediately prior to use, and is suitable for long term storage at ambient temperatures.
Prior to the present invention, whether or not a ligand-receptor complex having equilibrium binding constant, K, of 10.
sup.
5 to 10.
sup.
9 would dissociate during a lyophilization and rehydration cycle was unknown