Abstract: An immunoassay in which a thermally induced phase separation is used to effect the separation of specifically bound reactants from free reactants is disclosed. A first reactant is conjugated to a temperature-sensitive polymer to form a polymer/reactant conjugate, and a second reactant is conjugated to a reporter to form a reporter/reactant conjugate. The polymer/reactant, reporter/reactant, and biological fluid samples suspected of containing the analyte are admixed in solution at a temperature other than that at which the polymer will precipitate. Specific binding is allowed to occur, thereby forming a ternary complex. The salt concentration of the adjusted solution is then adjusted to a concentration sufficient to cause the complex to precipitate from the solution, the amount of reporter activity in the precipitated complex or in the solution measured and the presence and/or concentration of the analyte therefrom determined.

Abstract: Conjugate monomers, polymers, and methods for the de novo synthesis of the polymers are provided. Conjugate organic monomers contain binding-pair members which upon polymerization become integrally associated with the resultant polymer. Specifically, antigens, antibodies, receptors, and ligands may be bound to organic monomers either directly by chemical reaction or indirectly by chemical spacer arms, and these conjugates may be polymerized or copolymerized with nonderivatized monomers to form polymers containing variable amounts of the binding-pair members. Such conjugate monomers and polymers find a wide variety of uses in binding to their binding-pair-member cognate which include selective removal of complementary binding-pair members from solution as well as in immunoassay procedures and in immunization regimes.

Abstract: Methods and compounds are disclosed for determining the presence, amount of, or association between substances of interest in samples suspected of containing same. The methods are based on the polymerization-induced separation of specifically-bound, reporter-labeled recognition reactants from free, reporter-labeled recognition reactants. The methods described are applicable to any substance for which suitable recognition reactants exist or can be made and are not limited by considerations such as chemical composition or molecular size.