Abstract: The invention provides methods for detecting target nucleic acid sequences with diagnostic primers including priming regions and probe regions which are complementary to target and reference regions respectively on a sample nucleic acid strand wherein the probe region is located 5′ to the priming region which is complementary to a reference nucleic acid sequence which is 3′ to the target nucleic acid sequence on the sample nucleic acid strand wherein when said reference nucleic acid sequence is contiguous with said target nucleic acid sequence on the sample nucleic acid strand then the priming region and probe region on the diagnostic probe are separated by a spacer region of nucleic acid.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method for detection of panel reactive antibodies in serum of a subject against HLA class I antigens, which comprises the steps of adding serum from a subject to an array of microbeads, each microbead presenting HLA antigens from a cell population presenting the same HLA antigens; incubating the serum and microbeads for sufficient time for anti-HLA antibodies in the serum to bind to the HLA antigens presented on the microbeads; removing the serum components which do not specifically bind with the HLA antigens presented on the microbeads; incubating the microbeads with a labeled ligand capable of specifically binding with anti-HLA antibodies bound to said HLA antigens; removing the labeled ligand which is not bound to said HLA antigens; and detecting the presence of labeled ligand bound to said HLA antigens by flow cytometry.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for simultaneous gel electrophoresis analysis of multiple nucleic acid samples. The invention provides an electrophoresis gel-matrix layer having two mutually opposite ends for application of an electrophoresis voltage thereto, an exposed major surface extending between the two ends, and a plurality of wells in the thickness of the layer and open at said exposed surface, wherein the wells are arranged in a plurality of rows each extending transversely of the end-to-end direction of the layer and wherein the wells in successive rows are aligned with each other so as to form columns which are aligned in the end-to-end direction said gel-matrix layer further comprising two slots positioned at opposing ends of the plurality of open sample wells for insertion of electrophoresis electrodes.