Abstract: A process for the determination of an antigen or hapten in homogeneous aqueous phase by incubation in the presence of antigen- or hapten-specific antibodies and of a definite amount of enzyme-marked antigen or hapten and measurement of the activity of the marker enzyme, wherein, after incubation, the reaction solution is heated under those temperature conditions and for a period of time at which the marker enzyme is inactivated by at least 50% in the absence of the antigen- or hapten-specific antibody and the enzyme activity thereafter measured.Also a reagent for carrying out this process, wherein it contains a definite amount of .beta.-galactosidase-hapten conjugate, hapten antibody, buffer (pH 6.0 to 8.5), a system for the determination of the .beta.-galactosidase activity and optionally a definite amount of .beta.-galactosidase antibody.

Abstract: For the determination of antithrombin-BM an antithrombin-BM-cofactor, thrombin and a determinable thrombin substrate are added to a sample solution and the splitting of the thrombin substrate is determined as a measure for the antithrombin-BM activity, whereby heparin, xylan, .lambda.-carrageenan, dextran sulphate, mucopolysaccharide polysulphuric acid esters, pentosan polysulphates or short-chained heparin derivatives produced by the chemical or enzymatic splitting of heparin are used as cofactors.

Abstract: The present invention provides endoproteinase-Lys-C from bacteria, consisting of a chain of molecular weight 35000 to 38000 Dalton, having a pH optimum at pH 7.7 and being inhibited by aprotinin but not being inhibited by alpha.sub.2 -macroglobulin, .alpha..sub.1 -antitrypsin and ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid.The present invention also provides a process for obtaining this enzyme, wherein a culture broth of an appropriate bacterial strain which has been filtered or pre-purified by usual methods is chromatographed over carrier-fixed alpha.sub.2 -macroglobulin-metal complex and the enzyme is obtained from the filtrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the selective separation of endoproteases from aqueous solutions, wherein an aqueous solution containing proteases is treated with a complex, present in the solid phase, of alpha.sub.2 -macroglobulin with a divalent metal selected from zinc, cobalt, nickel and copper and the solid phase then separated off.The present invention also provides an agent for carrying out this process, wherein it comprises a solid carrier material which is loaded with a complex of alpha.sub.2 -macroglobulin and of a divalent metal selected from zinc, cobalt, nickel and copper.

Abstract: Thrombin inhibitor comprising a glycoprotein of a molecular weight of 68,000 to 69,000 Dalton and an isoelectric point of pH 4.5, and is further characterized in that it inhibits thrombin in the presence of dextran sulfate at least twice as strongly as in the presence of heparin, differs immunologically from antithrombin III, and does not inhibit factor Xa, plasmin and trypsin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) segment related to a human plasminogen activator gene. The segment is inserted into a plasmid vector which in turn can be incorporated into a bacterium or other microorganism. The bacterium can then be cultured to produce a plasminogen activator protein having properties of human urokinase.