Enhancer of Luminol-mediated Chemiluminescence

The NADPH oxidase of phagocytic leukocytes generates superoxide anion, a toxic oxygen radical important to bacteriostatic and paracitocidal inflammatory responses. Ongoing studies of the oxidase, the components that comprise it, and the signaling pathways leading to its activation are of interest to basic and clinical research, and to clinical diagnoses. At present, the most sensitive method for measuring rates of superoxide production in leukocytes is luminol-mediated chemiluminescence.



We have found a means for enhancing by 500 fold the sensitivity of luminol-mediated chemiluminescence. Very popular kits for an analogous system which contain patented luminol-enhancement reagents are presently sold by various companies as non-isotopic detection systems for Western and DNA blotting. However, their enhancers are toxic to live cells and denaturing to some proteins. The enhancer that we have analyzed is not toxic to human monocytes or neutrophils and has no pharmacologic effect on the capacity of these cells to generate superoxide.



Some other foreseen uses for this enhancer include increased sensitivity of measurements of some types of surface antigens on live cells via HRP-, or other, conjugated antibodies, a modified ELISA, and, when coupled with a different reporter gene than the current luciferase/luciferin system, a more sensitive method for detecting transfected-gene promotion.



This technology is claimed in the issued United States Patent Nos. 5,401,640 and 5,492,816. We are seeking an industrial partner who is interested in marketing this enhancer as part of a chemiluminescence-enhancement kit. (Ref: J38)

Type of Offer: Licensing



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