Apparatuses and methods of optically analyzing fluid within a pipette are described herein. In an embodiment, an optical reader subassembly includes a pipette configured to aspirate and hold a fluid sample within its tip, a housing configured to receive at least the tip of the pipette through a reentrant seal so that the tip of the pipette is located in a light tight manner within an internal area, a light source positioned to be in proximity to the tip of the pipette when the tip of the pipette is received by the housing, the light source configured to project light through the tip of the pipette and onto the fluid sample held within the tip, and an optical sensor configured to take a reading of the fluid sample held within the tip of the pipette without any of the fluid sample being injected from the pipette.

A problem to be solved is to provide a glycated hemoglobin (%) assay method and assay reagent capable of accurate measurement of glycated hemoglobin (%) in blood even when a blood specimen containing hemoglobin contains abnormal hemoglobin such as HbS or HbC.

The present invention provides a method capable of accurate measurement of glycated hemoglobin (%) in blood even in a specimen containing abnormal hemoglobin by combining two types of monoclonal antibodies, i.e., an anti-glycated hemoglobin monoclonal antibody and a monoclonal antibody to the anti-glycated hemoglobin monoclonal antibody, and an assay reagent for performing the method.

Devices and methods for the hook effect detection associated with analytes of interest in the conductance of one or more diagnostic assays, including, without limitation, immunoassays.

According to some aspects, a method for analyzing a cell is provided. The method includes trapping the cell by binding a first molecule to the cell. The method further includes binding a second molecule to the cell. The second molecule includes a binding portion capable of specific binding to a cell-surface molecule of the cell. The second molecule further includes an identifying portion, a labeling portion coupled to the identifying portion, and a stimulus-degradable linker between the binding portion and the identification portion. The method further includes detaching the identifying portion from the binding portion by stimulating the stimulus-degradable linker where the detached identifying portion is coupled to the labeling portion. The method further includes binding the detached identifying portion through specific binding to an identifying portion recognizing molecule and detecting the labeling portion.

This application relates to assays, devices, and methods for conducting highly sensitive assays that employ two binding agents and are useful in detecting specific targets such as antigens. These devices and methods provide the ability to detect minute amounts of the specific target with reduced risk of false positive results.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel preservative solution for a heme protein and a method for stabilizing a heme protein, which are effective against denaturation or degradation of a heme protein, and the present invention specifically relates to a preservative solution for a heme protein comprising a disulfonic acid or a salt thereof, and a method for stabilizing a heme protein, which involves bringing a disulfonic acid or a salt thereof into coexistence in a sample comprising a heme protein.

Disclosed herein are methods for identifying a ubiquitin ligase agonist, and the methods include (a) contacting a ubiquitin ligase with a candidate agonist and a neo-substrate; and (b) determining whether the candidate agonist is effective to result in binding the ubiquitin ligase to the neo-substrate, wherein binding of the ubiquitin substrate to the neo-substrate identifies the candidate agonist as a ubiquitin ligase agonist.

This invention provides, and in certain specific but non-limiting aspects relates to: assays that can be used to predict whether a given ISV will be subject to protein interference and/or give rise to an (aspecific) signal in such an assay (such as in an ADA immunoassay; methods for modifying and/or improving ISV's to as to remove or reduce their tendency to give rise to such protein interference or such a signal; modifications that can be introduced into an ISV that remove or reduce its tendency to give rise to such protein interference or such a signal; ISV's that have been specifically selected (for example, using the assay(s) described herein) to have no or low(er)/reduced tendency to give rise to such protein interference or such a signal; modified and/or improved ISV's that have no or a low(er)/reduced tendency to give rise to such protein interference or such a signal.

The present disclosure provides compositions, methods, systems, and devices for polynucleotide processing and antigen screening. Polynucleotide processing may be useful for a variety of applications. Antigen screening may comprise the use of one or more engineered cells. Engineered cells may be useful for characterizing one or more analytes including, for example, a polypeptide antigen.

The invention is directed to a method for detecting a target moiety in a sample of biological specimens by providing a conjugate with the general formula (I)

##STR00001## characterized in contacting the sample of biological specimens with at least one conjugate (I), thereby labeling the target moiety recognized by an antigen recognizing moiety with the conjugate (I); exciting the labelled target moieties with light having a wavelength within the absorbance spectrum of the fluorescent moiety FL; detecting the labelled target moieties by detecting the fluorescence radiation emitted by the fluorescent moiety FL and degrading the fluorescent moiety FL of the labelled target moieties by irradiating the conjugate with light having a wavelength within the absorbance spectrum of fluorescent moiety FL for a time sufficient to deliver enough energy to reduce the fluorescence radiation emitted by the fluorescent moiety FL at least by 75% of the initial fluorescence radiation.