An immunoassay is any laboratory method for detecting a substance by using an antibody with which it reacts.
Deborah Menking and Michael Goode, scientists at the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC) in Maryland, have been awarded the patent for their "One-Step Electrochemiluminescent FASTube." The FASTube simplifies a multi-step, multi-reagent wet chemistry electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay format to a one-step freeze-dried reagent housed in a novel sampling tube. The result is a highly sensitive and reproducible immunoassay that provided a reliable and fieldable immunoassay capability.
The FASTube's impact on the Army's bio-detection capabilities has been notable and it has gained wide acceptance within the Department of Defense.
Construction contractors have begun readying the site where the new Sample Receipt Facility (SRF) will be built. This facility is where scientists will triage and analyze potentially contaminated environmental samples from around the world.