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Thirty years have elapsed since the first description by S. A. BERSON and R. S. Y ALOW of the basic principles of radioimmunoassay (RIA). During this period of time, RIA methodology has been instrumental to the growth of many areas of biomedical research, including endocrinology, oncology, hematology, and pharmacology. It has done so by providing a relatively simple universal tool allowing, for the first time, the detection of endogenous mediators that are present 12 10 in body fluids at concentrations as low as 10- _10- M. The fundamental nature of this discovery and the wide-ranging fall-out of basic and clinical knowledge derived from its application have been acknowledged by the many honors tributed to its pioneers, including the Nobel Prize awarded to Dr. Y ALOW 10 years ago. Although several excellent books have been published during the past decades covering various aspects of RIA methodology, we felt the need, as pharmacologists, for a comprehensive discussion of the methodological and conceptual issues related to the main classes of mediators of drug action and to drugs themselves. Thus, we gladly accepted the challenge provided by the invitation to edit a volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology on Radioimmunoassay in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. We tried to balance the emphasis placed on more general aspects of the RIA methodology and that on specific mediators.
List of contents
1 Radioimmunoassay: Historical Aspects and General Considerations.- 2 Basic Principles of Antigen-Antibody Interaction.- 3 Production of Antisera by Conventional Techniques.- 4 Production of Monoclonal Antibodies for Radioimmunoassays.- 5 Radioiodination and Other Labeling Techniques.- 6 Strategies for Developing Specific and Sensitive Hapten Radioimmunoassays.- 7 How to Improve the Sensitivity of a Radioimmunoassay.- 8 Statistical Aspects of Radioimmunoassay.- 9 Validation Criteria for Radioimmunoassay.- 10 Measurement of Opioid Peptides in Biologic Fluids by Radioimmunoassay.- 11 Radioimmunoassay of Pituitary and Hypothalamic Hormones.- 12 Radioimmunoassay of Nonpituitary Peptide Hormones.- 13 Radioimmunoassay of Gastrointestinal Polypeptides.- 14 Radioimmunoassay of Atrial Peptide Blood and Tissue Levels.- 15 Immunochemical Methods for Adrenal and Gonadal Steroids.- 16 Radioimmunoassay of Thyroid Hormones.- 17 Radioimmunoassay of Catecholamines.- 18 Radioimmunoassay of Prostaglandins and Other Cyclooxygenase Products of Arachidonate Metabolism.- 19 Radioimmunoassay of Leukotrienes and Other Lipoxygenase Products of Arachidonate.- 20 Radioimmunoassay of Cyclic Nucleotides.- 21 Radioimmunoassay of Platelet Proteins.- 22 A Competitive Binding Assay for Heparin, Heparan Sulphates and Other Sulphated Polymers.- 23 Radioimmunoassay of the Somatomedins/lnsulin-like Growth Factors.- 24 Radioimmunoassay of Drugs and Neurotransmitters.
