Radioassay is a term that includes radioimmunoassay, protein binding assays, and other saturation assay techniques, as well as bioassay techniques. A common feature of radioassay techniques is that radionuclidic markers are used to quantify processes that are altered reproducibly and quantitatively by the presence of varying amounts of substance being measured. Applications of radioassay techniques are increasing rapidly, allowing measurements of substances present in body fluids in very low concentrations.
This small volume consists of nine chapters varying in format describing radioassays chosen to illustrate "the variety of approaches and the classes of compounds that can be examined."
The first chapter presents a summary of practical considerations involved in designing and preparing reagents for radioimmunoassays. Subsequent chapters present technical and clinical discussions of several radioimmunoassays including a prostaglandin assay under development, several alternative saturation assays of thyroxine and triiodothyronine, and of vitamin B12. A further chapter on growth hormone