Radioimmunoassay Laboratory: Competency Assessment 2008: Division of Chemical Pathology Groote Schuur Hospital C17 Nhls
Radioimmunoassay Laboratory: Competency Assessment 2008: Division of Chemical Pathology Groote Schuur Hospital C17 Nhls
Radioimmunoassay Laboratory: Competency Assessment 2008: Division of Chemical Pathology Groote Schuur Hospital C17 Nhls
This document is intended for the use of medical technologists, registrars and scientists, and
forms part of the training required when using the RIA lab.
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY LABORATORY: COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT 2008
CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY C17 NHLS
Five assays, radioimmuno- (RIA) and immuno-radiometric assays (IRMAs), are routinely
run in this RIA lab, all employing 125I-labeled material. Four (Aldosterone, 17-OH-
Progesterone, Human Growth Hormone and Active Renin) are batched and run bi-
weekly, while one (11-Desoxycortisol) is processed quarterly. Internal quality control is
managed within the RIA lab, with 3 levels of Bio-Rad lyphochek samples analysed in
every run of all assays (except Active Renin – controls come with kit).
There are three types of decay. In alpha decay, the nucleus emits an alpha particle
4
( 2 He ); in beta decay, the nucleus emits an electron (or positron), and in gamma decay,
the nucleus emits gamma particles (high-energy photons).
13. List the radioisotopes commonly used in biomedical work. Draw up a table
showing the half-life and type of particle emitted for each isotope.
Autoradiography
Autoradiography is a procedure for localizing and recording a radiolabeled compound
within a solid sample, which involves the production of an image in a photographic
emulsion. The solid sample often consists of size-fractionated DNA or protein samples
that are embedded within a dried gel, fixed to the surface of a dried nylon membrane or
nitrocellulose filter, or located within fixed chromatin or tissue samples mounted on a
glass slide. The photographic material consists of an emulsion layer sandwiched between
two gelatin layers. One provides adhesion and the other protection. The photosensitive
emulsion layer contains minute crystals of silver halides ranging from 0,07 to 0,40μm in
diameter suspended in gelatin. Following passage through the emulsion of a β-particle or
a γ-ray emitted by a radionuclide, the Ag+ ions are converted to Ag atoms. This process
repeats until a metallic silver grain of increasing size and stability is formed resulting in a
latent image. During development, the silver halide is reduced to metallic silver but the
process proceeds faster in crystals with latent image silver, hence amplifying the image.
Fixing is then done to remove any unexposed silver halide crystals, giving an
autoradiographic image which provides a two-dimensional representation of the
distribution of the radiolabel in the original sample.
Fluorescent scintillation
In the scintillation process, the absorbed energy produces a flash of light. When a
particle passes through the material it collides with atomic electrons, exciting them to
higher energy levels. After a very short period of time the electrons fall back to their
natural levels, causing emission of light. Two common scintillation detectors are the
sodium iodide crystal scintillation detector (γ-counter) and the organic liquid scintillation
detector (β-counter).
The crystal scintillation detector commonly occurs as a well detector which has a hole
drilled in the end of the cylindrical crystal to accept a test tube. Because it is hygroscopic,
the crystal is sealed in an aluminium can with a transparent quartz window at one end
through which the blue-violet (420nm) scintillations are detected. The photos of gamma
emitters in the sample easily penetrate the specimen tube and the thin, low-density can
and enter the crystal where they are absorbed in the thick, high density sodium iodide. A
well counter is not suitable for measuring β-radiation, because it can not penetrate the
sample container or aluminium lining of the wall.
The crystal is usually a circular cylinder machined from a single crystal of sodium iodide,
to which a small amount of thallium is added to improve performance. The high atomic
number of iodine and the high density of sodium iodide (3,7g/cm3) favour the absorption
of γ-radiation. For this reason, a well counter is often referred to as a γ-counter. For a
typical well detector, the counting efficiency for 125I is approximately 70%.
Specific activity refers to the radioactivity per unit mass or unit volume of a substance.
The maximum specific activity attainable for each radionuclide is that for the pure
radionuclide. However, usually the pure radionuclide is unavailable and only makes up a
small fraction of the substance it represents.
15. Units of radioactivity: what are Ci (Curie), cpm, dpm, Sievert, and Becquerels?
The Becquerel (Bq) is the SI unit of activity, defined as one decay per second (dps). The
Curie was originally defined as the radioactivity of one gram of pure radium, but has been
redefined as exactly 37GBq.
However, not all decays are capable of affecting the scintillator and being recorded.
Some photons do not reach the scintillator or the detector, and those that do, may not
interact with it. The number of decays detected by the detector is called counts and they
are related by the equation: Counting efficiency = Count Rate / Decay Rate. The counts
are usually expressed as counts per minute.
Radiation carries energy, and when it is absorbed by matter, the matter receives this
energy. The radiation dose is the amount of energy deposited per unit of mass. The SI
unit of radiation dose is the Gray (Gy), which is defined as the dose of one joule of energy
absorbed per kilogram of matter.
Various kinds of radiation have different effects on living tissue, so a simple measurement
of dose as energy received, stated in grays, does not give a clear indication of the
probable biological effects of the radiation. The equivalent dose, which is measured in
sieverts, is equal to the actual dose, in grays, multiplied by a ‘quality factor’ which is larger
for more dangerous forms of radiation. An effective dose of one sievert requires 1 gray of
beta or gamma radiation but only 0,05 gray of alpha radiation or 0,1 gray of neutron
radiation.
16. How much radioactivity is commonly used in a RIA (say, 50 samples)? What dose
of I-131 is usually given to patients with Grave’s disease?
In RIAs I-125 is commonly used. One vial of labelled I-125 ligand may have a total
radioactivity of 130kBq, which can be used for 50 samples. To treat a patient with Grave’s
disease, doses between 370MBq and 550MBq of I-131 are given.
17. Describe and illustrate the principles of: Competitive RIA, Double antibody
(sandwich type) IRMA, ELISA.
18. What factors determine the stability of hormones in plasma? Discuss the specimen
handling precautions which may be necessary. What are the functions of trasylol
and EDTA? What is cryoactivation, and why does it affect the Active Renin IRMA?
The stability of hormones in samples is determined by the type of hormone, the anti-
coagulant used and the storage temperature. As a general rule, steroid hormones are
more stable than peptide hormones, and storing at colder temperatures is better than
warmer temperatures. Exceptions to this are aldosterone, a steroid which degrades
quickly at room temperature, and C-peptide which is stable for more than 5 days
throughout a range of laboratory-used temperatures. EDTA is generally considered the
best anti-coagulant to use as it has some anti-proteolytic properties. However, with the
exception of ACTH, this effect is usually non-significant.
Aprotinin (trasylol) is a polypeptide derived from bovine lung tissue that inhibits serine
proteases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, plasmin and kallikrein. It is often used as an
anti-proteolytic when collecting blood for unstable peptide hormones such as ACTH or
glucagon.
Approximately tenfold more prorenin than renin normally circulates in human plasma, with
almost 100 times more being seen in some low-renin patients. At temperatures below
25°C, prorenin develops intrinsic renin activity, and the prosequence becomes vulnerable
to cleavage by plasma enzymes, resulting in irreversible formation of renin in vitro. This is
called cryoactivation. The lower the temperature (short of freezing) the more likely these
processes are to occur. Because renin is remarkably stable in plasma at room
temperature, to avoid cryoactivation of prorenin, blood samples for renin should be
processed at room temperature. Prorenin does not cryoactivate in frozen plasma, or
during rapid freezing and thawing. It is for this reason that plasma must be thawed in a
37°C water bath, and not thawed gently on a bench as for most other analytes. The
antibody used in the renin IRMA binds to active renin. If cryoactivation occurs, more of
the prorenin will be converted to active renin, and a falsely high renin value will be
obtained.
19. In a RIA, what is meant by the following: Total Counts, Zero Binding, Nonspecific
Binding, Percentage Bound (%B0), %NSB, ED50, ED20, ED80? What type of curve is
used?
Total counts - are tubes that represent the total amount of radioactivity added in an RIA
tube. These tubes are not decanted in the separation step. They represent the total
amount of tracer aliquoted per tube. When the assay is counted, these tubes will have the
highest CPMs. These counts are not used as part of the dose estimate calculation for
unknowns, but rather as a quality control comparison to the counts in the B0 tubes.
Because the amount of antibody is limiting and tracer is in excess, total count tubes are
included to guarantee and document this excess. The degree of excess is expressed as a
percent of CPMs in the B0 tubes divided by the CPMs in the total count tubes, often
referred to as the %B/T or Bound/Total. This %B/T value should be between thirty and
fifty percent.
Zero binding (B0) - are tubes that contain labelled antigen, the limiting antibody, possibly
assay buffer and the precipitant, but do not have any unlabeled antigen such as unknown
samples or standards (except zero standard). After separating the free from the bound
fraction, these tubes will have the highest CPMs, other than the total count tubes.
Non-specific binding - are tubes that contain labelled antigen, sometimes assay buffer,
zero standard or precipitant, but they never have any antibody. When the assay is
counted, these tubes will have the lowest CPMs in a radioimmunoassay system. These
counts serve as a record of binding which is not due to the antibody. For example, the
labelled antigen may bind to elements of the buffer or to the tube wall. (Generally, plastic
or polystyrene tubes absorb more label than glass tubes, which in turn, absorb more label
than polypropylene tubes.) These counts are subtracted from the counts of all the other
tubes to obtain a more accurate estimate of counts in the bound fraction.
Percent non-specific binding (%NSB) – This is the non-specific binding count divided by
the total counts and tells you how much of the total radioactivity added, gets bound to
non-specific binding sites. Ideally this should be as low as possible.
Effective dose ED50, ED20, ED80 – This is the concentration of analyte that corresponds to
50% / 20% / 80% B/B0. These data are often derived from a plot of B/B0 against the
analyte concentration.
In RIA, data are often presented as a graph with the B/B0 on the y-axis and log of the
concentration on the x-axis. This gives a sigmoid shaped graph from where unknown
data points can be extrapolated. To make the graph linear, the y-axis is often replaced
with the logit B/B0 which makes extrapolating the data easier.
20. In an IRMA, what is meant by the following: Total Counts, Nonspecific Binding?
What type of curve is used?
Total counts - are tubes that represent the total amount of radioactivity added in an IRMA
tube. These tubes are not decanted in the separation step. They represent the total
amount of tracer aliquoted per tube. When the assay is counted, these tubes will have the
highest CPMs. These counts are not used as part of the dose estimate calculation for
unknowns, but are rather compared to the counts obtained in the highest standard tubes
as a means of quality control. Because the amount of analyte is limiting and tracer
(antibody) is in excess, total count tubes are included to guarantee and document this
excess.
Non-specific binding - are tubes that contain labelled antibody, sometimes assay buffer,
zero standard, but no analyte. When the assay is counted, these tubes will have the
lowest CPMs in the immunoradiometric assay system. These counts serve as a record of
antibody binding to sites which are not on the analyte. For example, the labelled antibody
may bind to proteins in the buffer or directly to the tube wall. These counts are subtracted
from the counts of all the other tubes to obtain a more accurate estimate of counts in the
bound fraction. This tube is equivalent to the zero standard counts.
In IRMA data analysis, either the counts per minute or the counts/total counts (B/T) is
plotted against the concentration. This should give a linear graph when plotted on either
linear or log-log paper.
Cross-reactivity Cross-reactivity
Substance Cross-reactivity, hCG added (IU/l) Apparent increase
% in TSH
concentration
(IU/L)
-5
hCG 5x10 1000 <0,03
10 000 0,4
100 000 5
Two methods of reporting cross-reactivity
Sensitivity
The term sensitivity can have different meanings depending on the context. In its strictest
sense, the sensitivity is the change in the response of a measuring instrument divided by
the corresponding change in the stimulus, so for an IRMA, the sensitivity would be the
change in cpm divided by the change in analyte concentration. The sensitivity can also
refer to the detection limit of the assay and can be defined as that concentration of
antigen which can be distinguished from zero concentration with a stated degree of
probability. Sensitivity is affected by the titre, affinity, and specificity of the reference
antibody used in the assay. As such it can be affected by possible differences in antibody
affinity for unlabelled and labelled antigen, and the presence of cross-reactive antigens,
interfering substances or conditions in the test sample, as well as separation artefacts
generated by experimental technique.
Specificity
Specificity is a characteristic of a laboratory test which describes its ability to distinguish
between true (or specific) and non-specific results. With immunoassay methods,
interferences which affect specificity can be categorized into two major classes: 1) those
which affect the binding event between the antibody and an antigen in a general way,
such as pH or ionic strength; or 2) those substances which affect binding of antigen by
competing for the specific binding site on the antibody. These ‘specific’ interferences are
often referred to as ‘cross-reactants’. The specificity of an immunoassay may be
characterized by adding increasing amounts of a potential cross reacting substance to a
sample and measuring the response in the immunoassay. See previous question.
23. Describe the terms “accuracy” and “precision” in measuring hormone levels.
Accuracy is usually used to denote the ability of an assay system to generate the correct
result. It is defined as the closeness of agreement between the result of a test and its
true value. Unfortunately, the true value for any individual test result produced is usually
unknowable, so this definition of accuracy exists mainly as a theoretical concept.
Although accuracy and trueness are often used synonymously, there is a difference.
Accuracy strictly refers to the correctness of a single result whereas trueness refers to the
correctness of the mean of a number of results. This difference is important because a
result’s accuracy is influenced by bias and imprecision whereas trueness is only
influenced by bias. Practically, accuracy is estimated from a ‘comparison of methods’
experiment where the average difference between results by the method of interest and a
reference or comparative method is calculated. Other tests used to give an indication of
accuracy include recovery and dilution testing. Immunoassay manufacturers are required
to make a claim for the accuracy of their analytic measurement products and that claim
typically is based on results from a comparison of methods experiment. Also, laboratories
are required to verify a manufacturer’s claim for accuracy, which again would typically be
done by data from a ‘comparison of methods’ experiment.
24. For endocrine hormones, how do you convert IU to mass or moles? How do you
convert mass to moles? List the relevant conversion factors for the five routine
RIA/IRMA assays.
Wherever an anaylte has been chemically well defined and can be easily synthesised or
isolated, it is preferable to express its concentration in Système International (SI)
recommended units of moles per litre. However, conventionally in some parts of the
world, mass units are in common usage and concentrations are often expressed in grams
per litre. Where the analyte is well characterised, it is easy to convert from mass units to
mole units by dividing by the molecular weight (MW).
When an analyte can not be chemically well defined (for example it occurs in various
isoforms or glycosylation states) or the analyte is actually a group of similar but different
analytes, then it is preferable to express its concentration in international units. The
international unit (IU) is the unitage assigned by the world health organisation (WHO) to
an international biological standard. This standard is a reference preparation, prepared
by the best methods available at the time, and distributed world wide to be used as a
reference calibrant. International units can be converted to mass units by a conversion
factor release by the WHO. The WHO reference preparations are updated periodically
and conversion factors do change; the conversion factor used must therefore always
match the reference samples that the manufactures used to prepare the calibrants.
Conversion factors for analytes measured in this lab are given in the table below:
25. What are inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV), and how are they
determined?
Scatchard analysis is a standard method for analysing the equilibrium binding parameters
of a radiolabelled ligand with its receptor. The binding data are derived from a ratio of
specifically bound to specifically free antigen, plotted against the concentration of
specifically bound antigen. This plot gives an estimate of binding affinity and the number
of available binding sites per volume.
The plot is achieved as follows: various concentrations of labelled antigen are prepared.
Three tubes are prepared for each concentration of labelled antigen: total tubes (T)
containing the labelled antigen; non-specific binding tubes (NSB) containing the labelled
antigen, but none of the antibody in question; and total binding (TB) tubes containing the
labelled antigen and the antibody, which are left to equilibrate. After equilibrium (in the
TB and NSB tubes only) the bound fraction is precipitated and separated. Once the
assay is completed, three sets of results should be available for each concentration of
radioligand – The total counts (T), the non-specific binding counts (NSB) and the total
binding counts (TB).
counts (cpm / l ) 1 1
Concentration (mol / l ) = ⋅ ⋅
effeciency (cpm / dpm) 2,22 ⋅ 10 (dpm / Ci ) specific activity(Ci / mol )
12
The bound can now be plotted against the free to achieve a graph as such:
The data from the saturation experiment can be plotted with Bound/Free on the Y axis
and Bound on the X axis. This data can be analyzed by linear regression to give a
straight line. This is called a Rosenthal Plot.
The equilibrium constant of the antibody-antigen reaction (Kd) can be calculated from the
negative reciprocal of the slope of the graph, whereas the x-intercept of the graph gives
the total concentration of binding sites (BMax) measurable under assay conditions. The
presence of a curve (as opposed to a line) indicates the presence of a mixed population
of binding sites.
It should be noted that it is more accurate to do binding analysis on the saturation curve
analyzed by non-linear regression analysis, than by linear analysis on the Rosenthal plot.
This is because the Rosenthal Plot contains the bound on both the x- and y-axes. Since
this is the variable containing the greatest error, a larger error will be distributed in both
directions.
27. In centrifugation, how do you convert rpm to Xg force? What is the conversion
factor for the centrifuge in the RIA Laboratory?
π2
Xg = ⋅ radius (cm) ⋅ rotor speed (rpm) 2
90 000 g
where g is the standard gravity equal to exactly 9,80665m/s2.
The centrifuge in the RIA laboratory has a radius of 24,5cm so the relative centrifugal
force can be calculated using:
rotor speed (cm) 2
Xg =
3 650
28. Summarise the principle of the plasma renin activity assay, and compare it to the
active renin assay.