The objective of the proposed research is to prove feasibility of ultrasensitive chemiluminescent assays for the 21 amino acid polypeptide from HIV gp 120 by Western blotting and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene by Southern blotting. We have developed a proprietary enzyme-label chemiluminescent detection system with enhanced sensitivity in solid-phase detection formats. Proprietary substrates for the common marker enzyme alkaline phosphatase and enhancers provide excellent specificity, sensitivity and speed of detection. We will develop sets of chemiluminescent reagents to test feasibility of detection of proteins and nucleic acids in the above assays. The proposed research should prove the feasibility of a new generation of chemiluminescent reagents for enzyme detection and a novel method of chemiluminescent detection of analytes of biomedical significance. The initial commercial application will be for HIV gp 120 and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene, which will be developed in Phase Il.
