RADIOIMMUNOASSAY OF MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN – AS ACTIVE DEMYELINATION.

Hetal Patel, Darshil Shah* and Dr. Dilip Maheshwari

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the principles of radioimmunoassay technique, describing both its conventional concepts and current state-of-the-art. The approach is to discuss the various components involved in RIA testing, and how they interact in the reaction tube. Also included are various conditions that affect these reactions and how to deal with them in a normal working environment. A specific test for active Demyelinzation is based on a discovery that free myelin basic protein can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid by the use of a radioimmunoassay, and that the level of basic protein found corresponds to the activity of Demyelinating pathologies. A simple method is utilized, wherein samples of cerebrospinal fluid are assayed and the results of the assay are compared with standard samples of myelin basic protein. Patients with active Demyelinating diseases have high levels (l7-l00ng/ml) of basic protein; those with progressive pathologies have less (6-16 ng/ml); and those in remission have less than 4 ng/ml, comparable to the control population.

Keywords: Demyelinzation, cerebrospinal fluid, pathologies, Radioimmunoassay.