BIOREACTOR SYSTEM FOR CLINICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The usefulness of enzymes as the reagents for clinical analysis has been well documented. The enzymes can be used not only in the form of solution but also in the form of immobilized enzyme reactor. A columntype reactor can be readily applied to any continuous flow analytic system. Combined use of flow injection and chemiluminometric detection makes it possible to minimize the sample volume and the analysis time. Two or three different kinds of immobilized enzymes can be aligned in a minicolumn reactor so that the sequential enzymatic reactions be carried out from upstream to down stream without noticeable backward flow of the solutes. Typical examples of the applicability of such bioreactors to clinical analysis are presented. The determination of serum creatinine by sequentially aligned immobilized glutamate dehydrogenase and creatinine deiminase is illustrated. A novel chemiluminometric determination of ammonia by successive passage of the analyte through immobilized urease, glutamate dehydrogenase, and glutamate oxidase is also described.