Perspective in immunoassay of heavy metals contamination

Heavy metal immunoassays are new methods for metal ions detection. These assays have significant advantages compared to the instrument-intensively traditional methods. Immunoassays are of time-saving, labor-saving, cost-effective, reasonably portable, and simple to perform. It can be used for fast detection and regular monitoring of heavy metals, which have important significances for the remediation and restoration in heavy metal contaminated areas. So the potential of its development and prevalence is prodi- gious. By selecting or synthesizing bifuntional chelators, such as EDTA and DTPA derivatives, the antigen could be prepared by che- lator chelating metals and covalently linking itself to protein. Finally the monoclonal antibody directed towards metal-chelate com- plexes could be generated. The detections for environmental metal ions by immunoassays were on the laboratorial stage. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that the ability of the KinExA instrument functioned as an immunosensor for environmental samples. Many prototype assays for metal ions have been developed. Preliminary experiments on the Metal-specificity antibody-antigen bind- ing properties demonstrated that the main factors affecting antibody recognizing antigen were metal ion radii and its electronic and shape complementarity; the structure of the chelator; the three-dimensional and coordinate-geometric structure of the metal-chelate complexes; and some amino acid residues in the antibody involving both direct ligation between the antibody and the metal ion and interactioning between the antibody and the chelator.