TETRODOTOXIN IMMUNOASSAYS

TETRODOTOXIN IS A HIGHLY POTENT LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT NEUROTOXIN FOUND IN SOME SPECIES OF PUFFERFISH AND A FEW OTHER WIDELY DIVERGENT ORGANISMS. CURRENTLY, TETRODOTOXIN IS MEASURED BY MOUSE BIOASSAY OR WITH SOPHISTICATED CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHODS. A SIMPLE, SPECIFIC, EASY TO USE ASSAY METHOD FOR TETRODOTOXIN IS NEEDED. IMMUNOASSAYS ARE USED FOR DETERMINATION OF BIOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT SMALL MOLECULES IN A VARIETY OF CLINICAL AND NON-CLINICAL SITUATIONS. TO DATE, NO IMMUNOASSAYS FOR TETRODOTOXIN HAVE BEEN REPORTED, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHEMISTRY OF TETRODOTOXIN. WE PROPOSE TO SYNTHESIZE DERIVATIVES OF TETRODOTOXIN WHICH CAN BE USED AS HAPTENS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ANTI-TETRODOTOXIN ANTIBODIES. PHASE I FOCUSES ON THE PROBLEM OF PRODUCING TETRODOTOXIN HAPTENS WHICH ARE SUITABLE FOR CONJUGATION TO THE TETRODOTOXIN MOLECULES. FOUR ROUTES LEADING TO TETRODOTOXIN HAPTENS ARE PROPOSED. WHEN SUITABLE TETRODOTOXIN HAPTENS HAVE BEEN SYNTHESIZED, POLYCLONAL AND MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL BE GENERATED AND USED TO DEVELOP NON-RADIOACTIVE IMMUNOASSAYS FOR TETRODOTOXIN.