EYE LENS PROTEINS FROM CERTAIN FISH HAVE PROPERTIES WHICH ALLOW THEM TO BE CHEMICALLY MODIFIED TO HAVE SPECIFIC BINDING PROPERTIES FOR SELECTED MOLECULES.

EYE LENS PROTEINS FROM CERTAIN FISH HAVE PROPERTIES WHICH ALLOW THEM TO BE CHEMICALLY MODIFIED TO HAVE SPECIFIC BINDING PROPERTIES FOR SELECTED MOLECULES. EYE LENSES FROM AT LEAST FOUR SPECIES OF FISH, INCLUDING THREE NOT PRE VIOUSLY USED FOR SUCH STUDIES, WILL BE MODIFIED FOR BIND ING ACTIVITY TO A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBSTANCES, INCLUDING SUBSTANCES WITH POOR OR NO IMMUNOGENICITY, AND AGAINST WHICHIT IS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO PRODUCE ANTIBODIES, BINDING ACTIVITY OF THE MODIFIED LENS PROTEINS WILL INITIALLY BE DETERMINED BY CHEMICAL FIXATION TESTS. THE EYELENS LIGANDS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR PERFORMANCES IN ASSAYS ANALOGOUS TO IMMUNOASSAYS (AGGLUTINATION TESTS, ENZYME ANTIBODY ASSAYS, VIRAL HEMAGGLUTINATION INHIBITION ASSAYS, RADIOIMMUNOASSAYS, ETC.). AFFINITY, SPECIFICITY, SENSITIVITY, AND STABILITY OF THE LIGANDS WILL BE DETERMINED, AND THE FEASIBILITY OF USINE THEM AS ALTERNATIVES TO ANTIBODIES WILL BE ESTABLISHED. THE POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION AS DESCRIBED BY THE AWARDEE: FISH EYE-LENS LIGANDS MAY BE USED FOR DETECTION AND ASSAY OF VARIOUS SUBSTANCES IN CASES WHERE USE OF ANTIBODIES IS NOT POSSIBLE OR PRACTICAL. THUS THE LIGANDS COULD BE MARKETED IN THE SAME MANNER AS ANTIBOD IES, AND MIGHT BE THE ONLY AVAILABLE LIGAND FOR CERTAIN SUBSTANCES.