Dendrimers and their applications in immunoassays and clinical diagnostics.

Unlike other synthetic polymeric materials, Starburst (Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc., Mount Pleasant, MI, USA.) dendrimers are a unique class of nanoscopic synthetic macromolecules. They allow controlled architecture, low polydispersity and defined molecular mass. These molecules contain a very large number of reactive terminal functional groups that have been utilized to covalently couple a large variety of molecules, including proteins. The unique properties associated with these dendrimer-coupled protein complexes have been exploited in the development of sensitive immunoassays for a variety of clinically significant biochemical markers. In addition, dendrimer-coupled antibody reagents have been utilized in the Stratus CS system, an automated clinical analyser available commercially since 1998. The present review provides an overview of the synthesis and properties of these dendrimers, preparation of dendrimer-coupled protein reagents and their applications in development of immunoassays.