Which of the following best describes the effect of nonspecific binding on the detection limit of an immunoassay?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nonspecific binding occurs in the assay system when the labeled species (ligand or antibody) binds with any component of the assay system other than the analyte being measured.Nonspecific binding adds to the signal (such as absorbance) in the absence of analyte, so the signal (absorbance)-to-noise ratio is decreased because nonspecific binding has caused the noise level to increase, making it more difficult to distinguish signal (absorbance) derived from the specific binding reaction from signal derived from nonspecific binding in the presence of no analyte.The detection limit is the lowest concentration of an analyte that can be accurately and precisely distinguished from zero.Therefore, in the presence of nonspecific binding, there must be a higher concentration of analyte present in order to clearly distinguish from the signal (absorbance) derived from the specific binding reaction.Since a higher concentration of analyte is required, the detection limit has increased.The overall result of the increase in detection limit is a decrease in sensitivity of the assay.

Which of the Following Best Describes the Effect of Nonspecific