Application of hormone receptor assay for clinical chemistry

A conception of hormone receptors was explained to understand radioreceptor assay (RRA), and various problems in the operation of this method were described mainly. The principle of RRA is the same as that of RIA and CPBA, and measured values by RRA resembled to those by bioassay more closely than those by RIA. However, the sensitivity of RRA was inferior to that of RIA. It was important in using this method especially for measurement of peptide hormone not to deactivate biological the base by radioactivation. As the significance of this method in clinical chemistry, it was mentioned that this method was one kind of experiment to observe the biological activity of hormones, and that properties analysis of receptors, studies on action mechanism, the structure and function of hormone, the pathological analysis of endocrine abnormalities, and the development of drugs and treatment methods for receptors may become possible by this method. The other usefulness of this method was also mentioned. (Kanao, N.)