[en] The patent describes the development of a radio-immunoassay for thymopoietin in biological samples. The method of raising antibodies to this polypeptide hormone is described. This is achieved by injecting a host animal with an antigen consisting of thymopoietin covalently bonded by glutaraldehyde to a carrier protein such as bovine serum albumin and equine globulin. Different methods of radiolabelling thymopoietin with ¹²⁵I for use as the tracer antigen are described. The Bolton-Hunter procedure was preferred to the chloramine-T method since direct iodination of the tyrosyl moieties of thymopoietin resulted in some loss of immunoreactivity. Systems for separating the antigen-antibody complex and unbound antigen are compared. Binding-inhibition curves for unlabelled thymopoietin in the assay employing polyethylene glycol separation showed a sensitivity of 5 ng thymopoietin/ml. However, using the double antibody or dextran coated charcoal separation techniques, the sensitivity of thymopoietin was 0.1 ng/ml. Thus these latter two procedures are thus especially suitable for measuring thymopoietin levels in serum or plasma samples. The assay was shown to be specific for thymopoietin, no significant displacement being produced by control polypeptides. (U.K.)