Method Description

The instrument used is the Beckman Coulter UniCel DxI 800. The Beckman Coulter Access alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) immunoassay is a 2-site immunoenzymatic sandwich assay. A specimen is added to a reaction vessel with mouse monoclonal anti-AFP alkaline phosphatase conjugate, and paramagnetic particles coated with a second mouse monoclonal anti-AFP antibody. The AFP in the specimen binds to the immobilized monoclonal anti-AFP on the solid phase while, at the same time, the monoclonal anti-AFP-alkaline phosphatase conjugate reacts with different antigenic sites on the specimen AFP. After incubation in a reaction vessel, materials bound by the solid phase are held in a magnetic field while unbound materials are washed away. A chemiluminescent substrate is added to the reaction vessel, and light generated by the reaction is measured with a luminometer. The light production is directly proportional to the amount of AFP in the specimen. The amount of analyte in the specimen is determined by means of a stored multipoint calibration curve.(Package insert: Access AFP assay, Beckman Coulter Inc; 2020)

For all samples with AFP concentrations greater than 6 ng/mL, a dilution series is performed. A linear dilution excludes hooking and most major interferences. Samples that contain AFP concentrations less than or equal to 6 ng/mL are spiked with exogenous AFP to identify possible interferences that may cause a false-low result.