Biological interactions form the basis for many assays; polyvalent interactions between biomolecules have been used for specific binding, immobilization, and detection. But biological affinity methods can have several drawbacks, including limited reproducibility, high background, low binding capacity, and poor stability. Prolinx Inc. of Bothell, Wash., has introduced Versalinx Chemical Affinity Tools, a synthetic affinity binding pair based on the interaction between phenylboronic acid (PBA) or phenyldiboronic acid (PDBA) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA). These small molecules form a stable complex under a wide variety of buffer, salt, detergent, denaturant, and pH conditions and can be exploited for analytical and preparative assays. According to Karin Hughes, director of applications at Prolinx, "The idea is to provide people with tools to mix and match in order to create and design their own assay or purification system."
To accomplish this, Prolinx offers PBA- and PDBA-based nucleic acid and protein modifying reagents, SHA-conjugated solid phase ...
