The strong non-covalent interaction between biotin and streptavidin places streptavidin-based assays, used by many laboratories, at an increased risk of interference by biotin. At present, a few manufacturers have developed fully automated anti-biotin interference methods, although compared with many detection platforms, these remain insufficient. Additionally, there is a need for more methods that can achieve fully automated anti-biotin interference. We sought to develop and evaluate a new biotin interference-resisting method based on a biotin-streptavidin chemiluminescence immunoassay. Streptavidin-coated magnetic microparticles (M) of different concentrations were prepared and tested for their biotin-resistance capabilities in an automated setting (Cobas e 601). The precision, accuracy, and detection capability were also assessed. Higher concentrations of M were found to have a stronger ability to resist biotin interference. A 2.16 mg/mL concentration of M was able to resist 500 ng/mL of biotin in samples while simultaneously having a relatively weak shielding effect on the optical signals. Moreover, the total precision and accuracy of this method, designated as M3, met acceptable standards. M3 has an improved ability to resist biotin interference, can achieve full automation, and its detection performance can meet the general laboratory quality requirements.
Keywords: biotin interference; biotin-streptavidin system; chemiluminescence assay; performance evaluation; streptavidin magnetic particles.