What was Rosalyn Yalow's main scientific contribution?
My central contribution, the radioimmunoassay (RIA), is a method for detecting and quantifying antigens, such as hormones, in biological samples. It relies on the principle of competitive binding. We use a known quantity of radioactively labeled antigen and allow it to compete with the unlabeled antigen present in the sample for a limited number of antibody binding sites. By measuring the radioactivity in the bound fraction, we can precisely determine the concentration of the antigen in the original sample. It's about using a known marker to illuminate an unknown quantity.
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