abstract |
The present invention is a method of encoding a complex mixture of assay constituents comprising using combinations of detectable tags and a total number of detectable tags less than the total number of constituents to be encoded. The method comprises determining the total number of constituents to be encoded; determining the number of detectable tags in each combination, wherein the number of detectable tags in each combination is more than one and less than or equal to the number of prime numbers in the number of constituents to be encoded; and determining the total number of detectable tags, wherein the total number of detectable tags equals a sum of a set of factors of the total number of constituents, wherein the number of factors equals the number of detectable tags in each combination. The encoding methods are useful in a multiplexed assay using complex mixtures of assay constituents. |