The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for determining
the presence, absence, and/or amounts of one or more membrane-associated analytes
in a sample. In accordance with the invention, binding compounds derivatized with
releasable molecular tags specifically bind to selected membrane-associated analytes,
after which the molecular tags are released upon activation of cleavage moieties,
or sensitizers, anchored in the same membrane as the membrane-associated analytes.
The released molecular tags are then identified by their distinct separation and
detection characteristics.