ELISA

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ), is a popular format of a wet-lab type analytic biochemistry assay that uses one sub-type of heterogeneous, solid-phase enzyme immunoassay ( EIA ) to detect the presence of a substance in a liquid sample or wet sample. ELISA can perform other forms of ligand binding assays instead of strictly immuno assays, though the name carried the original immuno because of the common use and history of development of this method. The technique essentially requires any ligating reagent that can be immobilized on the solid phase along with a detection reagent that will bind specifically and use an enzyme to generate a signal that can be properly quantified. In between the washes only the ligand and its specific binding counterparts remain specifically bound or immunosorbed by antigen-antibody interactions to the solid phase, while the nonspecific or unbound components are washed away. Unlike other spectrophotometric wet lab assay formats where the same reaction well (e.g. a cuvette) can be reused after washing, the ELISA plates have the reaction products immunosorbed on the solid phase which is part of the plate and thus are not easily reusable. The ELISA has been used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and plant pathology , as well as a quality-control check in various industries. In simple terms, in ELISA, an unknown amount of antigen is affixed to a surface, and then a specific antibody is applied over the surface so that it can bind to the antigen. This antibody is linked to an enzyme, and, in the final step, a substance containing the enzyme s substrate is added. The subsequent reaction produces a detectable signal, most commonly a color change in the substrate. Performing an ELISA involves at least one antibody with specificity for a particular antigen. The sample with an unknown amount of antigen is immobilized on a solid support (usually a polystyrene microtiter plate ) either non-specifically (via adsorption to the surface) or specifically (via capture by another antibody specific to the same antigen, in a sandwich ELISA). After the antigen is immobilized, the detection antibody is added, forming a complex with the antigen. The detection antibody can be covalently linked to an enzyme , or can itself be detected by a secondary antibody that is linked to an enzyme through bioconjugation . Between each step, the plate is typically washed with a mild detergent solution to remove any proteins or antibodies that are not specifically bound. After the final wash step, the plate is developed by adding an enzymatic substrate to produce a visible signal , which indicates the quantity of antigen in the sample.

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