Last Updated on
August 28, 2023
By
Excedr
Enzyme Linked-Immunosorbent Assay, or ELISA, is a commonly used immunoassay in labs for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of biological molecules, such as antibodies, proteins, and peptides.
During the process, one of the reaction components is adsorbed on a solid phase, such as a microtiter plate or ELISA plate surface. The sample containing the analyte or antigen is then incubated to form a specific antigen-antibody complex, facilitating the identification and separation of a specific biomolecule.
Based on the bound and free components of the reaction and the procedure, the ELISA assay is of four types:
In this article, we will cover more about the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, its principle, and applications in the biotech and pharma industries.
ELISA works on the principle of antigen-antibody interaction. Antigen-specific antibodies are immobilized on the ELISA plate surface and then incubated with the target antigen-containing samples. The incubation leads to the formation of an antigen-antibody complex that provides a color change or signal (based on the detection method) for the analysis of the target antigen.
The antibodies used in ELISA assay as capture or detection antibodies are either monoclonal antibodies or polyclonal antibodies. The choice of antibody also determines the sensitivity of an assay.
The steps involved in Sandwich ELISA include:
A standard curve with a concentration on the X-axis vs absorbance on the Y-axis is plotted using the serial dilution data to determine the concentration of a sample.
Sandwich ELISA has higher specificity and sensitivity compared to other ELISA techniques as it involves the use of two antibodies having different epitopes. Additionally, it can be used with crude or impure samples without affecting the detection of specific antigens.
The disadvantage of Sandwich ELISA is that it requires the preparation of two antibodies which is a complex, labor-extensive, and expensive process.
Sandwich ELISA is commonly employed in labs for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of a molecule of interest in the given sample.
ELISA is widely used to detect a range of proteins in a variety of samples, such as cell lysates, serum, and plasma. It involves the use of two types of antibodies—capture antibodies (made of monoclonal antibodies) and detection antibodies (made using polyclonal antibodies)—for protein detection. The antibody-antigen-antibody complex formation provides better insight into the detection or concentration of target antigen in the given sample.
Protein quantification is measuring the amount of a specific protein in the given sample. The intensity of color change or fluorescence obtained after the detection step of ELISA shows the amount of target protein in the sample. The obtained signals are compared with a standard curve plotted using a known concentration of standard to determine the amount of unknown concentration of the molecule in the givens sample.
In addition to western blotting approaches, the Sandwich ELISA method is an extensively utilized technique in various Life Sciences labs and industries to study different biological molecules and their functional role.
Sandwich ELISA is used by biotechnologists in very research applications to study protein-protein interactions, hormone behavior, signaling pathways, toxins’ effects, and immune response functions.
ELISA is a crucial tool in pharma labs to diagnose many diseases. For example, it’s used to examine serum or blood for antibodies against viruses. Additionally, it is used to determine and quantify biomarkers in other clinical samples as well.
ELISA tests are used to detect and quantify various proteins, pathogens, allergens, and contaminants. It’s a crucial tool to assess the quality and authenticity of materials used in food production. Overall, it’s essential to ensure the safety and quality of food products.
Sandwich ELISA is a type of ELISA assay used in biochemistry and biotechnology labs to study characteristics of proteins, including protein-protein interaction, concentration, and function in biochemical pathways. The technique is named so because the antigen is sandwiched between capture and detection antibodies.
To accelerate the ELISA workflow, many companies provide ELISA kits that obtain everything one needs to perform the test. However, scientists usually prefer using individual regents to make their ELISA assay kits suit their requirements.
You must know the quality of reagents and the equipment used in the process also play a major role in the quality of the results. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure what you use in the process is effective and reliable.
This doesn’t mean you need to purchase all advanced equipment to perform the workflow. You can save your money and time by simply choosing leasing from Excedr.
Excedr’s comprehensive leasing solution is designed to avail various life scenes and biotech labs to acquire their desired equipment on lease. Whether it's analytical equipment, clinical equipment, or other high-throughput biological equipment, you can lease any type of instrument from our store.
The best part is this process neither requires expensive upfront payments nor any additional repair and maintenance charges, as everything is covered under the umbrella of our leasing solution.
If you’re looking to accelerate your R&D while saving some cash at hand, choose leasing through Excedr.