Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) - Essay Example A comprehensive understanding of how an ELISA works would require the determination of what antibodies are and how they work. The basic definition of an antibody is that it is a protein produced by the immune structure in reaction to the foreign molecules in an organism’s body. Under circumstances that require the attainment of indirect semi-quantitative results, multiwall polystyrene wells are the most commonly used solid surface. ELISA, being quick and easy to undertake, is preferable given that its makeup also enables it to tackle voluminous samples consecutively during research and diagnostic targets. As a result, ELISA is considered the best choice when evaluating research and diagnostic targets (Killian et al., 2013). The process of performing ELISA depends on the relations between an epitope; it may be a small linear or a three-dimensional succession of amino acids established on an antigen and a corresponding antibody-binding site. This experiment aimed at determining how the concentration of antibodies in the body would be affected by the use of ELISA under indirect semi-quantitative and anti-human albumin antibody. This is because of the wide utilization or applications to which the enzyme can be put such as in the analytical implements in biomedical research to detect and quantify specific antibodies and antigens in a sample. In this experiment, the antibodies employed were either monoclonal or polyclonal (Rosie, 2013). When performing any ELISA test, there are four formats of performing the laboratory tests: direct ELISA, indirect ELISA, sandwich/capture ELISA, and competitive or inhibitor ELISA. These allows the experiment’s elasticity to fit basing on antibodies available, the needed results and complications of the essential results (Rodland, 2005.p.145-148). In this experiment, the variation employed is the indirect ELISA, which employs the human albumin ELISA test. Given that ELISA test utilizes the rudimental concept