Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, antigen detection

In a direct immunoassay the immobilized antibody binds to the corresponding antigen. The competitive immunoassay relies upon the competition of the analyte with a labelled analyte for antibody binding. These formats are widely used for high throughput affinity arrays. A sandwich immunoassay is based on the trapping or capture of the analyte by another antibody. In ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assays) the second antibody is conjugated with an enzyme. The bound enzyme labelled antibody is detected by its ability to break down its substrate to a colored product. 

Among the many immunological assay methods, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods (ELISA) are the most popular methods. ELISA can detect both antigen molecules and antibody molecules with only a slight modification of the procedure. The direct-binding and sandwich methods that are used for the... 

On the basis of an enzyme thermistor, Mattiasson et al. (1977) developed one of the first immunosensors. Immobilized antibodies against albumin are placed in a column and set into an ET. After injection of an albumin-sample and a known amount of enzyme-labeled albumin, both are separated from the sample matrix by antibody-antigen-interaction. After injection of a substrate, the change in heat is a measure of analyte concentration. The less heat produced means that more albumin has been bound. An elution step regenerates the ELISA. Due to its thermal detection principle, the procedure is called TELISA (thermometric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Figure 3 shows the principle of the TELISA procedure in its sandwich configuration. 

Another technique, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), combines the specificity of antibodies with the sensitivity of an enzyme assay. The ELISA can be performed in a variety of combinations that involve either a specific antibody or the total cellular protein immobilized on a solid support, such as the wells of a plastic microplate. In one version of the method, the sandwich ELISA, the primary antibody is bound to the wells. When a mixture of proteins is added, the protein of interest binds to the antibody, and other proteins are washed away. A second labeled antibody, specific to a different epitope on the protein, is added, and the amoruit of signal is proportional to the amoimt of the particular protein in the sample. The method can be modified to detect specific antibodies in a mixture by using their antigen as the immobilized bait. ELlSAs also have the advantage of being able to be performed in 96-weU plates so many samples can be analyzed in one experiment. 

Immunoassay is well acknowledged since the introduction of ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) which was developed over 20 years ago. ELISA can be classified into three formats direct, sandwich, and competitive [2]. Direct ELISA is a simple process that the excessive antibody is reacted with antigen. After incubating, a washing step is conducted to eliminate the unbound antibody. The sensitivity is proportional to the amount of the present antibody in the solution. In a sandwich immunoassay, the antigen (e.g., sample) is between the primary antibody and the second antibody (detection antibody). Generally, the primary antibody is immobilized on the solid surface and the second antibody is labeled with certain enzyme or fluorophore. The amount of sample is proportional to the amount of the labeled second antibody which is measured by the different detection strategies. In a competitive immunoassay, the... 

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