Topic 2 -Elisa tests Flashcards
What are elisa tests used for?
To see if a patient has any antibodies to a certain antigen (or any antigens to a certain antibody)
What are monoclonal antibodies
Each clone of plasma cells produces only one type of antibody
How does an elisa test work?
-An enzyme is attached to antibodies
-When this enzyme reacts with a certain substrate, a coloured product is formed, causing the solution in the reaction vessel to change colour
-Any other antibodies that are present in the blood plasma are unbound and are washed out
-If a colour change occurs, this shows that the antigen or antibody of interest is present in the sample being tested (e.g. blood plasma)
What is a direct elisa test
use a single antibody that is complementary to the antigen being tested for
What is an indirect elisa
two different antibodies (known as primary and secondary antibodies)
What does elisa stand for?
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
