How ELISA Kits Help Save Lives While Saving Money At The Same Time

By Jocelyn Davidson


One cannot help but to stand in awe of the rapid progress made in the medical field. New techniques and medicines are introduced at an astonishing rate. Of course, one of the main fields of research is diagnostics. No one will argue the fact that an early diagnosis ensures a better prognosis and lower treatment costs. ELISA kits, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, allow doctors to diagnose a variety of conditions quickly and efficiently.

The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, or EIA as it is known for short is performed in a laboratory. The test is easy to run and many tests can be performed at the same time. The purpose of the test is to measure the concentration of both antigens and antibodies in the blood sample. The ability to measure this concentration is a very important part of the diagnostic process.

Antibodies are protein substances that are produced by the body when it detects the presence of dangerous substances. The dangerous substances are called antigens. When antibodies are detected by means of the EIA test, it follows logically that there must be antigens too. The exact identity of the antigens can be determined by identifying the type of antibody in the sample. In this way a diagnosis can be made confidently.

Patients do not experience any form of discomfort during the test. A small sample of blood is removed and then sent to the laboratory. There, a technician will add the sample to a petri dish that is already prepared with antigens. When the antibodies in the blood sample bind with the specific antigen in the petri dish and identification can be made. Further enzymes are then added to see how the antibody and the antigen react to each other.

There are different variations of the EIA test but the more complex tests provide much more accurate results. Each type of test requires a different kit. The direct EIA test, for example is straightforward and results are available very quickly. In this case the antigens are coated with multiwall plates and the antibody can only react with the antigen once it has been conjugated with enzymes.

The indirect EIA test saves time and money because it is able to identify both secondary and primary antibodies during the same test cycle. Savings are achieved because the test often negates the need for other tests. In this case the antigens are coated with polystyrene and they can only be detected by the antibodies after two carefully manages stages.

The sandwich EIA test requires the antibodies to be matched in pairs. The first one is covered with polystyrene and the role of the second antibody is to act as a detection agent. The main purpose of this test is to find out what the concentration of the analyte is. It is an extremely accurate test and can be used to diagnose latent diseases.

There can be little doubt that EIA test is an important tool that can help doctors to quickly and effectively diagnose a variety of diseases. The fact that the test even allow for the diagnosis of latent diseases means that many lives can be saved and treatment can be offered when there is still a good chance of success.




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