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ELISA Protocol and FAQs

Learn about ELISA protocol, methods and FAQs

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ELISA Protocol and FAQs

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a commonly used laboratory technique for detecting and quantifying substances such as proteins, antibodies, hormones, and peptides in biological samples. Based on the specific binding of the substance to be tested to the surface antigen of the solid phase carrier, the non-specific binding was removed by washing, and the enzyme-linked antibody was added. After incubation and color change of the enzymatic reaction product, the substance to be tested was quantitatively or qualitatively analyzed. In recent years, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been widely promoted and applied due to its rapid, simple, sensitive and easy standardization.
The concept of ELISA was first proposed by Peter Perlmann and Eva Engvall in 1971. They originally designed a method to detect the presence of antibodies in serum. Their innovation is to combine enzymes ( such as catalase ) with antibodies or antigens. Enzymes produce visible changes ( such as color changes ) by catalyzing chemical reactions, which can quantitatively analyze the presence of antibodies. In the 1980 s : the emergence of ELISA variants, with the development of technology, ELISA has been continuously optimized and innovated, and a variety of variants have been derived. Indirect ELISA, sandwich ELISA, competitive ELISA. After 1990, with the development of computer technology and automation equipment, ELISA technology has further developed to automation and high-throughput detection.

Materials Needed

  • 1 ELISA plate (96-well flat-bottom plate)
  • 2 Coating antibody or antigen (depending on the type of ELISA)
  • 3 Blocking buffer (e.g., 1-5% BSA)
  • 4 Sample (antibody, antigen, or serum)
  • 5 Enzyme-conjugated secondary antibody (e.g., HRP )
  • 6 Substrate solution (e.g., TMB for HRP)
  • 7 Wash buffer (PBS with 0.05% Tween-20)
  • 8 Plates for incubation
  • 9 Microplate reader (for absorbance measurement)

The Different Types of ELISA

Direct ELISA: The antigen is immobilized, and a labeled antibody is used for detection.

First, the antigen coating was immobilized, and the antigen to be tested was coated in the ELISA plate hole and incubated for a period of time, allowing the antigen to be adsorbed to the pore wall. A blocking solution ( e.g. BSA or other blocking agent ) is used to seal the space in the pore that is not occupied by the antigen to prevent non-specific binding. Add enzyme-labeled specific antibodies. This antibody binds directly to the fixed antigen. Eliminate unbound antibodies with detergent. The substrate solution is added, and the enzyme-labeled antibody catalyzes the substrate reaction to generate a measurable signal ( usually a color change ). Results The signal ( such as optical density value ) was detected by microplate reader, and the antigen concentration was calculated according to the signal intensity.
direct ELISA
Figure 1. Direct ELISA to detect antigen (a) and antibody (b). (i) Attach antigen/antibody to solid phase. (ii) Incubate with enzyme-labeled antibody/antigen. (iii) Wash unbound enzyme-labeled antibody/antigen out. (iv) Develop color with substrate. (Reference source: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites.)

Indirect ELISA: The antigen is immobilized, and an unlabeled primary antibody binds to the antigen, followed by a labeled secondary antibody.

Firstly, the antigen coating was solid-phased, and the antigen to be tested was coated in the hole of the ELISA plate, and the antigen was incubated to adsorb onto the hole wall. A blocking solution is used to seal the space in the pore that is not occupied by the antigen to prevent nonspecific binding. Add the sample to be tested, which may contain antibodies. If the sample contains the target antibody, it will bind to the antigen. Clean the non-specific binding substances in the well and remove the unbound antibodies. Enzyme-labeled secondary antibodies ( usually secondary antibodies against the species or type of antibodies in the sample ) are added, and the secondary antibodies bind to the antibodies in the sample to form an immune complex. Clean again to remove unbound enzyme-labeled secondary antibodies. When the substrate solution is added, the enzyme-labeled secondary antibody catalyzes the substrate reaction to produce a color change or other signal. Results The signal intensity was read by microplate reader, and the concentration of antibody was calculated according to the standard curve.
indirect ELISA
Figure 2. Indirect ELISA to analyze antibody. (i) Attach antigen to solid phase. (ii) Incubate with primary antibody. (iii) Wash unbound primary antibody out. (iv) Incubate with enzyme-labeled secondary antibody. (v) Develop color with substrate. (Reference source: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites.)

Sandwich ELISA: A capture antibody is used to bind the antigen, and a detection antibody, specific to a different epitope, binds to the antigen to form a "sandwich."

The antibody coating was first immobilized, and a specific capture antibody was coated on the hole of the ELISA plate. The antibody usually maintains specificity with the antigen binding site. Then incubate for a certain period of time to fix the antibody to the pore wall. A blocking solution ( such as bovine serum albumin, BSA ) is used to close the gap in the pore that is not occupied by the antibody to avoid non-specific binding. Add a sample containing the target antigen to the well plate, and the antigen will bind to the capture antibody in the well plate. Wash the well plate with washing buffer to remove unbound substances. Another enzyme-labeled antibody ( usually an antibody different from the target antigen ) is added to detect the antibody, which forms a double binding with the antigen to form a sandwich structure. Wash again to remove unbound enzyme-labeled antibodies. The substrate solution is added, and the enzyme-labeled antibody catalyzes the substrate reaction to produce a measurable signal ( such as color change ). The optical density ( OD value ) was measured using a microplate reader ( such as a microplate reader ), and the concentration of the antigen was determined according to the standard curve.
sandwich ELISA
Figure 3. Sandwich ELISA for specific detection of antigen. (i) Attach capture antibody to solid phase. (ii) Incubate with target antigen. (iii) Wash unbound target out. (iv) Incubate with enzyme-labeled antibody. (v) Develop color with substrate. (Reference source: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites

Competitive ELISA: The sample antigen competes with a labeled antigen for binding to the antibody, allowing quantification.

First, the solid-phase antibody coating is coated with a specific capture antibody in the ELISA plate hole, and the antibody will bind to the target small molecule antigen. Blocking solution was used to block the space not occupied by the antibody to avoid non-specific binding. The sample containing the target antigen and the enzyme-labeled antibody were added, and the antigen in the sample competed with the enzyme-labeled antibody to capture the antibody. Clean the non-specific binding substances in the well, leaving the combined antigen-antibody complex. The substrate is added, and the enzyme catalyzes the substrate reaction to produce a measurable signal. The results showed that the intensity of the signal was negatively correlated with the concentration of the antigen in the sample. The weaker the signal, the higher the antigen concentration in the sample. The concentration of antigen in the sample was determined by measuring the optical density (OD value).
competitive ELISA
Figure 4. Competitive ELISA to detect antigen (a) and antibody (b). (i) Attach antigen/antibody to solid phase. (ii) Incubate antibody/antigen with enzyme-labeled antibody/antigen. (iii) Wash unbound enzyme-labeled antibody/antigen out. (iv) Develop color with substrate. (Reference source: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites.)
indirect competitive ELISA
Figure 5. Indirect competitive ELISA to detect antigen. (i) Attach antigen to solid phase. (ii) Incubate free target antigen with primary antibody. (iii) Wash unbound free target antigen and primary antibody out. (iv) Incubate with enzyme-labeled secondary antibody. (v) Develop color with substrate. (Reference source: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites.)

FAQ

  • 1. What is the purpose of blocking in ELISA?

    Blocking is essential to prevent non-specific binding of antibodies or other proteins to the plate surface. This step helps reduce background noise and improves assay specificity.
  • 2. How do I know if my ELISA result is valid?

  • 3. Why are washing steps so important in ELISA?

  • 4. What is the role of the substrate in the ELISA process?

  • 5. How can I calculate the concentration of my sample?

reference

[1] Tabatabaei MS, Ahmed M. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2508:115-134. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-2376-3_10
[2] Sakamoto S, Putalun W, Vimolmangkang S, et al. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative/qualitative analysis of plant secondary metabolites [published correction appears in J Nat Med. 2018 Jan;72(1):43. doi: 10.1007/s11418-017-1163-9.]. J Nat Med. 2018;72(1):32-42. doi:10.1007/s11418-017-1144-z
[3] Cox A, Mueller C. Quantification of Murine AAT by Direct ELISA. Methods Mol Biol. 2017;1639:217-222. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-7163-3_21
[4] Bastos RG, Sears KP, Dinkel KD, et al. Development of an Indirect ELISA to Detect Equine Antibodies to Theileria haneyi. Pathogens. 2021;10(3):270. Published 2021 Feb 27. doi:10.3390/pathogens10030270 
[5] Luo B, Zhang X, Wang F, et al. Development of a double-antibody sandwich ELISA for quantification of mutated EPSPS gene expression in rice. Anal Biochem. 2025;696:115669. doi:10.1016/j.ab.2024.115669
[6] Kohl TO, Ascoli CA. Direct Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2017;2017(7):pdb.prot093740. Published 2017 Jul 5. doi:10.1101/pdb.prot093740
[7] Kohl TO, Ascoli CA. Indirect Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2017;2017(7):pdb.prot093757. Published 2017 Jul 5. doi:10.1101/pdb.prot093757