The best antibody suppliers offer far more than just individual peptides and reagents. They also supply a range of antibody kits which contain everything the scientist needs to perform a particular experiment in one convenient package. We at Novus Biologicals have an extensive range of such kits, including purification, labelling, epitope tag, ATPase and ELISA kits. Recently, we added Biosensis 96-well ELISA kits to our antibody catalog. These are considered to be the most sensitive of all ELISA kits, offering a low number of blanks and highly reproducible results.
ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a standard immunological technique used to detect the presence of an antigen in a sample. An antibody targeted to the appropriate antigen is first fixed to a plastic surface (i.e. a well) and a solution containing an unknown quantity of the antigen is then applied. This forms a quantifiable antibody-antigen complex. EIA (enzyme immuno assay) is a similar technique, except in this case a known concentration of antigen is fixed to the wells, and the quantity of antibody in a titer determined.
To make the ELISA antibody-antigen reaction visible, a detectable marker must be present. Generally, a secondary antibody (AB2) is used, targeted to a specific region of the primary antibody, (AB1). The AB2 is coupled to an enzyme which, in the final part of the process, converts an applied substance to a detectable signal, for example fluorescence or a dye. The intensity of the signal is equal to the amount of antigen present.
As you can see, the nature of the ELISA technique makes it ideal for supplying in kit form. Once the biologist knows the antigen they want targeted, practically any antibody can be supplied in pre-fixed well format.
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