Skip to content

Sandwich ELISA

Definition

An ELISA format in which a capture antibody immobilised on the plate binds one epitope of the target antigen, and a separate detection antibody binds a different epitope on the same antigen. The antigen is held between two antibodies, giving rise to the name. This format is highly specific and is widely used for detecting large antigens with multiple epitopes.

Related terms

Competitive ELISA
An ELISA format in which sample antigen competes with a fixed quantity of labelled antigen for a limited number of antibody binding...
Cross-Reactivity
The capacity of an antibody raised against one analyte to bind structurally related compounds. In RIA, cross-reactivity is the main driver of...
Cross-Reactivity Matrix
A table documenting the assay's optical density response to blood from multiple non-target species, expressed as a percentage of the human blood...
Enzyme Conjugate
An antibody (or antigen) chemically linked to a reporter enzyme, most commonly horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or alkaline phosphatase (AP). The enzyme catalyses...
Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP)
The most common enzyme label in immunoassays. When the substrate TMB (3,3'-5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine) is added, HRP converts it to a blue product that...
Limit of Detection (LOD)
The lowest concentration of analyte that produces a signal reliably distinguishable from the instrument noise, conventionally three times the standard deviation of...
Optical Density (OD)
The absorbance reading from a microplate reader that measures how much light is absorbed by the coloured product. Higher OD means more...
Solid Phase
The inert surface to which an antigen or antibody is adsorbed at the start of an ELISA. Usually the well walls of...
Standard Curve
A series of known antigen concentrations run on the same ELISA plate, used to convert the OD reading for an unknown sample...
Substrate
The compound converted by the reporter enzyme into a coloured product. For HRP, 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) is the standard substrate, producing a blue...

Explained in these topics

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.