ELISA, better known as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology, is one of the revolutionary diagnostic tools witnessed today. The technique utilizes antibody specificity and the sensitivity of enzyme assays to identify and quantify molecules in biological samples. ELISA kits depend on the specific antibody-antigen interactions to perform their detection functions.
Each gene synthesis is designed for different systems and detection methods. The available variations such as double antibody sandwich ELISA, indirect ELISA, and competitive ELISA mean that you can use ELISA kits in a wide variety of applications. Here are a few benefits that come with using these substrates.
According to the GLOBOCAN statistics, an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases were reported in 2020. In addition, 10 million cancer deaths were also reported. Part of the reason keeping these numbers up is the late diagnosis of cancer in patients, leading to minimal chances of reverting the condition.
The limited options of cancer screening techniques are also to blame. But while these are continuously being developed and researched, ELISA-based methods are available and used clinically for early cancer screening. These techniques are widely used in screening many types of cancer, including female breast cancer that has just surpassed lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer.
Besides, ELISA kits can also help monitor the accurate concentration of medication drugs in your body. They'll help know the amount of dosage to take, especially when on self-medication for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. You can also use ELISA kits to know the concentration of illicit drugs such as cocaine or marijuana in your body. All you need is urine samples and a fully functional kit.
When compared to other immunoassay methods, ELISA Kits are known to provide a high level of sensitivity and specificity. These high sensitivity levels are induced by the use of enzymes as the primary reporting group. The enzymes act as an organic catalyst that leads to many catalytic reactions to produce observable responses.
Unlike the methods such as radioimmunoassay (RIA) tests, ELISA tests also achieve accurate results in the cell by amplifying the body enzymes. Similarly, they provide equivalent quantification of the results even up to the microgram levels. Therefore, these kits are often the perfect diagnostic technique to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity for any particular diagnosis you want.
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One of the characteristics that define a good and reliable diagnostic tool is the ease of use and the capability to deliver accurate results in a short time. ELISA Kits are not far from that, especially the ready-to-use ones available on the market today. The kits are considered a good option for home testing since they allow you to test any sample with minimal preparation.
To get reliable results, all you have to do is get the sample depending on what you want to test. For tests involving blood samples, you'll need to draw the right amount of blood before proceeding with the test. Here, the tests depend on the characteristics of antibodies in your blood to fix the target antigen. ELISA kits’ detection system will then mark the presence and the number of antigen-binding.
Drug tests involving amphetamines, cocaine, and other drugs can be determined using urine samples. The same applies to pregnancy tests where the level of hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is tested. Higher levels of this hormone in urine are associated with pregnancy.
The ready-to-use kits are often an ideal preference for self-performed testing capabilities. That is because they are not time-consuming and challenging to use. Furthermore, making your own ELISA kits can be pretty expensive, especially when labeling antibodies for each specific test.
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ELISA Kits allow you to test numerous samples like the serum, urine, saliva, and others. This means it's a highly cost-effective testing technique you can use on a variety of tests. With many testing labs now fully automated with ELISA processing systems, you can choose any sample to be tested without worrying about the results.
For instance, HIV tests require serum samples. This is unlike another test that may need urine or other tissue extracts. Regardless, these Kits are designed with liquid handling capabilities that will perform the entire process. Usually, the kits have an estimated capacity of handling more than 90 tests in a single assay.
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ELISA kits are a welcome alternative to radioimmunoassay that typically poses significant health risks. Their array of benefits means they are a more preferred biotechnical tool for a majority of applications. ELISA Kits can serve as a perfect option for clinical diagnosis if you have any health concerns.
