ELISAs: Why You Should Consider Trying a Pre-coated Plate Kit

The Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been around for more than 40 years. But despite being an old technology, it is still a robust and reliable technique with countless applications in both research and clinical settings.
Before this assay, another technique, the RadioImmunoAssay (RIA) was quite popular among scientists. The RIA was based on the detection of radioactivity as measurable signal. However, when RIAs were introduced, back in the 60s, the only radioactive isotope available in the labs was Iodine 131. This posed multiple and strong limitations, including health concerns (due to the radioactivity) as well as sensitivity and logistics issues.
It wasn't until more than a decade later that the feasibility of the ELISA as a technique was independently demonstrated by two different groups. Anton Schuurs and Bauke van Weemen, from Organon, The Netherlands and Peter Perlmann and Eva Engvall from Stockholm University worked on different systems, but their concept was based on enzymatic activity as measurable signal, rather than radioactivity.
Before this, the mere idea of conjugating two gigantic molecules (an antibody and an enzyme) without losing either the specificity of the antibody or the activity of the enzyme, was received with strong skepticism. In fact, the conclusion reached by the ERIAC (European RadioImmunoAssay Club) in the 70s was that this was nearly impossible to achieve.
There are several types of ELISA. A common one, which is the basis of BioLegend's ELISA Kits and Sets, is the Sandwich ELISA. This method consists of "trapping" the antigen or molecule of interest between two antibodies, just like this:
We provide ELISA kits and sets in three different formats to meet the varying needs of researchers. LEGEND MAX™ Kits contain a complete set of pre-coated plates and reagents necessary for your ELISA experiment. ELISA MAX™ Deluxe Sets and Standard Sets, are optimized for exceptional value and performance.  Visit our webpage for a complete list of components.
So why should you consider giving the pre-coated kit (LEGEND MAX™) a try?

The main factors involved are your experience with the technique and the convenience provided. It is an optimized kit which minimizes potential for error:
  1. Pre-coated kits will spare you several steps in the protocol.
  2. You will obtain results in less time, typically less than 5 hours.
  3. By using standardized and quality controlled solutions, your variability will be lower and reproducibility in the kit performance is guaranteed.

If these are factors that you want to control, this is the kit for you.
You can read this paper for more information on the history of ELISA. You may also find our Sandwich ELISA Protocol and ELISA tutorial video webpages useful. Learn more how you can purchase easy-to-use LEGEND MAX™ kits and get a free Mini ELISA Plate Reader™.  Lastly, don't forget to download our ELISA app as a handy reference for your iPhone.
If you have any questions or comments, you can always contact us
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