Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a microplate-based technique for detecting specific analytes such as antibodies, antigens, or other proteins in solution. It involves capturing the target of interest on the surface of the microplate wells before using enzyme-labeled antibodies to confirm analyte binding. A major advantage of ELISA is its sensitivity, which can reach pg/mL levels in complex sample types such as cell culture supernatant, serum, or other biological fluids. ELISA is also relatively easy to use, can be combined with automation to increase throughput, and, unlike most other immunoassays, can provide quantitative results.

Types of ELISA

There are fours main types of ELISA: In a direct ELISA, the target analyte becomes bound to the microplate surface before being detected with an enzyme-labeled primary antibody. An indirect ELISA is similar, but uses both an unlabeled primary antibody and a labeled secondary antibody for detection, which provides signal amplification. During a sandwich ELISA, the microplate wells are coated with an analyte-specific antibody, then a second analyte-specific antibody (which recognizes a different epitope) is used to detect the bound target. All of these assay formats can be converted to a competitive ELISA, in which the analyte of interest competes with a labeled reference for microplate binding; the more analyte that is present in the sample, the lower the signal.

 

Advantages of an off-the-shelf ELISA kit

While ELISA assays can be developed in-house, there are several benefits to buying off-the-shelf kits:

  • Faster time to results
  • More consistent performance
  • Rigorous quality control
  • Carefully optimized protocol
  • Uninterrupted long-term supply

Custom assay development

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We will work with you to develop, qualify, and manufacture a robust kit that meets your specific process monitoring, release testing, and regulatory needs. We provide comprehensive qualification of your custom assay to meet global regulatory requirements, as well as state-of-the-art orthogonal methods, including our advanced antibody affinity extraction method and mass spectrometry methods.

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Featured Suppliers

Bethyl Laboratories

Bethyl Laboratories offer high-quality, ready-to-use ELISA kits manufactured in the USA. Every antibody has been manufactured and validated by Bethyl under stringent quality control. 

Each of Bethyl’s ELISA kits includes a pre-coated, pre-blocked 96-well strip plate, lyophilized standard, detection antibody, sample dilution buffer, HRP solution, TMB substrate, stop solution, wash buffer, sealing tape, and detailed instructions.

Species: mouse, human, bovine, rat, pig, chicken, goat, dog, and rabbit serum proteins.

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Proteintech

Proteintech's ELISA kits are quick and easy to use. With these high-quality kits, you can expect consistent, highly reproducible results thanks to extensive quality control and statistical validation.

Proteintech's kits are available for the detection of proteins, cytokines, growth factors, chemokines, and SARS-CoV-2 related proteins and antibodies.

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LSBio

LSBio offers over 50'000 cost-effective, ready-to-use ELISA kits for a broad selection of antigen targets.  They are available in different formats: traditional ELISA kits, cell-based assay kits, DNA-binding ELISA kits, Phospho-ELISA kits, CLIA, and development kits.

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Biorbyt

Biorbyt offers a wide range of reagents to meet your needs, from antibodies and ELISA kits to biochemicals. With over 40'000 ELISA kits, they offer matched-pairs, activity assays, and competitive ELISA.

Veterinary ELISA kits are available.

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Cygnus Technolgies

Cygnus Technologies offers highly sensitive and ready-to-use ELISA kits for quality control, such as for the specific detection of HCP, Protein A, immunoglobulins and process-related impurities.

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CUSABIO

CUSABIO offers over 4‘000 ready-to-use ELISA kits covering over 20 species including human, mouse, rabbit, sheep, cattle and more.

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Sino Biological

Sino Biological offers a wide range of ELISA kits with a menu of 1‘000 target analytes spanning 16 species as well as custom ELISA kit development.

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Abbexa

Abbexa is a UK-based supplier of biological tools including primary antibodies, secondary antibodies, proteins, ELISA and CLIA kits, and more. They have a comprehensive selection of fully validated and ready-to-use ELISA kits.

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Krishgen Biosystems

Krishgen BioSystems is an original manufacturer of therapeutic antibody ELISA kits, HCP detection assays, immunotherapy assay kits, antibodies, proteins, assays for drug development. They offer over 20‘000 ELISA kits at competitive prices for clinical use and research use including a large portfolio of biosimilar ELISA kits.

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Aviva Systems Biology

Aviva Systems Biology offers a large selection of over 20‘000 ELISA kits accross a broad range of species such as human, mouse, rat, bovine, pig, dog, and more. Additionally, they offer development and validation services for ELISA kits.

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Want to know more about how to select the right ELISA kit for your needs? Read more in our blog post about ELISA kit selection:

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