The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is an immunoassay commonly used to detect the presence of an antigen or antibody in a sample. It is a powerful tool in clinical immunology and can be used to determine whether an individual is positive for a specified pathogen, so is often the first test used in disease diagnosis. Utilizing the principle of antigen-antibody interaction, the test allows easy visualisation of results and, since its introduction in 1971, has quickly replaced radioimmunoassays for diagnostic purposes. | The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is an immunoassay commonly used to detect the presence of an antigen or antibody in a sample. It is a powerful tool in clinical immunology and can be used to determine whether an individual is positive for a specified pathogen, so is often the first test used in disease diagnosis. Utilizing the principle of antigen-antibody interaction, the test allows easy visualisation of results and, since its introduction in 1971, has quickly replaced radioimmunoassays for diagnostic purposes. |