> Information Center > Technical FAQs > Antibody Technology Column > What is direct ELISA testing?
A direct ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a plate-based immunosorbent assay intended for the detection and quantification of a specific analyte (e.g. antigens, antibodies, proteins, hormones, peptides, etc.) from within a complex biological sample. Of the four different ELISA formats, direct ELISA is the simplest and quickest to perform, but there are some disadvantages associated with this method (see Table 1).
In a direct ELISA (Figure 1), the antigen is immobilized directly onto the surface of a multi-well microtiter plate such as a 96-well polystyrene plate, and then complexed with an enzyme-labeled primary antibody specific for the antigen. Once the enzyme-labeled primary antibody binds to the antigen, the conjugated primary antibody catalyzes a reaction with its respective substrate resulting in a visible colorimetric output that is measured by a spectrophotometer or absorbance microplate reader. Direct ELISAs are suitable for qualitative and quantitative antigen detection in samples of interest, antibody screening, and epitope mapping.
Leading Biology Inc.
2600 Hilltop DR, Building G, B Suite C138
Richmond, CA, 94806
Tel: 1-661-524(LBI)-0262
Email: info@leadingbiology.com
