The Need

The conventional Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, or ELISA, is typically carried out in a 96-well or 384-well microliter plate. The method involves a series of mixing and washing steps, which are not only tedious and laborious, but which also often result in large errors and inconsistent outcomes. ELISA can take several hours or longer for each assay because of the long incubation time in each step. To overcome the downsides of the traditional ELISA, developers have been miniaturizing and automating ELISA with robots to perform the liquid handling on an even more micro scale. However, these robotic machines are expensive and not suitable for point-of-use in smaller labs where individualized assays are better suited to manual execution. Therefore, a faster, more economical and more efficient ELISA technique would fill a significant unmet need in the market, particularly for research labs.

The Technology

The Ohio State University researchers, led by Dr. Yang, have developed a novel multichannel ELISA technique and device that is faster and more sensitive than conventional ELISA methods. Dr. Yang's technology requires fewer reagents, which makes testing more cost effective and timely. There is also enhanced detection sensitivity which allows for increased accuracy, likely due to the elimination of pipetting errors associated with conventional methods and the precise reagent loading volume. Finally Dr. Yang's method can be utilized by existing microliter plate readers for an easy transition to this new lab method.

Commercial Applications

• Food safety
• Medical diagnostics
• Environmental monitoring
• Pharmaceutical development
• Research equipment

Benefits/Advantages

• Reduced reagent usage
• Enhanced detection sensitivity
• Increased accuracy
• Eliminates pipetting errors associated with conventional methods
• Can be read using existing microliter plate readers
• Precise reagent loading volume