The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has evolved from other types of immunoassays in the early 1970s and is now one of the most widely used laboratory techniques in clinical, translational, and basic sciences as well as clinical medicine. In this chapter, the basic concepts of ELISA and its most commonly used forms, such as sandwich, indirect, and competitive assays, are discussed, as well as their applications and the considerations involved in designing a new ELISA assay. The focus of this chapter is on the use of ELISA in clinical and translational research, aiming to provide the reader with the necessary tools to apply ELISA in their own research context. An example of how ELISA can be employed in a translational research scenario is provided, as well as a detailed protocol describing how to do so in that example.