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Immunological tests to become more reliable

New statistical procedure for ELISA analysis presented by PTB

07.07.2011

The home pregnancy test is certainly the best known, but there are tests for many other purposes - tests based on the bond between antibodies and antigens. These bonds work according to the lock-and-key theory and are exploited in immunological tests to determine the smallest concentrations of substances. For instance, ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) can be used to detect very specific and very sensitive antibodies which the body produces to fight viruses or bacteria. The problem with the analysis of ELISAs is not only estimating the concentration but also indicating the corresponding measurement uncertainty. At the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), a statistical procedure has now been elaborated which makes the analysis far more reliable. It was developed following the example of interferon testing and can be applied in general to determine concentrations by means of ELISAs.

Die Mikrotiterplatte eines ELISA-Tests

Scientific publication
Klauenberg, K.; Ebert, B.; Voigt, J.; Walzel, M.; Noble, J.E.; Knight, A.E.; Elster, C.:
Bayesian analysis of an international ELISA comparability study. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. ISSN (Online) 1437-4331, ISSN (Print) 1434-6621, DOI: 10.1515/CCLM.2011.648
published online: 05/07/2011: www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/CCLM.2011.648

Contact Dr. Katy Klauenberg,
Working Group 8.42 Data Analysis and Measurement Uncertainty,
Phone +4930 3481-7614,
E-mail: katy.klauenberg(at)ptb.de

Author: Erika Schow