This is a quick-reference manual on practical aspects of immunoassay. Providing a theoretical and practical basis for modern applications of solid-phase immunoassays, this text brings together experts who have used ELISA and other assays in a variety of fields. Contributors offer step-by-step guidance on how to use the various techniques involved in immunoassay. These techniques are extemely useful to laboratory-based researchers and technicians working on the detection of allergy, the AIDS virus, autoimmunity, etc. Chapters analyze the solid-phase supports used, the amplification systems, and the quantitation and affinity of antibodies and discuss the applications of assays to biology, immunology, and microbiology.

This book offers comprehensive information on all aspects of ELISA, starting with the fundamentals of the immune system. It also reviews the history of analytical assays prior to the advent of ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and addresses the materials of choice for the fabrication of the platforms, possible biomolecular interactions, different protocols, and evaluation parameters. The book guides readers through the respective steps of the analytical assay, while also familiarizing them with the possible sources of error in the assay. It offers detailed insights into the immobilization techniques used for protein attachment, as well as methods for evaluating the assay and calculating the key parameters, such as sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and limit of detection. In addition, the book explores the advantages and shortcomings of the conventional ELISA, as well as various approaches to improving its performance. In this regard, merging and integrating other technologies with widely known ELISAs have opened new avenues for the advancement of this immunoassay. Accordingly, the book provides cutting-edge information on integrated platforms such as ELISpot, plasmonic ELISAs, sphere-/bead-based ELISAs, paper-/fiber-based ELISAs and ELISA in micro-devices.

Due to the simplicity, relative accuracy, fast result reporting, and user-friendliness of lateral flow immunoassay, its use has undergone tremendous growth in the diagnostic industry in the last few years. Such technology has been utilized widely and includes pregnancy and woman's health determination, cardiac and emergency conditions monitoring and testing, infectious disease including Flu screening, cancer marker screening, and drugs abuse testing. This book covers the scope of utilization, the principle of the technology, the patent concerns, information on the development and production of the test device and specific applications will be of interest to the diagnostic industry and the general scientific community.

The traditional approach to diagnosis of virus infectians by isolation of the causative virus is usually both slow and expensive. More recently, the emphasis has been on the direct detection of viruses or viral antigens in clinical specimens. This can be done using established techniques such as immunofluorescence or electron microscopy, or by newly developed biochemical methods. The purpose of this meeting was to review these and other developments in the laboratory diagnosis of virus infections. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of this meeting. In particular, we are grateful to the CEC for financial sponsorship, to Professor C. Dow, Director of the Veterinary Research Laboratories, for help in organising the meeting, and to Miss B. Hamilton for her excellent typing of the manuscripts. M S McNulty J B McFerran VII CONTENTS Page Preface V VIRAL DIAGNOSIS BY TIMMUNOFLUORESCENCE P. S. Gardner APPLICATIONS OF IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE IN VETERINARY VIRAL DIAGNOSIS M. S. McNulty and G. M. Allan 15 TAGGING OF VIRAL ANTIGENS USING IMMUNOPEROXIDASE . AND IMMUNOOOLD TEGINlQUES R. Ducatelle, F. Castryck and J. Hoorens 27 DETECTION OF BVD VIRUS IN VlRAEMIC CATTLE BY AN INDIRECT IMMUNOPEROXIDASE TEGINIQUE A. Meyling 37 VIRAL DIAGNOSIS BY ELECTRON MICROSCOPY J. D. Almeida 47 CAPTURE ASSAYS FOR THE DETECTION OF VIRUS-SPECIFIC IgM ANTIBODY R. S. Tedder 60 DETECTION . AND IDENTIFICATION OF PAPILLOMAVIRUSES IN BENIGN . AND MALIGNANT 'TIlmJRS OF CATTLE M. S. Campo 72 DETECTION OF VIRAL NUCLEIC ACIDS IN CELL CULTURES .

First introduced to biomedical research in 1980, the term biomarker has taken on a life of its own in recent years and has come to mean a number of things. In biomedical science, biomarker has evolved to most commonly mean a characteristic that can be used either as a diagnostic or a prognostic, but most significantly as a screening indicator for p

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.