What is an Instant ELISA?

ELISA stands for Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ELISA assays are tests to detect and/or quantify the amount of protein or other analyte in a sample. There are many different formats of ELISA, including direct, indirect, sandwich, and competitive inhibition. ELISA kits typically work by making use of interactions between antigens, antibodies, and enzymes to create a complex that allows for detection, although there are differences between each method. For more information on types of ELISA formats and how they work, read this blog post.

An instant ELISA, also known as a rapid ELISA, is a modification of the standard ELISA that provides results faster. In a standard ELISA, the assay requires several hours of incubation and multiple washing steps to remove unbound proteins. However, in an instant ELISA, the assay steps are combined and the incubations shortened to provide results in a much shorter time frame.

In a standard sandwich ELISA, after preparation, the samples or standards are added to the wells and incubated for 2 hours. The excess liquid is removed and then a detection reagent is added and incubated for an additional hour. The wells are washed and the enzyme conjugate is added, followed by an incubation for an hour. The wells are washed again and the substrate solution is added to the wells. The plate is incubated for 15-25 minutes to allow for the color to develop and the stop solution is added to end the experiment. The total incubation time necessary for the assay is over 4 hours.  

In an instant sandwich ELISA, after preparation, the samples or standards are added to the wells with the detection reagent at the same time, then incubated for 90 minutes. The wells are washed and the enzyme conjugate is added, followed by a 30 minute incubation. The wells are washed again and the substrate solution is added to the wells. The plate is incubated for 15 minutes to allow for color development and then the stop solution is added to end the experiment. The total incubation time necessary for the instant assay is only 1 hour 45 minutes.

Reddot Biotech also offers an even faster instant ELISA, our EASYStep Pro ELISA kits. In this assay, after preparation, the samples or standard are added to the wells with the detection antibody and enzyme conjugate complex together, then incubated for one hour. The wells are washed and the substrate solution is added. The plate is incubated for 15 minutes to allow for color development and then the stop solution is added to end the experiment. The total incubation time necessary for the EASYStep Pro Instant ELISA assay is only 1 hour 15 minutes.

Browse EASYStep and EASYStep Pro ELISA Kits here.