Antibody-Based Procedures in Biomedical Diagnostics

Flashcards on key concepts from the lecture on Antibody-Based Procedures in Biomedical Diagnostics.

Antibody-antigen interactions

The binding of antibodies to specific antigens, analogous to enzyme-substrate interactions.

Affinity

The strength of the reaction between an antibody and its corresponding antigen, expressed as the equilibrium constant.

Avidity

The overall strength of binding between multiple antigens and antibodies.

Specificity

The ability of an antibody binding site to bind with only one antigenic determinant.

Cross-reactivity

The ability of an antibody to react with more than one antigenic determinant, typically due to similar epitope structures.

Hapten

A substance that can react with a specific antibody but cannot induce antibody formation unless attached to a carrier protein.

Polyclonal antibodies

Antibodies produced from multiple B-cell lineages that recognize different epitopes.

Monoclonal antibodies

Antibodies that are identical and specific for a single epitope, produced by a single B-cell clone.

ELISA

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, a test used to determine the concentration of analytes and antibodies.

Competitive ELISA

An assay where free antigen competes with a labeled antigen for binding to a specific antibody.

Direct ELISA

An assay where the antigen is attached to a plate and directly reacts with a primary antibody conjugate.

Indirect ELISA

An assay that involves binding a primary antibody to the antigen, which is then detected by a secondary antibody.

Radioimmunoassay (RIA)

A sensitive technique that uses radioactive isotopes to detect antigens in samples.

FACS

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting, a technique for separating different types of cells based on their fluorescent labels.

Checkerboard assay

A method used to optimize the concentration or dilution of antibodies in an ELISA by using a 96-well plate format.