Epitope Diagnostics Interview and Lab Concepts Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering laboratory techniques, quality standards, controls, and basic laboratory math concepts for interview preparation.

ELISA

An assay that uses specific antigen–antibody binding to detect or measure a target, often with an enzyme-linked signal.

Chemiluminescence

Light produced by a chemical reaction; in an assay, the signal can indicate the presence or amount of a target.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Written instructions for performing a task consistently.

Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP)

Requirements and systems that help ensure products are consistently made and controlled for quality.

Quality Control (QC)

Checks and tests used to determine whether materials, processes, or products meet requirements.

Quality Assurance (QA)

Systems and processes designed to ensure quality requirements are followed and documented.

Antigen

A substance recognized by an immune system antibody.

Antibody

A protein that binds specifically to an antigen.

Positive Control

A control used to check that the test can produce the expected signal.

Negative Control

A control that helps detect unwanted signal or contamination.

Buffer

A solution that helps maintain a stable pH.

Reagent

A substance used in a laboratory reaction or test.

Calibration Curve

A graph relating known concentrations to measured signals, used to estimate unknown concentrations.

Traceability

Being able to track materials, samples, results, and actions through accurate records and identifiers in a laboratory.

Nonconformance

A result, material, or process that does not meet a specified requirement.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

A technique that amplifies a selected DNA sequence, making many copies of that target region.

Gel Electrophoresis

A method that separates DNA fragments mainly by size as they move through a gel in an electric field.

Gram Stain

A differential staining technique that differentiates bacteria based on cell-envelope properties, producing Gram-positive or Gram-negative staining patterns.

Biochemical Tests

Assays that help identify bacteria by testing metabolic activities or enzymes.

Dilution Equation ($C_1V_1 = C_2V_2$)

An equation used for calculating the stock-solution volume needed to make a desired concentration and final volume.

Percent Weight/Volume (% w/v)

A concentration unit defined as grams of solute per $100\,\text{mL}$ of final solution.

Mean

The average calculated by taking the sum of all measurements and dividing by the total number of measurements.

1:10 Dilution

A dilution prepared by mixing $1\,\text{mL}$ of sample with diluent to reach a final volume of $10\,\text{mL}$ (typically using $9\,\text{mL}$ of diluent).