ELISA testing for COVID19 BIOTECH Project What is

ELISA testing for COVID-19 BIOTECH Project

What is an ELISA? Enzyme Linked Enzyme – Linked means that an enzyme is used to help show the results. Immunosorbent means that something from the immune system is being linked to something else. Immuno sorbent An antibody is directly or indirectly attached Assay is a term for a qualitive test

It’s a plate-based assay designed for detection and quantifying foreign substances called antigens (virus or bacteria) ELISA definition ELISA’s rely on specific antibodies that bind to a target antigen, and a detection system of an enzyme to indicate the presence and quantity of antigen binding.

Procedure 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sample is added Blocking step Detection step Substrate step Observe results

Types of ELISA • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=n. Njl. BCnp. GZ 4 DIRECT INDIRECT SANDWICH

What is it used for? It is used to detect antibodies in the blood. They aim to identify an immune reaction to a pathogen that has already taken place.

Examples of uses HIV • ELISA was the first unviersal testing kit for HIV Food allergens • Used in the food industry to detect the presence of allergens for legally required ingredient labeling. Detecting viruses • Can reach the most vulnerable groups with the on-site testing capabilities and instant results, allowing for opportunistic testing (e. g. at the emergency department).

Could ELISA be used to detect COVID-19? Yes, because ELISAs look for antibodies created as an inmune response. However, because it is a new virus and much is being researched about its inmunology response it is still under development.

COVID-19 Active Infections Past Infections • As of April 9, 2020 official testing for the novel coronavirus is done by RT-PCR technique. This technique searches for an active infection. • An ELISA searches the blood serum for signs of an immune response to the infection. The test could let people know if they had the disease even if the infection is not actively present, even if the person did not have symptoms.

Protein targeted in SARS-Co. V-2 • Coronaviruses are composed of several proteins including the spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N). • It has been suggested that the spike protein produces a significant immune response.

Benefits of ELISA testing • Detecting immune populations • Detecting how long immunity lasts • Understanding antibody response help develop treatments and vaccines • Simple and less tech-intensive than molecular tests

Limitations FALSE POSTIVES • Not enough accuracy for SARS-Cov-2, could detect other coronaviruses • Serologic tests tend to be less accurate tan molecular test FALSE NEGATIVES • ELISAs taken before an immune response, could come back negative even if there is a virus infection TIME • Take longer to develop because of immune response • For accutely ill patients, molecular testing would still be done

Current state of development of ELISA testing • The preprint of a study was published March 17 th, 2020 where they develop an ELISA to detect SARS-Co. V-2 in humans (Amanat et al, 2020). • They evaluated targeting the S protein in the virus since it tends to produce an immunological response binding to a specific domain (RBD). • They’re total sample size was 59 banked human serum simples that included participants with confirmed viral infections (other tan COVID -19) and compared against plasma from four patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Current state of development of ELISA testing • A biotech company United Biomedical is donating ELISA test to everyone in San Miguel County in Colorado. • It will be the first serological test perform on a large population in the US. The test is still waiting for FDA approval. • Company Cellex is the only to receive FDA approval in April 2 nd, 2020. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=f. ZZKut 2 Bpl. Q