1. Lab # 12: ELISA Immuno Explorer
Dr. Ricardo Chiesa
The purpose of this laboratory is to determine who has been exposed to a
contagious disease and track the disease back to its source. For this, we used ELISA that
simulates the sharing of body fluids. ELISA relies on antibodies to detect the presence of
a disease (antigens) in liquid samples. Antigens result from an immune response that the
body mounts when exposed to a disease. Antibodies are proteins that recognize the
antigen and bind to it; each antibody recognizes a single antigen. First students shared
their samples randomly followed by ELISA. That involved petting primary and
secondary antibodies to determine who has the disease and who transferred the disease.
Our results demonstrated that students 1, 2, 8, and 10 were infected with the disease
whereas students 1 and 10 transmitted the disease. In the real world ELISA is used for
pregnancy tests, disease detection in plants and animals, detecting illegal drug use, and
testing air quality. Also it is applied in tests for bacteria food safety and for genetically
modified organisms (GMOs).