1. These tests are commonly called Serology Tests

2.  Detection of Ab to infectious diseases i.e. HIV, rubella and hepatitis  Microbial antigens can be detected  Can detect a substance not a part of the immune system such as a hormone or a specific drug

3.  Sensitivity refers to the lower limit of detection…lowest amount of Antigen that can be detected. ◦ One reason we do specific gravity for Pregnancy tests ◦ Another reason we have to ensure optimum reaction environment ◦ Failure to detect antigen will lead to false negatives  Specificity refers to the ability to detect only the substance for which the test is designed. ◦ Need to eliminate cross-reactivity to prevent false positives

4.  Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies of one class and one specificity and are derived from one cell line. These antibodies are produced in laboratories and are what we use for testing  Polyclonal antibodies are antibodies that are mixtures and are produced from different cell lines. This represents the history of a persons antigen exposure.

6.  In 1900 Paul Ehrlich coined the term ‘Magic Bullets” in reference to antibodies being used as therapeutics.  First realized in 1975 by Kohler and Milstein when they discovered Monoclonal production  Due to the outstanding specificity of Monoclonal ABs, they are being used to identify molecules that cannot be seen by the naked eye and thus conclusions can be made about the target molecule.  After the 1975 discovery of Monoclonal production, the first success using an antibody for therapeutic treatment for transplant rejection starting a wave of research and development. The 1990’s has seen huge breakthroughs for therapeutic use of antibodies

8.  Agglutination ( we’ve looked at that)  Precipitation:

9. Labeled Antibody Techniques ◦ Enzyme immunoassay  Reaction well coated with antigen (rubella)  Anti-human IgG with an enzyme label is added  Patient serum added  Colorless substrate specific for enzyme is added  No color equals negative

10.  Chemiluminescence

11.  Lateral flow immunoassays

12.  Immunofluorescene (IF) techniques

13.  Flow cytometry