Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity.

They are vital for the

study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition .Enzymes have a wide variety of uses in analytical
procedures. Their specificity and potency allow both detection and amplification of a target analyte.
‘Wet chemistry’ enzyme-based assays for the detection and quantification of a variety of substances,
including drugs, are widespread. Enzymes also play a key role in immunodiagnostics, often being
used as the agent to amplify the signal—for example, in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
(ELISAs).
Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (shortened as ELISA) is used to identify peptides, proteins,
antibodies and hormones. Also, called as enzyme immunoassay (EIA), ELISA finds use in the fields of
biotechnology and medicine as a diagnostic tool. Mainly, antibodies and color changes are used to identify
target substances. Also, ELISAs are useful in measuring antigen and antibody concentration.
In an ELISA, the antigen (target macromolecule) is immobilized on a solid surface (microplate) and
then complexed with an antibody that is linked to a reporter enzyme. Detection is accomplished by
measuring the activity of the reporter enzyme via incubation with the appropriate substrate to produce
a measurable product. Generally, the ELISA technique results in a coloured end product which absorbs at
a particular wavelength and can be correlated to the quantity of analyte in question present in the
sample.The most crucial element of an ELISA is a highly specific antibody-antigen interaction.This
capability of the process to wash away non-specific unbound reactants makes the ELISA technique an
influential and reliable means for gauging precise information on the analytes even when present within a
crude and impurified sample.

It is a useful tool for determining serum antibody concentrations (such as with the HIV

Test[25] or West Nile virus). It has also found applications in the food industry in detecting
potential food allergens, such as milk, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, and eggs[26] and as serological
blood test for coeliac disease.[27][28] ELISA can also be used in toxicology as a rapid presumptive
screen for certain classes of drugs. The ELISA was the first screening test widely used for HIV
because of its high sensitivity.

. The other uses of ELISA include:

 detection of Mycobacterium antibodies in tuberculosis

 detection of rotavirus in feces
 detection of hepatitis B markers in serum
 detection of hepatitis C markers in serum
 detection of HIV antibodies in blood samples

Enzyme immunoassay compared with immunofluorescence or radioimmunoassay has following

advantages: no need of special and complicated equipment and instruments; high sensitivity;
good reproducibility and harmless to health. Therefore, in recent years, enzyme immunoassay
has attracted more and more attentions. This approach has now been extended to many subject
areas, not only for antigens or antibodies but also for many drugs, hormones and antibiotics, and
even the enzyme itself.