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Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are commonly used in diagnostic, as well as quality control laboratories.  The assays are used for identifying and quantifying analytes using antibody-antigen reactions. Reducing background noise and variation is one of the challenges during the assay. To ensure reliable results with excellent accuracy and precision, while maximizing assay sensitivity, high quality washing and reading are essential. In addition, effortless result interpretation and reporting are crucial to day to day routine ELISAs.

To reduce background noise and assay variation it is vital that all of the washing steps of an ELISA are performed as efficiently as possible. Any unbound material left in the wells increases levels of background noise, which decreases assay sensitivity and consequently the quality of the data. The Thermo Scientific Wellwash and Wellwash® Versa strip washers are designed for the accurate and precise dispensing and aspiration of washing solutions via specially designed wash heads. The washing parameters are easily adjustable to guarantee the best possible washing performance. These strip washers incorporate a sweep mode to ensure extremely low residual volumes to enable the efficient removal of un-bound antibodies and other disturbing assay components, thus decreasing background noise and increasing the reliability of ELISA data. Safety features such as the automatic prime and rinse functions, aerosol cover and non-pressurized bottles ensure safe and reliable routine operation.

To increase the reliability of ELISA data, the reading must be performed as accurately and precisely as possible.  The Thermo Scientific Multiskan FC microplate photometer is an excellent reader for performing qualitative and quantitative ELISAs. The proven and patented optical design in combination with the auto-calibration procedure performed during each measurement, guarantees excellent performance and ensures consistent reading of results, increasing the reliability of the ELISA data. The Thermo Scientific SkanIt Software, designed for use with the Multiskan^® FC, makes the assay easy to set up by incorporating several ready-made calculations including, quantitative and qualitative classification and quality control. The software also offers easy reporting in multiple formats. 

The Multiskan FC microplate photometer and Wellwash microplate strip washers provide an easy-to-use modular solution for routine and research ELISAs. The Multiskan FC and Wellwash strip washers feature a large color display with a logical and intuitive graphical user interface, which makes the assay extremely easy to set up. The internal software of both instruments is available in eight different languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and Chinese). A context specific help feature ensures that protocols are developed quickly and easily, with minimal user training, guaranteeing that all users can effectively use the equipment regardless of experience levels. This results in an increase in ELISA productivity and throughput.

With optimal performance and reliability, our comprehensive portfolio of microplate photometers and washers provides you with a perfect ELISA solution, whatever your application needs. In addition Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a wide selection of dispensers, incubator/shakers, manual pipettes, microplates and reagents to complete your ELISA needs. Find the right instrument for your laboratory from our family of ELISA products.

For more information, please visit our Microplate Instrumentation product pages.